Safety, resilience, accessibility priorities of council’s transport plans

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The region’s long-term transport needs will be confirmed following public hearings this week.

The hearings involve the council’s Regional Land Transport Plan ( RLTP), Public Transport Plan (RPTP), Mode Shift Plan and Active Travel Plan.

A council staff report released after public consultation said the overall conclusion was the draft RLTP and RPTP were broadly aligned with the key priorities of safety, resilience and accessibility.

The council’s mode shift plan and active travel strategy were also part of public consultations.

The report also noted changes to the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport with which the RLTP must align.

The report ranked four priorities of public submissions in order.

Safety was the top of the list while mode shift — or the council’s efforts to reduce car use here (which also has the lowest weighting of 20 percent in the RLTP) — was  the least popular.

“That isn’t to say that accessibility and mode shift are not important; rather they need to support safety and resilience focus areas,” the report said.

The report noted “clear divergence” in views on mode shift between two groups — “people who are strongly in favour of greater investment in non-car modes of transport and others strongly against”.

Under the plan, which has a 30-year time frame, the council will not prioritise private vehicle travel time over active travel infrastructure (for example, bus stops).

It envisages installing active travel corridors by removing some on-street parking and promoting the use of more pedestrian crossings.

While the report noted the mode shift plan and active travel strategy could have notable implications for climate change through gradual emissions reduction, significant changes to government funding priorities were “likely to limit” GDC’s ability to attract funding to fully implement the plans.

The new Government places economic growth and productivity as its main strategic priority for funding, while walking and cycling investment should be provided only when there was a clear benefit to economic growth and improving safety where demonstrated volumes of pedestrians and cyclists already exist.

The report recommended changes to the RLTP “narrative” and evidence base around the economic benefits of investment, including active travel and public transport.

Public submissions also provided strong support for a bus service along the East Coast and a bus service from the city to Gisborne Airport, as well as additional service on the city’s urban network.

In light of average ranking score responses, the RLTP, which already included a proposed new route to Kiwa Pools, could be amended to better reflect those scores by securing a new bus contract, the report said.

It also recommended moving to a cashless ticket system in buses.

GDC’s Regional Transport Committee will hold public hearings into its transport strategy and plans on Thursday.