This section provides additional information that you may find useful as you complete your land transport programmes and RLTP reviews. The information in this section includes updates, advice and investment ‘signals’ from some of the other key activity areas (such as safety, walking and cycling).
Contact us if there is any further information you need.
The Transport Agency is working closely with its partners to roll out a more proactive, consistent and evidence-based approach to road safety that seamlessly integrates state highways and local roads. We envisage a future where roads that perform the same function in the network look and feel the same, and users intuitively understand what speed to travel at, no matter which part of the country they are in.
Speed Management Plans
Most RCAs now have access to speed management maps that show the top 5-10% of high benefit opportunities. They’re starting to engage with neighbouring RCAs and the Transport Agency to consider the highest benefit opportunities. These should be reflected in Activity Management Plans (AMPs), and Regional Land Transport Plans (RLTPs) to be considered for inclusion in the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).
Community engagement is an essential element in speed management planning as it ensures that change only occurs once the community and stakeholders are ready. The Transport Agency has developed resources to help with engagement including the Better Conversations on Road Risk programme, the Engagement Handbook and research into New Zealanders’ attitudes to safety and speed.
RCAs can build engagement and communications resources into their speed management programme and/or identify it as a specific activity within the Road Safety Promotion activity class.
Late last year the government proposed that the methodology in the Speed Management Guide will replace the speed setting guidance in the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2003 and that consultation on this would take place in the first half of 2017. This is now out for public consultation. Submissions can be made up until 5pm, Friday 16 June 2017.
Motorcycling
Progress on improving motorcycling safety has been minimal since 2010, and the number of deaths and serious injuries has risen since 2013. The 2016-20 Safer Journeys Action Plan also focuses on making motorcycling safer.
Seatbelts
In 2016, the seatbelt wearing rate for drivers and adult front seat passengers was 96.5 percent, and yet, of the 240 vehicle occupants that died on New Zealand roads in 2016, 100 were not wearing seatbelts. In the last five years, 300 people have died because they didn’t wear a seatbelt.
Those that die because they are not wearing a seat belt tend to be males travelling at night with a drunk driver. The behaviour is more common among seasonal workers, and in poorer areas.
A general seatbelt campaign will not be effective in targeting this behaviour, because of the high rates of compliance among the general population. Initiatives aimed at these groups in areas where seatbelt use is an issue need not be costly, but they will have to be inventive and possibly focus on their workplaces and where they socialise. The Transport Agency’s advertising has useful resources for a seat belt campaign.
Tools to help identify risk and prioritise investment
The Transport Agency is preparing two road safety data tools that will provide evidence for the review/refresh of RLTPs.
Communities at Risk Register
The Communities at Risk Register [PDF, 319 KB] has been developed by the Transport Agency to identify communities that are over-represented in terms of road safety risk and enables communities to address issues that may not be identified as areas of high concern at the national level. Using the Safer Journeys areas of concern, it ranks local authority areas based on personal risk using fatal and serious crash data from the agency’s Crash Analysis System (CAS).
Layered spatial tool
Two focus areas for the 2016-20 Safer Journeys Action Plan are high risk local rural roads and high risk urban arterials. Our new layered tool, expected to be available from late May, will help Approved Organisations identify where their investment will provide the greatest return in terms of reductions in deaths and serious injuries. Developed in response to requests for fewer, simpler road safety risk analysis tools, this new spatial tool brings together a range of existing tools and guides, including:
Using this tool, a Road Controlling Authority may see that by focusing on one specific road or route, it could address a high risk intersection, a school, a motorcycle risk area and a speed management challenge all at the same time. This will help local authorities prioritise their investment to achieve the most safety gains.
Other things to consider
As noted in the feedback section of these materials, we released a draft IAF package to Approved Organisations, including the new criteria for Road Maintenance Programmes. This package included our proposed application of the new Investment Assessment Framework (IAF) to maintenance proposals and invited feedback on the draft IAF, extending the initial deadline to Friday 21 April 2017.
Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback to date. We are consolidating the feedback and will respond to you all in May.
The new IAF for 2018 includes a streamlined assessment for low-cost and low-risk proposals across the entire NLTP that will replace the current approach to minor improvements.
This month the Transport Agency also released additional companion documents alongside the May NLTP Dialogue materials, to support the draft IAF:
In response to suggestions from the Transport Special Interest Group, we have also developed a Supporting Information & Evidence for 2018-2021 NLTP Continuous Programmes [PDF, 307 KB]document [PDF, 307 KB] that aims to support Approved Organisations to provide information and evidence for each activity class at each bid stage.
To develop clarity and transparency the Transport Agency is in the process of refining Assessment of Business Case documents that aim to clarify what information and evidence the Agency is seeking with each submission. These are being developed by activity classes.
The IDM/ IAF Capability Module is expected to be made available from 8 May 2017. We will be send notifications with a link to this resource once it is available.
Finally, the Transport Agency is extending the due date for submitting continuous programme ‘Initial Bids’ to 31 August 2017. The extension acknowledges the added pressures created by financial year-end, the subsequent roll over activities and the impact these have on our investment partners. It is intended to provide greater opportunity to refine initial bid information and evidence.
The dates for form bids and final bid submission remain October 2017 and December 2017, respectively.
We have published a range of frequently ask questions [PDF, 55 KB] that should cover any additional queries you may have. Contact us if you have any further questions that are not covered there.
Our investment in cycling will focus on completing strategic networks in the high growth (a definition of ‘high-growth’ can be found in Knowledge Base here) and main urban areas(external link). Regional Transport Committees and Approved Organisations will need to identify their strategic cycling network and demonstrate that their proposed cycling investments align with this.
We will also look to focus our investment on supporting regional economic development and tourism through connections to the Great Rides(external link) and high priority Heartland Rides sections of the national cycle network and as well as improving access to areas of employment and education.
Regional Transport Committees and Approved Organisations are encouraged to work collaboratively together and with other key stakeholders (such as Trail Owners) to jointly identify regional priorities for cycling networks and opportunities to improve outcomes for people on bikes across local road and state highway improvements, local road maintenance and renewals programmes, and speed programmes.
Getting more people cycling has a number of wider community outcomes (eg, economic development, tourism, health) and we encourage Regional Transport Committees and Approved Organisations to seek partnerships with other local organisations and pursue additional co-investment opportunities.
The Transport Agency is undertaking work to develop a national view of opportunities for investment in different categories of cycling (such as urban networks, Great Rides, Heartland Rides, and other popular cycling routes), as well as activities that encourage behaviour change. This work that will be available mid 2017 should also provide useful information to help contextualise regional priorities for investment in cycling.
Regional Transport Committees and Approved Organisations should take an integrated approach to the development of their cycling programmes. This includes having a clear understanding of who the programme is targeting, what level of service is required, and how different activities might complement each other to maximise the benefits of investment.
The Cycle Network Guidance – Planning and Design(external link) should be used to guide appropriate levels of service and determine what is fit-for-purpose on target corridors when considering new cycling facilities. The extent of any current gaps in current levels of service need to be clearly articulated as this will be part of the assessment of ‘results alignment’under the new Investment Assessment Framework. Additionally, any proposed new facilities need to be considered within the context of the wider transport system, and be designed to suit the target users.
Activities that maximise investment in the network
In addition to investing in infrastructure and network development, Approved Organisations and Regional Transport Committees will be expected to implement supporting activities (engagement, promotion, and education) to help ensure any new facilities are well used and accepted by the community.
Activities that aim to generate ‘mode shift’ or attitudinal change should be targeted to the audiences the network is being built to attract and need to be sufficiently resourced. Many of these types of activity require strong community relationships - this requires people resource as well as delivery budget, and programme costs should reflect that.
The Transport Agency is partnering with ACC to investigate a national cycling education system, based on international best practice. As part of this work, there is likely to be an increased focus on providing access to high quality cycling education around the country.
While a final decision on the type of system is likely to be made around mid-2017, we expect that investing in cycling education will be an important component of your urban cycling programmes. If the national system goes ahead, there is likely to be increased funding available to deliver cycling education but it will require some local investment. Providing for this in your programme will help enable you to be part of the system roll-out in 2018-21 period.
Many cycling improvements may also fit within the new threshold of $1 million for low-cost/low-risk improvements (under the work category 341 for cycling facilities). Approved Organisations will need to supply sufficient information to describe how the proposed activities are fit for the target user. Ideally they would be linked to an overall strategic case or programme business case that describes the level of service required to target the intended user. Behaviour change activities that are intended to promote and encourage people to use the network may also be included in the cycling improvements low-cost/low-risk programme.
Supporting activities (engagement, promotion and education) can be funded through:
The new IAF introduces an Assessment of the Business Case. This will require increased focus on understanding how the business case requirements have been met for cycling activities, including the appropriate ‘point of entry’ for cycling programmes. Approved Organisations are also encouraged to work closely with Transport Agency regional advisers as they develop their proposed cycling programmes. The Transport Agency national cycling team is also available to answer any questions or provide information to help develop your programme.
Our investment in walking will follow similar principles to investment in cycling in that it should focus on the public transport hubs and ensuring safe easy access to them - ensuring the routes to public transport are safer, more accessible (especially public transport hubs in Metros), and connected to activity centres.
Regional Transport Committees and Approved Organisations will need to demonstrate that they are taking an integrated approach to programmes and that they are providing a fit for purpose level of service for the intended users.
The recalculation of Normal Funding Assistance Rates are in process and were presented to the Transport Agency Board in early May 2017.
In instances where any changes to the Funding Assistance Rates are confirmed, any affected councils can expect to hear directly from Transport Agency in the immediate future. Once any final changes have been confirmed with relevant authorities, the normal funding assistance rates will be published in the updated Knowledge Base.
We are also updating the approach to level crossings on the rail network to ensure they are consistent with the overall approach of one funding assistance rate for all activities within each Approved Organisation. As part of this process Special Purpose Roads are also being transitioned to normal Funding Assistance Rates.
You will hear from us directly if there are any impacts on your part of the network. Otherwise, expect more information about the outcomes of this work to be added to the Knowledge Base shortly.
