MINUTES

of the

DELIBERATIONS FOR THE DRAFT WALKING AND CYCLING STRATEGY MEETING

held

9.30 am, Monday, 9 May 2022

at

Tasman Council Chamber, 189 Queen Street, Richmond,

Present:                   Deputy Mayor S Bryant, Councillors C Butler, C Mackenzie, T Tuffnell and
T Walker (via Zoom)

In Attendance:        Group Manager – Service & Strategy (S Edwards), Infrastructure Planning Advisor (D Bryant), Transportation Planning Officer (C Scott), Executive Assistant to the Mayor (R Scherer), Executive Support Officer
(G Drummond) and Transportation Manager (J McPherson)

Part Attendance:    Strategic Policy Manager (D Fletcher) (via Zoom) Wouter Woortman (via Zoom) Team Leader – Infrastructure Planning (W Woortman) and Motueka Community Board Member (J Tomsett)

1        Opening, Welcome

Chairperson, Deputy Mayor Bryant, welcomed everyone to the deliberations meeting and invited Councillor Mackenzie to present the opening karakia.

Councillor Butler advised the meeting of the sudden passing of Christine Pullar who has been an active member of the cycling community in Golden Bay and who made a submission to the Cycling and Walking strategy.

2        Apologies and Leave of Absence

There were no apologies.

3        Reports

3.1     Walking and Cycling Strategy Deliberations

Drew Bryant, Infrastructure Planning Advisor and Clare Scott, Transportation Planning Officer, presented the report.

Ms Scott noted that 244 submissions had been received and, of these, 27 people spoke at the submissions hearing. She said the strategy had generally received overwhelming support with a high level of community engagement.

4        DELIBERATIONS

The hearing panel discussed the following items:

Parking

In response to a question, Strategic Policy Manager, Dwayne Fletcher confirmed that letters about the Cycling and Walking Strategy public consultation had been delivered to every household in the areas affected by the proposed removal of on-street parking. However, he noted that owners of rental properties in those areas may have not seen the material.

Ms Scott explained the concept of inset parking bays which will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Transportation Manager, Jamie McPherson noted that inset parking bays are significantly more expensive at $10,000 per car park and they can only be completed in certain sites.

Ms Scott confirmed that no parking spaces will be removed from outside the Greenwood Medical Centre. Mr Bryant added that staff are not proposing to remove any parking from any medical centres in the District.

In response to a question about prioritising cycle lanes on Wensley Road and Hill Street,
Ms Scott explained that staff will be prioritising developments based on criteria such as most benefit, most users, connectedness and current hazards/risks that require mitigation. She also noted that staff will need to consider “best fit” for some roads, for example Wensley Road is narrow in places and may need a combination of separate cycleways and slow speed shared zones.

Responding to a question, both Mr Bryant and Ms Scott confirmed that staff will ensure the community is aware of the work that will be done in their area and ask for their feedback on the detailed designs for each project within the Strategy.

In response to a comment regarding the cycleway on Lord Rutherford Road and the subsequent removal of parking, Ms Scott confirmed there is plenty of alternative parking available for people who are attending events at the sports field.

The panel discussed submitters concerns regarding the removal of parking outside Java Hut in Aranui Road, Māpua. Ms Scott noted that staff were recommending extending the slow speed town centre in Aranui Road by 154 metres to include Java Hut.

The proposed cycleway along Pitfure Road in Wakefield was discussed. Mr Bryant confirmed that the section of Tasman’s Great Taste Trail in this area will be utilised as part of the proposed cycleway. He also noted that there is some current and future development in this area which will increase the demand for a safe cycle route.

Mr Bryant noted that the maps of slow zones used in the Walking and Cycling Strategy will also be used for the Council’s upcoming speed management plan which is due to be released for public consultation in August this year.

The issue of walkers and cyclists crossing the state highway network was identified as a major risk. In response, Ms Scott agreed that staff will need to work closely with Waka Kotahi to identify areas where pedestrian safety upgrades are required on the state highway network.

Responding to a question, Mr Bryant confirmed that separate cycle lanes will be installed on both Commercial and Motupipi Streets in Tākaka. The aim is to provide connectivity with the wider region, including meeting the needs of growth in Pōhara and access to the Golden Bay Medical Centre. Staff are also proposing Commercial Street as a slow speed zone as it is regularly used by schoolchildren.

Ms Scott noted that the Strategy had been amended to include a 30 kph slow speed in Pah Street, Motueka in proximity to the marae, the kohanga reo and the proposed papakainga.

Rural Areas

Responding to a question regarding cycle safety on State Highway 60 near the Tākaka township, Ms Scott said that Waka Kotahi is considering reducing the speed between Tākaka  and Collingwood to 80 kmh. She added that there is no funding in the current Long Term Plan to remedy any pinch points on this route and this will need to be considered in the Long Term Plan 2024-2034.

It was suggested that the term “pinch points” was not intuitively clear in terms of what it actually means. The panel agreed to amend the wording for pinch points to “hazardous locations” ie, specific locations where there is a heightened risk to cyclists.

Cycle Actions/Route Changes

In response to a comment, Ms Scott confirmed that staff will work with the Richmond Primary School to address their concerns regarding safety.

The panel discussed the conflict between pedestrians and cyclists on shared paths. It was agreed that this element requires education and a review of how it is working will be completed when the Strategy is reviewed in 2027.

Walking Actions

It was agreed that the provision of rest areas for people walking on designated paths should be given consideration as they provide an opportunity for people to socialise and further enhance health and wellbeing. Ms Scott noted that the provision of seating is allowed for at every 15 minutes of walking distance in the Strategy and she confirmed that seating with backs would be preferred and they would be designed to encourage conversation.

The dangers of using mobility scooters or baby buggies and prams on some footpaths was discussed and Mr McPherson said that remediation of this issue is included as part of the regular maintenance of footpaths throughout the District.

Principles Clarification

It was agreed to amend Principle 4 to read “A network of walking and cycling infrastructure that is efficient and creates direct connections”, by removing the words “that minimise detours”.

It was also agreed to remove some wording and to ensure the policies were strong. 

The meeting adjourned at 12.31pm and resumed at 1.13 pm.

Councillor Walker did not return to the meeting.

Urban Design Integration

It was agreed that the Strategy wording be amended to enable the urban design principles to be reflected in other Council plans such as the Future Development Strategy and the Tasman Resource Management Plan.

Targets

It was agreed to retain the proposed target of 60% walking and cycling by 2050.

It was also agreed to include a clarifying statement that notes the Strategy is concentrated on urban areas.

It was agreed to add some wording to the effect that “emissions from transport are reported in a separate annual report”.  

Other Submissions

Ms Scott noted that Waka Kotahi had made it very clear that any part of the Walking and Cycling Strategy that includes state highways will require their input.

The need for cyclists to cross the road at Waimea West Road to reach the footpath on the other side was noted. Staff agreed that this should be treated as a pinch point.

Vision Statement

The Panel agreed that the vision statement should be changed to read “A safe and accessible transport system that transforms the way we get around in our towns.”

That the Submissions Hearing Panel:

1.   receives the Walking and Cycling Strategy Deliberations Report RSH22-05-1; and

2.   in response to matters raised in the submissions received on the Draft Walking and Cycling Strategy, requests that staff make the following changes to the Draft Strategy in order to prepare the proposed final Walking and Cycling Strategy for consideration by the Strategy and Policy Committee:

Vision, and Principles and Policies

a.   amend the vision statement to read “A safe and accessible transport system that transforms the way we get around in our towns.”;

b.   amend the wording of Principle 1 of the ‘Our Principles’ section to “Improved actual and perceived safety to walk, cycle and get around on other micro-mobility devices”;

c.   amend the wording of Principle 2 of the ‘Our Principles’ section to “Improved look, feel, amenity and social opportunities in our urban and residential environments”;

d.   amend the wording of Principle 3 of the ‘Our Principles’ section to “An active transport network that makes the best use of existing infrastructure and is prioritised to provide the greatest benefit first”;

e.   insert a new Principle in the ‘Our Principles’ section to read “Principle 4: A network of walking and cycling infrastructure that is efficient and creates direct connections;

f.    remove the word “supporting” from Policy 1;

g.   reword Policy 6 to read “Council will work towards all urban streets having either an effective 30 km/hr speed, or a protected or separated cycleway”;

Parking 

h.   amend the wording of Policy 5 by deleting the words “…in high demand locations…” and replacing with “Council will take into account specific parking needs when reallocating road space to provide for separated cycleways”;

Route changes

i.    amend the map of Māpua to reflect the following:

a.   entire length of Aranui Road being made a 30 kph road (subject to the Speed Management Plan consultation);

b.   the town centre shared slow zone extending to include the tennis courts and Java Hut; 

c.   separated cycleways between the school and Java Hut;

d.   separated cycleways from the end of the town centre to Tahi St; and

j.    amend the map of Motueka to include a cycle link between Talbot and Manoy Street;

k.   amend the map of Motueka to include a 30 kph slow speed zone in the areas around Te Awhina marae, the kōhanga reo, and the planned papakainga site on Pah St (subject to the Speed Management Plan consultation);

l.    amend map of Murchison extend the slow speed town centre past the school frontage and include a shared path on both sides of Waller Street from the school to Grey Street, along with a note to say that a shared path will be prioritised initially and that the need for separated cycleways along Waller Street will be reassessed in the 2027 Strategy review; and

m.  amend map legends to state that the solid blue line indicates a cycleway on both sides of the road;

n.   amend the ‘Accessible Pedestrian Network’ section to include a plan to address pedestrian crossing points along key routes;

o.   amend the maps to show key walking route improvements at intersections that follow the separated cycleway commuter routes and identifying key pedestrian crossing locations;

p.   change the language in the final Strategy to make the concept of slow speed town centres clearer;

q.   revise the descriptions of cycle network infrastructure in the text to match the terminology used on the maps and include images of examples to better illustrate what the new road environment and intersections would look like;

r.    amend wording in the Strategy to make it clear that the type and style of separated cycleways will be identified for each location in the detailed design stage of delivery;

s.   extend the shared path in Collingwood along Collingwood Quay to intersect with Poplar Lane;

t.    add a note in the Strategy to advise that the hazardous pinch points will generally be prioritised over the separated cycleway on Commercial Street, subject to Waka Kotahi collaboration where appropriate;

Rural

u.   include an action to focus on addressing specific hazardous locations (safety pinch points) on higher use inter-town and rural routes and working with Waka Kotahi on developing long term plans for higher quality inter-town routes on their network;

v.   include site-specific improvements to the cycleway between Pōhara and Tākaka in the recommendation to improve safety at hazardous pinch-points on rural connection routes in Golden Bay, and include this project in full in the 6-year review of the Strategy.

w.  update the urban maps to indicate the where rural cycle connections enter and exit the urban area;

x.   include additional wording, and a line in the timeline, to explain that rural cycle connections will be reviewed in 2027;

Targets

y.   include wording in the Strategy that notes the urgency of taking action to reduce transport emissions and that this Strategy is a crucial step towards achieving the Government’s emissions reduction and climate change targets; 

z.   add a statement clarifying that the targets are for within urban areas, and not between them;

aa. add a statement explaining that emissions from transport will be reported in a separate annual report;

Urban Design

bb. amend the section on urban design to say: “In order to do this, these urban design principles will need to be reflected in other Council plans, such as the Future Development Strategy and the Tasman Resource Management Plan;

      Miscellaneous

cc. clarify wording to explain that safe on-road cycleways improve footpath access and safety for pedestrians by taking faster bikes off footpaths and shared paths;

dd. include a Strategy document approval date and a review date on the front cover;

ee. amend the Strategy timeline to include a review of the Strategy in 2027;

ff.   add a statement to supplement the timeline explaining the role of the Long Term Plan in implementing the Strategy action, and note that the Long Term Plan 2024-2034 process may provide additional funding opportunities to accelerate the roll-out of the proposed actions;

gg. include a section illustrating the connection between this Strategy and other Council and regional plans, including the Speed Management Plan;

hh. add a box before the maps in the Strategy to explain that slow speed recommendations that fall on State Highways in the maps depend on Waka Kotahi agreeing to the speed reductions and conducting their consultation process;

ii.   add wording to state that any paths and routes shown on the maps that cross private land will be subject to negotiations with the land-owners; and

jj.   add to the wording in the Shelter and Seating section of the Strategy to identify that seats should have backs and be arranged in a manner which enables social interaction; 

kk. add wording in the Accessible Pedestrian Network section of the Strategy to identify key accessibility issues for mobility scooter users;                 

3.   agrees that staff give effect to the recommendations referred to in Resolution 2 above when preparing the amended Walking and Cycling Strategy; and

4.   agrees that the amended Walking and Cycling Strategy and the Hearing Panel report be presented to the Strategy and Policy Committee for consideration and adoption on 26 May 2022.

The staff were congratulated and thanked for their work on the Cycling and Walking Strategy.

Councillor Mackenzie offered the closing karakia.

The meeting concluded at 1.40 pm.

Date Confirmed:

Chair: