Resources

Unsealed roads remain the backbone of the New Zealand’s economy. Less than 40% of local roads in New Zealand are sealed, yet most of New Zealand’s farm produce, important tourism and forestry harvest start their journey to the international market on unsealed roads.  It is therefore essential to plan the investment into this network based on appropriate data. Traditional data collection using visual assessments was not sustainable given the fast-changing nature of unsealed roads. This has left councils not knowing what data to collect on the network, thus necessitating this research project that aimed at developing data collection processes to facilitate better decision making and performance reporting. This report recommends frameworks for decision making at strategic and tactical asset management levels alongside a performance framework consistent with the One Network Road Classification process.

The question of pedestrian experience is an important one, as it can help to shape the streets in a way that will encourage more people to enjoy them as pedestrians. The purpose of this literature review is to bring together a disparate literature on pedestrians to consider: who walks, why (and why not) they walk, where they walk, and their attitudes and beliefs to walking. Most importantly, this review will consider how these different facets shape their experience as pedestrians. Inconsistencies in the literature and research gaps are also highlighted in this review.

This research project examined whether a single new survey, and analysis of the data, could be used to obtain robust values for the monetary value of statistical life, prevented injuries, travel time savings, trip reliability and congestion. A review of approaches used elsewhere was followed by the design of a choice modelling survey and two rounds of initial testing. This was used to develop a pilot survey with an efficient experimental design, and implemented online and face-to-face with 72 people. The data was analysed to produce statistically significant values for all parameters. This suggests it is worthwhile proceeding with the design and implementation of a full survey with more participants. The survey described in this report, with the suggested changes, would be a suitable basis for such a survey and analysis. Keywords: choice modelling, non-market valuation, reliability, survey design, value of statistical life, value of time.

In 2017 we developed a system dynamics model to study inter-regional freight and traffic flows in the Auckland–Hamilton–Tauranga triangle. Here we extend the model northward to Whangarei in order to incorporate Northport. This enables us to provide an order of magnitude estimate of how many truck movements might be required to transport freight between Auckland and Northport, if most or all of the exports and imports that currently pass through Ports of Auckland were to enter and leave New Zealand via Northport instead.  

Excluding the ALPURT to Wiri route, our results suggest that although there is probably enough road space per se to accommodate the extra trucks without significantly affecting travel times, their lower average speed would reduce the speed of other vehicles – and thus increase travel times – if there are insufficient opportunities for overtaking.

Data is required for destination management, both of current visitor activity and future activity. This report reviews the data that currently exists for visits to the South Island of New Zealand, where tourism growth has been, and is still expected to be, strong. Not surprisingly no one dataset was found that could reasonably describe visitor activity, nor were there forecasts for core visitor activities across each region of the South Island. Methods were tested to show how currently available data, including an International Visitor Survey and a measure of electronic card spending, could be adjusted to derive measures of visitor presence. A three-part visitor flows model was presented that could be used to derive estimates of visitor flows between and within regions.

This report is a result of a review that the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons undertook of New Zealand’s trauma system. The intent of this piece of work is to inform the review of the national Road Safety Strategy.  

An important note for the reader

The NZ Transport Agency is a Crown entity established under the Land Transport Management Act 2003. The objective of the Agency is to undertake its functions in a way that contributes to an efficient, effective and safe land transport system in the public interest. Each year, the NZ Transport Agency funds innovative and relevant research that contributes to this objective.  

The views expressed in research reports are the outcomes of the independent research, and should not be regarded as being the opinion or responsibility of the NZ Transport Agency.

Post-crash care of victims is considered by the World Health Organisation to be the fifth pillar of the safe system approach to road safety. Timeliness and quality of transport of crash victims from the crash site to hospital door is crucial to medical outcomes. It is important that road controlling authorities (RCAs) and Road Policing work together with Emergency Services to provide the best possible outcomes for the available resources. This report considers the roles of RCAs and Road Policing in facilitating transport of crash victims from the crash site to the hospital door. The report includes a literature and technology review, a crash analysis and estimates of the time from crash notification to hospital. Also considered are issues arising from a workshop of stakeholders and an online survey of front-line staff from Road Policing, St John and Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the expectations, motivations, experiences, information preferences and behaviour of visitors (both domestic and international) travelling on New Zealand’s transport network. Such knowledge enables a multi-agency approach combining tourism, heritage and transport to identify ways to monitor and improve visitor travel experiences, grow tourism and consequently promote regional economic gain. To do this, a pilot visitor travel survey was trialled, including an information-based intervention. The purpose of this was to capture unique visitor travel behaviour information, and to test a method to deliver during-trip information in a fun, interactive format, using motivation theory and gamification methods to promote different visitor experiences in an intervention group (compared with a control group).

The purpose of the research was to provide an analysis of drivers’ use of IVIS, smartphone applications and nomadic devices and their likely effects on driver performance. We examined the effects of a speed advisory IVIS presented on a mobile phone on the driving performance of 123 participants in the University of Waikato driving simulator. We also conducted a New Zealand-wide survey (n = 1,017) of drivers to examine the prevalence of, and frequency with which, drivers used a range of in-vehicle apps and systems. The speed advisory IVIS, designed according to best practice guidelines, improved compliance with the posted speed limits and did not impair driving performance or distract drivers. The survey found that drivers most frequently used in-vehicle audio systems and navigation devices, and a small but significant number reported using hand-held mobile phones.

A number of alternative intersection layouts are used around the country to reduce traffic delays and to improve road safety. One such group of alternative intersections are termed ‘priority controlled seagull intersections’. Seagull intersections are often used on roads to reduce traffic delays as they allow right-turning traffic from the side road to give way to traffic flow on the main road one direction at a time (without impeding the through traffic). However a number of seagull intersections experience high crash rates. This can be a result of design compromises (e. g. short merges) and/or due to the complexity and unfamiliarity of this intersection layout. While there is considerable debate about the safety problems that occur at seagull intersections and left-turn slip lanes at priority intersections, there has been very little research that attempts to quantify the safety impact of different layouts.