Cameron Rd is wide enough to land a Boeing 777, Tauranga's mayor says. Photo / File
Cameron Rd is wide enough to land a Boeing 777, Tauranga's mayor says. Photo / File
Tauranga is one of New Zealand's most car dependant cities, but big steps have just been taken to give other modes of transport a fighting chance of changing that.
But drivers should not hold out for a big impact on congestion.
In a virtual meeting yesterday, Tauranga City Council unanimouslyendorsed two business cases.
Both cases will next go to expected co-funder the New Zealand Transport Agency for approval, though funding was not being sought at this stage.
The Te Papa case, developed in partnership with the agency and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, was part of Tauranga's plan to add an extra 13,500 dwellings between Greerton and the CBD by 2050, loosening development rules to allow buildings up to six storeys high in some places.
The goal of the intensification was a more compact city, with more people living within walking or cycling distance of amenities and public transport links.
In response, the case includes kilometres of widened footpaths, separated cycle lanes, and room for rapid transport along with other multi-modal changes.
Both urban development minister Phil Twyford and agency director of regional relationships Steve Mutton welcomed the council's progress on the plan.
In the meeting, Councillor Kelvin Clout asked about the impact of the proposed changes on vehicle movements.
Urban communities programme director Carl Lucca said modelling indicated the impact would be "low".
"There will be more traffic, there will be slightly more congestion."
Clockwise from top left: Councillors John Robson, Kelvin Clout, Jako Abrie and Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell in a still from Tuesday's virtual meeting.
The congestion, however, would be even worse if the council did nothing or the bare minimum, he said.
Infrastructure and planning manager Andy Mead said a separate multi-modal project planned for Cameron Rd "shouldn't have significant negative effects on congestion" as it would not remove any lanes of general traffic.
"As growth happens and gathers speed into the next decades there is going to be more pressure on the network. The things we are doing here, we just can't manage that through road building."
Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell said the Te Papa project would change the dynamic.
"That's what we're trying to do. We don't want to fill Cameron Rd up with cars as the intensification programme continues.
"In clear terms, we should say that. At the moment you could land a Boeing 777 on Cameron Rd. There is plenty of room for multi-modal."
Growth and strategy manager Christine Jones said the work, as planned, would give a higher priority to walking and cycling, and the council needed to be transparent about the consequences.
That was a "learning from Greerton", she said. Safety-driven changes the council made to Greerton Rd in 2018 prompted complaints from drivers and business owners of worsened congestion and the council was criticised for poor consultation.
Clout backed the project but said it was important the council "brings the community along with us", especially considering people's "sensitivity" around the council meddling with their transportation.
The Te Papa business case was at the indicative stage. It was an overview that set the direction, with funding and timing to be addressed programme-by-programme.
Deputy mayor Larry Baldock said he was feeling "almost emotional, quite frankly" as the council signed off on the "milestone" for the project.
Councillor Jako Abrie encouraged councillors to put themselves in future generations' shoes.
"How are people who are five years old today going to want to live when they are 30 and 50 years old."
He implored councillors to take the same "lens" later in the meeting, during the discussion of the cycling programme.
The walking and cycling business case, called Accessible Streets, was developed as part of the wider Urban Form and Transport Initiative.
It encompassed the cycling programme, and its aims included creating a safer, more connected network.
Cycle plan implementation team leader Karen Hay said compared to other cities, Tauranga had low rates of cycling, walking and using public transport to get to work, with 91 per cent using private vehicles.
Modelling indicated the programme would see the proportion choosing to cycle to work rise from 3.5 per cent today to between 6.5 and 10 per cent in 2043, with school travel rising to 14-15 per cent from 8.5 per cent.
Overall, daily cycle trips would rise by up to 190 per cent, with up to 3200 fewer commuter peak car journeys.
Hay said this was the equivalent of a 40km line of bumper to bumper traffic.
The meeting heard, however, the impact of the programme on congestion - average journey times - had not yet been modelled.
Jones said modelling for all modes would be done later in the year as part of the Tauranga Systems Network Programme.
The estimated cost of the full 23-year business case was $186.9m, with the 10-year programme costed at $77.2m. Cycling work in Te Papa was included in the Te Papa business case.
More detail about both cases can be found on the council's website.
