Joint Nelson
Tasman Regional Transport Committee Agenda – 11 December 2023
7 Reports
7.1
Draft Regional
Land Transport Plan 2024-34 and Draft Regional Public Transport Plan 2024-34 -
Draft for Consultation
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Report
To:
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Joint
Nelson Tasman Regional Transport Committee
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Meeting
Date:
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11
December 2023
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Report
Author:
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Alec
Louverdis, Group Manager, Infrastructure, Nelson City Council
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Report
Authorisers:
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John
Ridd, Group Manager - Service and Strategy
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Report
Number:
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RNTRTC23-12-5
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Purpose
of Report
1.1 To
approve the commencement of a special consultative procedure on the proposed
Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34 (RLTP) and Regional Public Transport Plan
2024-34 (RPTP).
1.2 To
adopt the draft RLTP, the draft RPTP and the Summary Statement of Proposal
(Summary SOP) for that consultation.
2. Report Summary
2.1 Waka
Kotahi, Nelson City Council (NCC), Tasman District Council (TDC) and the
Department of Conservation (DoC) have been involved in updating the RLTP plan
which is a 10 year plan but prioritises the transport projects for the next six
years and seeks funding for them.
2.2 NCC
and TDC have been involved in updating the RPTP which considers the public
transport activity for the next 10 years. The Regional Transport Committee has
delegated authority to consult on the draft RPTP.
2.3 The
Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA) requires consultation in accordance
with provisions of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) when preparing an RLTP
or an RPTP. Officers recommend using the special consultative procedure
specified in section 83 of the LGA and seek the Committee’s approval for
the draft plans and Summary SOP to commence consultation.
3. Recommendation
That the Joint Nelson
Tasman Regional Transport Committee
1. receives the Draft Regional Land Transport Plan
2024-34 and Draft Regional Public Transport Plan 2024-34 - Draft for
Consultation report and its attachments; and
2. approves
the use of the special consultative procedure for community consultation on the
Draft Regional Land Transport Plan (Attachment 1 to the agenda report) and the
Draft Regional Public Transport Plan (Attachment 2 to the agenda report); and
3. approves
the change in the significance policy contained with the Draft
Regional Land Transport Plan (Attachment 1 to the agenda report) with the
substantive change being an increase in the financial limit from $5M to $15M;
and
4. adopts the Draft Regional Land
Transport Plan (Attachment 1 to the agenda report) and the Draft Regional
Public Transport Plan (Attachment 2 to the agenda report) as the Statements of
Proposal for the purposes of the special consultative procedure; and
5. adopts the Summary of the
Statements of Proposal (Attachment 3 to the agenda report) to enable public
understanding of the proposal; and
6. approves the consultation
approach (set out in sections/paragraphs 4.20–4.25 and Attachment 4 to
the agenda report and agrees:
(a) the approach meets the requirements
of the Land Transport Act 2003, including Section 125, accounting for the fact
that the Joint Regional Transport Committee has delegated authority to develop
the draft Regional Public Transport Plan from Nelson City Council and Tasman
District Councils, both unitary authorities; and
(b) the approach includes sufficient
steps to ensure the Statements of Proposal will be reasonably accessible to the
public and will be publicised in a manner appropriate to its purpose and
significance; and
(c) the approach will result in the
Summary of the Statements of Proposal being as widely publicised as is
reasonably practicable as a basis for consultation; and
7. delegates authority for any minor word changes to the
consultation documents to the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Joint Nelson Tasman
Regional Transport Committee.
4. Background
and Discussion
Regional
Land Transport Plan
4.1 The
LTMA requires Unitary Authorities to prepare a RLTP every six years and update
it every three years.
4.2 The
2024-2034 RLTP is a mid-term review rather than a full rewrite.
4.3 When
preparing a RLTP, a Regional Transport Committee (RTC) must consult in
accordance with the principles specified in section 82 of the Local Government
Act (LGA) and may use the special consultative procedures specified in section
83 of the LGA.
4.4 The
RLTP sets out how the region’s land transport system will develop and
identifies proposed regional transport activities for investment (local and/or
central government) over the next 10 years. It includes policy and activities
related to road maintenance and improvements, public transport services and
infrastructure, walking and cycling infrastructure, road safety education and
transport planning.
4.5 The
draft RLTP is a joint document with NCC, TDC, Waka Kotahi and DoC to enable the
key transport objectives and policies to provide a joint voice when competing
for central government funding. The joint draft document is titled
“Connecting Te Tauihu”.
4.6 The
draft RLTP also includes a foreword endorsed by the South Island Regional
Transport Committee Chairs group of which Nelson and Tasman are members.
4.7 Two
Joint Nelson Tasman Regional Transport Committee (JNTRTC) workshops have been
held (6 June 2023 and 27 October 2023) to understand the key issues,
opportunities and benefits facing the region from a transport perspective and
to understand the relative priority of the significant activities.
4.8 The
draft RLTP reflects a business case focus guided by the Investment Logic Map
developed at a JNTRTC workshop held on 7 September 2020 as part of the
2021-2031 RLTP but further refined on 6 June 2023.
4.9 The
draft RLTP will inform the preparation of Nelson and Tasman’s Long Term
Plans 2024- 2034.
4.10 The
LTMA requires the JNTRTC to develop the RLTP to be consistent with the
Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS).
4.11 The
GPS sets out national land transport objectives and the results the Government
wishes to achieve from allocation of the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF).
4.12 The
draft RLTP has been developed under the draft GPS from the previous
government. Early signals on the direction of transport funding via a
draft GPS are not available at the time of writing this report. However,
I note that the summary of the incoming Government Coalition agreement from Te
Uru Kahika – Regional and Unitary Council Aotearoa notes new Roads of
National Significance funded in part from a reduction in public transport
infrastructure of which the Hope Bypass is one, and a reduced expenditure on
cycleways.
4.13 A
GPS from the new government is not expected in a timeframe that allows this
committee to prepare a RLTP, consult with the community and still submit the
RLTP by 14 June 2024 as required by the Land Transport Management Act 2003.
4.14 Each
RTC must, in accordance with section 106(2) of the Act, adopt a policy that
determines ‘significance’ in respect of variations it wishes to
make to its RLTP as provided for by section 18D of the Act. The policy is
also relevant in determining those activities that require regional ranking by
the RTC in its RLTP as required by section 16(3)(d) of the Act.
4.15 The
significance policy has had a financial limit of $5M since the first RLTP was
drafted 12 years ago. To better reflect the cost of significant projects
in 2024 and beyond an increase of the financial limit to $15M is proposed.
4.16 The
financial limit is not the only consideration in determining
significance. Activities of high risk, those that have significant
network, economic and/or land use implications for other regions; and any other
activity that the RTC resolves as being regionally significant can also be
determined to be ‘significant’.
Regional
Public Transport Plan
4.17 Alongside
the draft RLTP sits the draft Nelson-Tasman Regional Public Transport Plan
(RPTP) titled “Accessible Nelson-Tasman”.
4.18 The
key direction of public transport for Nelson Tasman was discussed at the 27
October 2023 workshop.
4.19 Following
the significant step change in August this year with the eBus service,
direction was provided by the JNTRTC members to largely maintain the current
service with improvements as previously planned in the 2021-2031 RPTP, but
subject to a one-year review of the services. This review is scheduled to start
in August 2024 and would inform the development of the next RPTP for the
2027-37 period.
Consultation
and decision making process
4.20 When
preparing a RLTP, an RTC must consult in accordance with the principles
specified in section 82 of the LGA and may use the special consultative
procedures specified in section 83 of the LGA.
4.21 Before
adopting a RPTP, a regional council must consult in accordance with the
principles in section 82 of the LGA and may use the special consultative
procedures specified in section 83 of the LGA. A regional council may carry out
consultation on the proposal to adopt an RPTP in conjunction with the relevant
RTC’s consultation on its RLTP.
4.22 In
this case officers recommend use of the special consultative procedure on the
proposal to adopt both plans, as it is considered that they are both of
significance as they involve the future form and management of the transport
network.
4.23 When
carrying out the SCP (as outlined in sections 83 and 87 of the LGA) the Council
must:
4.23.1 prepare and
adopt a statement of proposal, (in this case the draft RLTP and the draft
RPTP);
4.23.2 consider
whether a summary of the statement of proposal is necessary to enable public
understanding of the proposal;
4.23.3 make the
statement of proposal publicly available for at least one month and invite
written submissions; and
4.23.4 provide an
opportunity for people to present their views to the local authority (or its
delegated representatives) in a manner that enables spoken (or sign language)
interaction.
4.24 Officers
consider that in these circumstances a summary of the proposed plans is
necessary to enable public understanding. The Summary of the Statements of
Proposal is included as Attachment 3. Both the draft plans and the summary will
be made available to the public for feedback, with a proposed consultation
period running from 22 January 2024 to 25 February 2024.
4.25 The
draft consultation plan is included in Attachment 4.
5. Options
5.1 Consulting
on the draft RLTP and RPTP is required by the LTMA.
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1.
Option 1: Commence
Consultation on the draft RLTP and draft RPTP
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2.
Advantages
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· Complies with requirements of the LTMA.
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3.
Risks and Disadvantages
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· The Government Policy Statement on Transport from the new
Government is not available to inform development of the plans.
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4.
Option 2: Do not
commence consultation on the draft RLTP and draft RPTP
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5.
Advantages
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· Could enable the RLTP to be developed under the direction of a
Government Policy Statement on Transport from the new Government.
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6.
Risks and Disadvantages
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· In breach of the LTMA as it requires consultation.
· Risks validity of funding bid to Waka Kotahi.
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5.2 Officers
support Option 1.
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Considerations for Decision Making
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1. Fit with Purpose of Local Government
Providing a
Regional Land Transport Plan and Regional Public Transport Plan is a
requirement of the Land Transport Management Act 2003.
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2. Consistency with Community Outcomes and Council Policy/Legal
requirements
The development of a Regional Land Transport Plan and a Regional
Public Transport Plan sets the key objectives, measures and activities that
contributes to the community outcome “our infrastructure is efficient,
cost effective and meets current and future needs”.
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3. Strategy
and Risks
Not approving the draft RLTP and RPTP for consultation will leave
Council without documents or community insights to support development of the
LTP and is a failure to meet the requirements of the LTMA.
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4. Financial impact/Budgetary implications
Preparation of this Regional Land
Transport Plan and Regional Public Transport Plan are included in operational
budgets.
The activities listed in this plan
are consistent with the activities proposed via the:
· Draft Transport Asset Management Plan for Nelson City Council and
modified to be consistent with recent LTP workshops;
· Waka Kotahi State Highway Investment Proposal;
· Tasman LTP workshops; and the
Department of
Conservation Transport Asset Management Plan.
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5. Degree of significance and level of engagement
This matter is of high significance because it involves the future
form and management of the transport network. Therefore a Special
Consultative Procedure in accordance with section 83 of the Local Government
Act 2002 is planned.
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6. Climate Impact
The draft RLTP and RPTP recognises that the transport network we
have traditionally relied upon may not be appropriate for the future. This is
in part due to vehicle usage effects on our natural environment and that our
communities are susceptible to losing access in more frequent weather events.
The draft proposes a number of adaptation and mitigation measures.
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7. Inclusion of Māori in the decision making process
Māori have contributed directly to the four organisations
(NCC, TDC Waka Kotahi and DoC) when the individual programmes within the RLTP
were developed.
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8. Delegations
The review and consultation
requirements for the RLTP and RPTP are laid out in the Land Transport
Management Act 2003.
The Joint Nelson Tasman Regional
Transport Committee has the following delegation relevant to this report:
Areas of Responsibilities:
· prepare
the joint regional land transport plan in accordance with sections 14 and 16
of the Act;
· consult
in accordance with sections 18 and 18A of the Act;
· lodge
the Joint Regional Land Transport Plan with the Joint Committee of Tasman
District and Nelson City, representing the Joint Regional Councils in
accordance with section 18B of the Act;
Powers to Limitations:
· to adopt a significance policy as outlined in Section 106(2) of
the Act;
· the preparation of the following, for adoption by the partner
councils:
o a Joint Regional Land Transport Plan, including undertaking all
required consultation processes relating to the preparation of this plan and
any variations.
o a Joint Regional Passenger Transport Plan, including undertaking
all required consultation processes related to the preparation of this Plan.
· the Joint Regional Transport Committee may only make
recommendations to the Joint Committee of Tasman District and Nelson City for
the joint RLTP and RPTP.
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6. Conclusion and Next
Steps
6.1 The
draft RLTP and RPTP 2024-34 has been developed through a series of JNTRTC
workshops.
6.2 The
RLTP is based on the draft GPS from the previous Government. A new
Government’s GPS is not available to inform the development of the plan
in the legislative timeframe necessary at the time of writing this report.
6.3 The
RPTP has minimal change proposed. Following the significant step change in
August this year with the eBus service, direction was provided by the JNTRTC
members to largely maintain the current service with improvements as previously
planned in the 2021-2031 RPTP, but subject to a one-year review of the
services. This review is scheduled to start in August 2024 and would inform the
development of the next RPTP for the 2027-37 period.
6.4 It
is recommended that the Committee adopt the draft RLTP and the draft RPTP and
the Summary of the Statements of Proposal for the purposes of a special
consultative procedure and approve that consultation can commence on 22 January
2024 and close on 25 February 2024.
6.5 Submissions
will be heard by the JNTRTC in March 2024 with a deliberation report to the
JNTRTC in April 2024.
6.6 The
JNTRTC will then make a recommendation to the Joint Nelson Tasman Council in
May 2024 to adopt the RLTP and RPTP.
6.7 The
RLTP must be submitted to Waka Kotahi by 14 June 2024.
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1.⇩
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Nelson
Tasman Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-2034 (draft for consultation)
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14
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2.⇩
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Nelson
Tasman Regional Public Transport Plan 2024 - 2034 (draft for consultation)
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84
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3.⇩
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Summary
Statement of Proposal RLTP 2024-2034
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138
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4.⇩
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Draft
Conusltation Plan RLTP and RPTP
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141
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Joint Nelson
Tasman Regional Transport Committee Agenda – 11 December 2023
7.2 Public Transport Update
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Report
To:
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Joint
Nelson Tasman Regional Transport Committee
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Meeting
Date:
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11
December 2023
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Report
Author:
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Madeleine
Watts, Public Transport Operations Supervisor, Nelson City Council
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Report
Authorisers:
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Dwayne
Fletcher, Strategic Policy Manager; Alec Louverdis, Group Manager,
Infrastructure, Nelson City Council
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Report
Number:
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RNTRTC23-12-6
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1. Purpose of Report
1.1 To
update the Joint Nelson Tasman Regional Transport Committee on public transport
patronage services including patronage and revenue reporting.
2. Recommendation
That the Joint Nelson Tasman Regional Transport Committee receives
the Public Transport Update report.
3. Discussion
Patronage Update
3.1 Patronage
levels on eBus services continue to grow across all routes. The total patronage
for November was 83,865 boardings which is an increase of 6.8% on
October’s figure of 78,498 (Figure 3.1). The average number of boardings
per day for November is 2705 up from 2533 per day in October.
Table
3.1 Monthly Patronage
3.2 Scheduled services experiencing the
greatest growth in patronage over the October to November period were Route 5
Motueka - Nelson, Route 4 The Brook – Airport and Route 6 Wakefield
– Nelson (Table 3.2). Routes 1 and 2 still share the bulk of the
patronage with 69% of all boardings occurring on those two routes (Figure 3.3)
Table 3.2 Total Patronage by Route August –
November 2023
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Patronage
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Route 1
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Route 2
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Route 3
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Route 4
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Route 5
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Route 6
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Route 7
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Late Late Bus
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On Demand
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Total
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August
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26,222
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22,578
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6,079
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6,252
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2,858
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2,089
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1,451
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273
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142
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67,944
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September
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26,284
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23,001
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7,709
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8,089
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3,419
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2,326
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589
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251
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135
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71,803
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October
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28,446
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25,987
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7,594
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9,208
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3,334
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2,548
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1,074
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231
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76
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78,498
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November
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29,635
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27,276
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8,209
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10,186
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3,849
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2,784
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1,554
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261
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111
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83,865
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Increase boardings month on month
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1,189
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1,289
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615
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978
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515
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236
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480
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30
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35
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5,367
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% increase in boardings month on month
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4.18
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4.96
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8.10
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10.62
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15.45
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9.26
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44.69
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12.99
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46.05
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6.84
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Figure
3.3 Patronage Share by Route 
3.3 Patronage
data for the first three months of the services shows that the largest
passenger fare group is Adult at an average of 30.7% of boardings followed by
the Youth 13-18 group, then Child 5-12, and SuperGold cardholders. A total of
43.3% of all boardings were undertaken by passengers aged 18 or younger. Both
the Youth and Child categories are subsidised by Waka Kotahi under the
extension to the Community Connect scheme.
Figure
3.4 Patronage by Fare Type
Revenue Update
3.1 eBus ticket revenue for the first
four months of the service is shown in figure 3.5 below. Total revenue has
increased over the period September 2023 to November 2023. These figures
represent ticket sales only and do not include Waka Kotahi subsidies under the
Community Connect Scheme.
Table 3.5 Total eBus Revenue
3.5 Monthly
revenue by route is depicted in Table 3.6 The table shows the significant
contribution to revenue made by Routes 1 and 2. It also shows that over the
four months that services have operated, revenue on routes 4 and 5 is trending
up month on month.
Table 3.6 Monthly Revenue by Route
Route Update
3.6 Remedial work to the roundabout at
Berryfield Drive has been completed which means Route 1 services can now turn
there. This marks the end of several months of detouring to Coman Drive to
complete the turn between trips.
3.7 Nelson City Council has determined that
surface degradation on Route 3 at Jenner Road is substantial enough that the
buses will cease to operate on that section. To ameliorate the reduced service
level to in the area the route will instead operate up and down Toi Toi Street
in both directions (Figure 3.7). This inclusion will provide improved access to
the service for residents in the Abraham Heights area which was previously
served by a nBus loop service. Consultation with residents directly affected by
the installation of new stops to serve the Toi Toi Street services is in
progress.
Figure
3.7 Proposed changes to Route 3 at Toi Toi Street
Conditions of Carriage
3.8 At the 27 October 2023 JNTRTC meeting
officers were requested to review the current conditions of carriage pertaining
to animals (specifically dogs) on the eBus.
3.9 High workload and competing priorities have
prevented any further work on this at the time of report writing but officers
intend to investigate the issue in the New Year and potentially propose a trial
period.
Total Mobility Concessions on Public
Transport
3.10 Officers were requested to report on the feasibility
of creating an accessibility concession on the eBus for Total Mobility card
holders and/or their support persons. The Ministry of Transport is currently
undertaking a review of Total Mobility. The terms of reference for that review
include;
· the
purpose of Total Mobility;
· how the
Total Mobility Scheme can be more accessible for disabled people;
· how
aspects of the Total Mobility Scheme’s operations can be improved; and
· funding
mechanisms for the Total Mobility Scheme.
3.11 Officers
suggest that further work on the ebus concession for Total Mobility cardholders
is deferred until the national Total Mobility review is further progressed.
Nil
