Kia Rite - Time to Act: Re-designed network suits our movement

Hawke's Bay Regional Council transport manager Katie Nimon. Photo / Paul Taylor

In this week's column, HBRC Transport Manager Katie Nimon talks about our transport network in Hawke's Bay and some of the changes proposed in the new Regional Public Transport Plan.

I'm often asked why we don't have a public transport network like Wellington and Auckland - or even Japan and Amsterdam.

There are so many reasons, but the first one is population size, and the second is population density.

This statement might get you thinking about the differences between Hawke's Bay and Amsterdam, but you're getting distracted. The point is that there's an appetite for a great public transport network; we just don't have one.

Unfortunately, we're a little late to re-design our region to work like European or American cities (if you have a minute, google 'radial vs. grid city design') - but we're not too late to re-design our public transport network.

New Zealand's Emissions Reduction Plan has set us a target to reduce the distance we travel by car by 20 per cent, by 2035.

Unfortunately, Hawke's Bay's private car ownership per person has gone up in the last six years, meaning we effectively need to reduce vehicle kilometers travelled (VKT) by even more to meet the baseline.

It's achievable, but there are a few things that don't help (in no particular order): It's too easy to find a cheap/free car park close to where you need to go; our roads aren't consistently congested; we share limited amenities across a large region; and we don't have a viable alternative.

Enter, stage left, the 2022 Regional Public Transport Plan. For the first time in decades, we've re-designed our network to suit the movements of our people.

Until recently, our key transport outcome was inclusive access, meaning we needed a network that went down enough streets to make sure those without a car had a way to access services.

This model is not particularly efficient, so as a result, people that do have cars aren't motivated to make a transport-mode shift (even with the rising cost of fuel), which is what we need to achieve if we want to save the planet.

We actually have five transport outcomes: inclusive access, economic prosperity, resilience and security, healthy and safe people, and finally, environmental sustainability.

It's hard to balance the environmental and access outcomes with the same network, but the best place to start is with a patronage model.

The key features of a patronage model are two-way lines (instead of loop routes), increased frequency (so much so that you wouldn't need a timetable), and increased service span (more hours per day, and more days per week).

The trade-off is a slightly longer walk to a bus stop – which is not so bad if your trip is more direct, and the buses are more frequent.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council's new proposed network offers a genuine alternative to using a car.

We're offering more frequent services that connect in more places, helping make trips quicker, and more direct.

We want to make sure our network works for all people, whether it's to access services, or get to work, sport, or play!

By 2025, we plan to have a seven-day frequent service operating from 6am-9pm, and up to midnight by 2030.

Have your say at consultations.nz.

Or get in touch with Pippa, Climate Action Ambassador at climateaction@hbrc.govt.nz