Investment in the Gisborne region from the 2015-18 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) is primarily focused on developing and maintaining a resilient transport network. Roads in the region are a lifeline for the local population and enable the efficient movement of freight, on which the economy depends.
Acknowledgement is given to the affordability issues faced by Gisborne Council in maintaining a large and dispersed road network that is heavily used by freight.
A total of $120 million will be invested in the region’s transport network during the 2015-18 NLTP period. Investment in capital works will increase by $11m to $21m, with a significant focus on state highway and local road improvements. Of this total, $5m will be spent on cycling and walking projects and $1.5m on public transport.
For the past three years the Transport Agency and Gisborne District Council have taken a collaborative approach to road maintenance in the region. The Tairawhiti Roads joint venture enables the Transport Agency and Council to take a one network approach to continuous improvement of the management of Gisborne’s state highway and local road network. The partnership ensures the best value for money solutions are procured, and is expected to deliver between $1.7m and $4.3m savings per year.
Forestry is the dominant industry in the Gisborne region and the economy relies on the efficient, safe and reliable movement of freight.
The 2015-18 NLTP includes funding for provision of additional High Productivity Motor Vehicle (HPMV) routes from Gisborne to the Hawke’s Bay, with a focus on key journeys between forest harvesting areas and Eastland Port. This is an important programme of works, enabling permitted trucks to weigh up to 62 tonnes and allowing more freight to be carried on fewer trucks. The HPMV work programme includes bridge strengthening, such as replacing the Mata Bridge deck.
The completion of the HPMV work programme will also improve safety by reducing the effects of freight movements on the urban environment, as a conflict between heavy vehicles and vulnerable road users continues to be a concern for the community and road controlling authorities.
On going maintenance of the transport network is key for the Gisborne region. In the 2015-18 NLTP period $96m is earmarked for maintenance of the Gisborne network. The work will be planned and delivered collaboratively, through the Tairawhiti Roads joint venture, to achieve appropriate levels of service and best value for money.
Over the next three years an integrated one network approach will be reflected in the classification and management of both state highways and local roads, through the implementation of the One Network Road Classification.
A total of $6m is being invested through the 2015-18 NLTP to improve the resilience of inter-regional state highways to deliver efficiency outcomes for the Gisborne region. This work includes the Tauwhareparae road raising project, which has been designed to increase resilience to weather and reduce the number of road closures that can impact freight, school and commuter traffic.
Improvements in local road management have enhanced the resilience of the Gisborne transport network to severe weather that can affect the region. This proactive approach has reduced expenditure on emergency works and will ease pressure on councils’ expenditure. The joint Transport Agency and Gisborne District Council team, Tairawhiti Roads, will continue to use maintenance investment to carry out necessary drainage works.
Gisborne District Council was one of the first to implement the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM). PTOM is about creating a collaborative partnership between the public transport operator and the council, in order to incentivise improved services to the community. During the last three years the district council successfully improved the value of their two main services through improving the standards of the service routes, bus fleet and facilities. The focus of the next three years will be on monitoring the new city and school bus services and a review of fare levels and structures.
Gisborne District Council and the Transport Agency are promoting the use of multiple transport options, including public transport, cycling and walking through the joint delivery arm Tairawhiti Roads. Through changes to the public transport services truancy numbers are being reduced. The Transport Agency and Gisborne District Council are investigating options to jointly brand buses, as an extension of our existing collaborative relationship and to reflect the shared investment in these services.
The total investment in public transport over the 2015-18 NLTP period is forecast to be $1.5m. This investment is focused on maintaining and improving existing public transport services in Gisborne.
Over the 2015-18 NLTP period around 139,500 passenger trips will be made in Gisborne every year.
Across New Zealand around $3.2 billion is expected to be invested in the transport network over the next three years to deliver improved safety outcomes. Most of this expenditure will be directed at infrastructure improvements through the capital works programme, often where safety is one of the outcomes, along with congestion relief and travel time improvements. A proportion of this investment targets specific safety improvements, including high-risk intersections, pedestrian and cycling safety initiatives, speed management and education programmes.
Deaths and serious injuries from road and rail crashes impose high social and economic costs on the region. In the five-year period from 2009 to 2013, 16 people died on Gisborne’s roads with a further 96 suffering serious injuries. Although these figures are concerning, they show a downward trend on the five-year period 2006 to 2010.
Working with the NZ Police and investing together in road policing and road safety promotion is at the heart of the region’s investment. Together through targeted programmes the Transport Agency and NZ Police will work to address the contributing factors to crash-related deaths and serious injuries. These factors include speed, drink and drug driving, not wearing restraints, dangerous and careless driving, and high-risk drivers.
Investment in Gisborne during the 2015-18 NLTP period will include $4m on improving safety. Initiatives include supporting engineering projects that are focused on reducing accidents at historic sites, and ensuring all road users are considered as part of the Eastland Port project.
Tairawhiti Roads will be implementing a programme to convert street lighting to the new low-energy LED technology around the region. The LED technology will provide maintenance and energy cost savings, while providing a better quality of lighting for road users.
LED street lights come on instantly and last up to six times longer than traditional street lights. An Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) commissioned report estimates that switching to LED lights could save the country $10m in operational costs each year.
A cycling and walking programme, developed from the Gisborne District Council’s Walking and Cycling Strategy, is being implemented. There has been growth in cycling and walking numbers in and around Gisborne. Further development of the cycling and walking network will occur during the 2015–18 NLTP period.
Cycling and walking in Gisborne contribute to improving transport options, providing a more efficient and integrated transport network, improving health, economic and social outcomes, and improving liveability.
Under current proposals, cycle investment will be focused on the Wainui-CBD route, including improved cycle facilities on both the state highway and the local road network. If progressed, these upgrades will be complemented with education and promotion through the Bikes in Schools programme.
It is expected that the total cycling and walking investment in Gisborne in the 2015-18 NLTP will be $5m. This includes $1.3m from the Urban Cycleways Fund.
