Pippa Coom, Author at Pippa Coom

Getting parking right for Auckland

This post was writtten for Auckland Council’s Unitary Plan shapeauckland website.

How we regulate, control and plan for parking has a huge impact on Auckland’s urban design, the environment, housing affordability and our transport.

The subject provokes strong opinions and calls for free parking. Many decisions about parking have been based on myths, false assumptions and poor evidence. When defining issues in our city as “parking problems”, as “experts” we turn to more parking as the solution.

Regulations made with good intentions, have led to poor results, holding back our city’s potential.

We now have the opportunity, through the Unitary Plan, to put in place a best-practice approach to car parking that has the potential to unleash economic, social and environmental benefits.

UCLA economist Dr Donald Shoup (author of The High Cost of Free Parking) extensively studied parking as a key link between transportation and land use, with important consequences for cities, the economy and the environment. His thinking influenced Auckland Transport’s proposal for a city centre parking zone (implemented late 2012) with the aim of better managing on-street parking as a finite resource competing for other transport priorities. The scheme applies “demand-responsive pricing” and includes the removal of time restrictions, increased on-street parking prices and extended paid parking until 10pm.

It’s early days but all indications are pointing to success with greater availability of parking, a reduction in tickets and more casual visitors. The city also benefited from reduced maintenance costs with 62 per cent of parking poles removed. Other business centres are now looking at applying similar principles to free up on-street parking for customers.

At a Getting Parking Right for Auckland seminar in April [hosted by the Waitemata Local Board and AECOM] we heard that parking supply is not the problem, rather poorly managed oversupply. A total of 80 per cent of off-street parking is privately owned, which hinders its effective use. For example, minimum parking quantities in our current district plans means some car parks are only used during the day by commuters and shoppers while other car parks are used only at night for entertainment. Using land for empty car parks is hugely wasteful.

Traditional city requirements to include car parking with affordable housing have also been a major barrier to higher-density developments as a car park is not always required by inner-city residents.

Parking in the draft Unitary Plan

So how is the draft Unitary Plan shaping up when it comes to car parking requirements? The plan requires that car parking be managed to support:

intensification in and around the city centre, metropolitan, town and local centres and within mixed-use corridors
the safe and efficient operation of the transport network
the use of more sustainable transport options including public transport, cycling and walking
the economic activity of businesses
efficient use of land

It proposes that maximum quantities (with no minimums) apply in and around:

City centre fringe area
Centres zones: metropolitan, town, local
Mixed-use zone
Terrace housing and apartment buildings zone

Everywhere else minimum quantities apply with no maximums – except for offices (to discourage “out-of-centre” development motivated by the ability to provide parking).

The rationale is that in and around centres, maximums and no minimums supports intensification and public transport. Elsewhere the planners have explained that minimums are required as they are less willing to rely on the market to meet parking needs and are more concerned with the effects of “parking overspill”.

The removal of minimum quantities around town centres but retaining them for new developments appears to be a solution for today’s lack of public transport. But it creates a problem for future generations who will have to deal with the oversupply of parking and poor land use (plus the uneconomic bundling of car parking costs with housing).

The rationale for controlling the effect of parking overspill is poorly thought through. Instead we should allow the market to provide the right level of parking, allowing for overspill onto surrounding streets is a good use of otherwise empty road space. If that space reaches capacity – as has happened in our city fringe suburbs – the response should be to better manage the on street parking, for example, with a residents’ parking scheme.

When providing feedback on the draft Unitary Plan’s parking requirements, take the time to consider the evidence that emerges when parking is stripped back. Cities around the world are taking a different approach and being richly rewarded.

Monthly Board Report May 2013

This report covers my activities from 1 April – 30 April 2013 and is reported on at the May Waitemata Local Board Meeting

Portfolio reports

Community portfolio

As well as our monthly catch up with community development (quarterly update from CDS is attached to the Board’s agenda) we had a cluster meeting with other central community portfolio holders. We met with Richard Butler, Community Development Manager, Central who took us through recent restructuring that is intended to put CDS in a better position to deliver on actual projects to achieve community outcomes and to provide a focus on delivering better services to local boards.

Community-led development

During April we have been energised in community development by the visit of Jim Diers, previously the Director, Department of Neighbourhoods at Seattle City Council.

Jim talks about the crisis of democracy and the need to not just engage with community but to build community by going out to the people. He has many suggestions for moving towards a partnership with the community that a far wider network of people can respond to. For example getting people involved through a “project party” not a meeting and providing matching funding for community projects. I think we can learn a great deal from Jim’s experience and how we can make democracy work effectively by ensuring planning is done by communities.

A joint workshop was held for local boards and the governing body on 22 April where Jim Diers was invited to share his experiences from Seattle. The workshop was also an opportunity to provide early feedback on how the proposed draft community development principles might be practically applied across local board and governing body decision-making roles, and in the day-to-day activities across council generally. Thriving communities – the draft strategic action plan that includes the Council’s community development principles – is due to be released in June.

I am also on the Auckland Neighbourhood Planning Task Group convened by Roger Blakely that is looking to promote neighbourhood planning and implementation across Auckland Council in order to enhance community-driven planning and neighbourhood self-help projects. Members of the group met with Jim and representatives from Inspiring Communities to discuss neighbourhood planning.

Feedback on the Point Chevalier Pasadena Community year 1-8 Schooling options

The community portfolio made a joint submission with the Albert -Eden Local Board regarding the Ministry of Education’s proposals arising from the increasing roll at Point Chevalier due to population growth, changing demographics and the school’s popularity. The proposals look at options for Point Chevalier School and Pasadena Intermediate School that have part of their zones within our Board area. A copy of the letter is attached as ATTACHMENT A (refer page 317 of the agenda).

Good Citizen Awards

The nomination period for the awards was extended to 26 April to ensure there was plenty of time to recognise and reward those who have made a significant voluntary contribution in the Waitemata Local Board area. Judging will take place in May with the awards ceremony on 31 May.

Transport Portfolio

The Transport portfolio monthly briefing with Auckland Transport took place on 24 April. We covered:

Updates on Local board capex projects (Great North Road/Ponsonby Road Intersection and Bowen Avenue/Kitchener Street/Victoria Street East intersection )
Richmond Road Safety Action Plan
Parking issues in Parnell, St Marys Bay, Freemans Bay and Eden Terrace

Full details of current proposals and issues are outlined in Auckland Transport’s monthly report attached to the Board agenda. (refer page 61)

What price safety?

One of our local board capex projects is to improve cycling safety at the intersection of Great North Road and Ponsonby Road. Cyclists approaching the intersection on Great North Road heading east are forced in to a pinch point as the lanes increase from two to three and the shared bus lane disappears.

Cyclists currently either mount the pavement to avoid being stuck at the back of a queue of buses or get pushed into a lane of traffic. We have proposed that an advance stop box be installed with a feeder lane.

Road corridor operations investigations have concluded that to add a cycle feeder lane to this intersection a vehicle lane would have to be removed. They have advised that the removal of one lane for general traffic would increase delays in the peak from 73 seconds to 206 seconds. There would also be an impact on PT unless one of the lanes becomes a bus lane.

Auckland Transport have advised that they do not recommend any option that will increase motorist delays without a more strategic assessment of the overall impact of re-prioritising road space.

Auckland Transport is therefore going to look at installing a cycle stop box only.

My personal view is that we cannot continue to put cyclists at risk and ignore the safety of routes on the Auckland Cycle Network. Great North Road is currently operating under capacity because of the alternative provided by the North-western Motorway and delays are minimal. There is huge potential to increase cycle trips by improving cycling infrastructure on the Great North Road ridge at relatively minor inconvenience to drivers. I would therefore like us as a Board to push for the reprioritisation of road space to accommodate all modes of transport.

Getting parking right for Auckland

A blog drafted for shapeauckland (the Council’s Unitary Plan website) based on the presentations given at the Getting Parking Right for Auckland seminar (part 1) hosted by the Board and AECOM on 3 April is attached at ATTACHMENT B.

Local Board capex projects update

An update on the Board’s capex projects is in Auckland Transport’s monthly report.

I attended a number of meetings in April to progress the Newmarket Streetscapes upgrade project by Auckland Transport in conjunction with the City Centre Transformation team. However three of our projects are unlikely to proceed this year following initial investigations:

Cycle Improvements – advance stop box and feeder lane at Great North Road, eastbound onto Karangahape Road (reasons covered above):
Pedestrian Improvements at Intersections – Pedestrian facility at the Victoria Street East/Nelson Street intersection (referred to the study team investigating the linear park proposal on Victoria Street as part of the CEWT study)
Residential traffic calming project east of Ponsonby Road – to be progressed as part of the Franklin Road upgrade and Ponsonby Road master plan proposals

It is becoming clear that it is very difficult to progress projects via our capex fund that Auckland Transport do not wish to include in their current work programme. Over the next month we will be work shopping our transport projects and I will be proposing that we invest any remaining capex for 12/13 into our well-developed Greenways project (to be reported on in June following the consultation that took place earlier in the year).

Record numbers cycling

Figures released by Auckland Transport in April show that in March cycling during the peak period (7am to 9am) increased 24.1 per cent. This comes on top of an increase of 18.5 per cent in February and a rise of 9.0 per cent in January.

Numbers are up even higher in the Waitemata Local Board area – this is great news and justifies increased expenditure in cycling infrastructure by Auckland Transport.

Refer ATTACHMENT D (page 321) for an update on Why do cyclists run red lights.

Other Board activities

Unitary Plan

I took part in a number of Unitary Plan events during April.

Grey Lynn Business Association information session for members
Waitemata Local Board Community meeting at the Town Hall
Civic Forum at the Freemans Bay Community Hall
Grey Lynn residents meeting

My impression is that although there are very real concerns about some of the proposed zoning (particularly around the West Lynn shops) and scepticism that Council will be able to ensure good quality design there is conceptual support for the draft Unitary Plan in our area and an understanding that we are at an early draft stage meaning feedback now will improve the plan.

Annual plan hearings for Waitemata Local Board

Every year Local Boards hold a “discussion” with the Governing Body to go through the Local Board’s advocacy points that form part of the Local Board Agreement.

I supported the Chair in covering our transport advocacy projects at our meeting with the Governing Body held on 24 April. This part of the presentation is attached as ATTACHMENT C.

Ponsonby Road master plan working group

Kobus Mentz from UrbanismPlus has been contracted to provide urban design/ public realm services for the Ponsonby Road master plan working group. We had a very productive Vision and Outcome Setting workshop in April who covered technical briefings on transport, land use, open space and heritage and group work focused around identifying key precincts/ nodes; key transformational sites; and options to achieve vision and outcomes for Ponsonby Road.

We also held a hui with mana whenua to discuss their contribution to the master plan which resulted in iwi representatives attending the workshop and agreeing to a process for drafting a cultural assessment.

Fairtrade Implementation

May is the one year anniversary of Auckland becoming a Fairtrade city, an initiative that was led by the Waitemata Local Board. I asked Andrew Walters, Business & Facilities Sustainability Project Leader for an update on how the implementation is going and received this response.

All in all I am very enthusiastic about fair trade and would love to do a lot more in this space as the social, environmental and economic benefits of fair trade are all vital elements of sustainability. In a well-resourced sustainability team we would do a lot more and aim for an identified work programme about fair trade implementation rather than current situation.

A report may be worthwhile if requested through the appropriate channels etc. but in the interests of expediency I have put down a few notes.

I can’t write a fuller report just now on this as I am the only remaining member of the sustainability team as two left and were not replaced, so am under some pressure in other areas. But hopefully this summary will help.

All tea and coffee on free issue is fair trade (all staff areas/kitchens)
All council cafes offer fair trade options
We make fair trade goods available on purchasing web sites etc.
We have offered several prizes as part of energy campaigns that Included 100% fair trade morning teas for staff in winning teams.
We ran a Green growth symposium attended by business where catering was all fair trade.
Have included fair trade in our draft procurement policy

It is great to see that steps have been taken to implement Fairtrade but I am concerned at the lack of resourcing for the sustainability team to meaningfully ensure Fairtrade is an integral part of Council and receives on-going monitoring.

Professional development

CAN Do 2013 Auckland: Inspiring Change

I attended the Cycle Advocates Network’s annual summit on Saturday 13 April with Christopher Dempsey (registration of $60 was paid from the Board’s professional development budget).

Speakers on the theme of Inspiring Change – mainstreaming cycling included Rod Oram, Camden Howitt, Sustainable Coastlines and Stephen Town NZTA Regional Director.

I was particularly impressed with the keynote speaker Jonathan Daly who spoke about the politics of cooperation in the age of sharing: a new paradigm for bicycle advocacy.

He talked about the evolution of public space to private space that occurred with the advancement of the car. He believes we are entering the next evolution with the re-publicisation of public space (such as shared spaces)

He urged for the discussion to be re-framed around liveability – what we have stand to lose if we don’t invest in cycling.

IPENZ Transportation Group conference

I attended the IPENZ Transportation Group conference funded from the Board’s professional development budget. A copy of my report is attached as ATTACHMENT D (refer page 321).

Other board activities

Local Board Workshops and meetings

I attended during April:

Waitemata Local Board Agreement Review Workshop on 2 April
Hui with mana whenua on the Ponsonby Road Master Plan Project on 3 April
Newmarket Streetscapes – Briefing on 4 April
Waitemata Local Board Workshop: LBA Prioritisation discussion on 4 April
Waitemata Local Board Briefing from Ports of Auckland on their response to the PWC report on Upper North Island ports on 4 April
Children and Young People’s Strategic Action Plan briefing on 5 April
Local Board Delivery Model transformation project – engagement with local board members 8 April
Ponsonby Road Master Plan – Workshop 3: Vision and Outcome Setting on 8 April
Meeting to discuss the Former Masonic Hall – Herne Bay on 9 April
Communications fortnightly update
City centre transformation team meeting – attended to discuss Newmarket streetscape project
Waitemata Local Board business meeting in Grey Lynn on 9 April
Ponsonby Road East (slow speed zone) Site Visit with Auckland Transport
Greenways meeting with Auckland Transport on 10 April
“Good for business” presentation to Ponsonby Business Association members
Arts Station presentation
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 11 April
Interactive play spaces meeting on 11 April
Skypath public information public meeting
Central Joint Funding Committee workshop on 12 April
Community Development Portfolio holders- quarterly catch up on 17 April
Newmarket streetscapes project and local board transport capex funding meeting with Auckland Transport on 18 April
Unitary plan community meeting at the Town Hall on 18 April
Community portfolio monthly catch up
Fortnightly catch up on the Ponsonby Road master plan progress
Unitary plan civic forum at the Freemans Bay community hall on Saturday 20 April
Jim Diers workshop for local boards and the governing body on 22 April
Neighbourhood planning workshop with Jim Diers (working group)
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 23 April
Transport portfolio monthly update on 24 April
Waitemata Local Board and Governing Body discussion on local board agreement priorities on 24 April
Briefing on Ponsonby Central development application by Andy Davies
Te Kai o Te Rangatira workshop part 1 delivered by subject experts of Te Waka Angamua Maori Strategy and Relations Department (Pou Tikanga, Pou Whainga, Pou Hononga) on 26 April
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 30 April

Events and functions

During April I attended:

Toi Ora opening with the Mayor on 2 April
Getting parking right for Auckland seminar part 1 on 3 April at AECOM jointly hosted with Auckland Transport
Green Jam youth sustainability conference at TAPAC on 4 April –. I was invited to take part in a workshop “ Pedal Power An inspiring and active session on the power of bicycles”
Richmond Road School Fair
Grey Lynn RSC AGM
Richmond Rovers Centenary post match centenary celebrations on 6 April
Consultation event for Costley Reserve on Sunday 7 April
Grey Lynn Business Association Unitary plan information session for members on 9 April
Informal presentation to Grey Lynn Residents on the Unitary Plan zoning proposals at the Grey Lynn RSC
Local Government Association of South Australia Study Tour presentation on 12 April at the invitation of Peter McKinley
CAN-do cycle advocates conference on 13 April
IPENZ transportation group conference 14- 16 April in Dunedin
TRENZ 2013 Welcome Function at the Viaduct Event centre at the invitation of ATEED
ANZAC day service at the Grey Lynn RSC
Funding for Transport. Launch of the Collaborative Consensus Group discussion document at the Viaduct Events Centre on 29 April
Future intensive: Insights of Auckland’s Housing presentation

Hey Coroner am I high viz enough?

A couple of months ago the Coroner recommended complusory high viz vest for cyclists. A lot was written at the time pointing out that this wasn’t based on any evidence that vests are effective and was likely to be counterproductive. (Russell Brown generated an impressive number of responses to his post When Common Sense isn’t and Lucy on Cycling Auckland gives the low down on why the coroner is wrong)

I got interviewed for TV3 on my views (as coordinator of Frocks on Bikes in Auckland). The editing gave the impression I am “anti high viz” and I am still asked about it so I thought the best thing is to respond in pictures. My view is that you have to be highly visible and safe on the road. There are lots of way to do this. Personally it works for me to look like a real person. I feel like I am given far more room on my bike and that drivers look out for me when I am dressed for the business of my day. At night I make sure I am well lit and of course visible.

Melbourne – cycling around the world’s most liveable city

In early March I travelled on a private trip to Melbourne with the Velociteers who performed at the Melbourne Bike Fest. I took the opportunity to check out why Melbourne is considered to be one of the world’s most liveable cities.

The first thing that struck me was the number of people using bikes for transport especially young women. Melbourne suffers from similar issues to Auckland with car- centric city design, excessive speeds and road congestion. However unlike Auckland there is connected bike infrastructure that makes cycling pleasant and safe. It wasn’t perfect but there has clearly been investment in a whole variety of different approaches to encourage cycling – painted green cycle lanes, shared paths, contra-flows, traffic calming, intersection treatments and separated or “Copenhagen” lanes.

The Melbourne public bike hire scheme introduced in 2010 has also increased the visibility of cycling. Over the four days I was there I used the service for all my trips. I found it to be convenient, cheap (registration is $2.40 per day with the first half hour free ) and took me to where I wanted to go around the city centre. I was able to make the compulsory helmet requirement work by taking over my own helmet and being willing to carry it around between trips. (Not an option that suits everyone – although helmets are for sale for only $5).

However experiencing the Melbourne bikes also convinced me that in Auckland we should not make a public bike hire scheme a priority until we can offer connected and safe routes.

Other aspects of Melbourne that I appreciated were the number of water fountains as part of the street scape reducing the need for plastic bottles and the ban on smoking on the beaches.

[A version of this post featured on the Cycle Action Auckland website generating a number of comments about prioritising a bike share scheme]

Monthly Board Report April 2013

This report covers my activities from 1 March – 31 March 2013.

Board activities

Annual plan hearings for Waitemata Local Board

I found our hearings day held on 19 March to be extremely interesting, worthwhile and productive. We were fortunate to have a range of passionate submitters and to be joined by three governing body members who added to the value of the hearings.

I would just query why the Orakei Local Board decided to submit to a number of fellow boards including Waitemata. There are a range of projects we may wish to collaborate on but the annual plan process is not intended nor structured to provide for different parts of the Auckland Council family to submit as members of the public. I would like to see Local Board services give a clear direction on this issue for next year.

Grants Committee meeting

The Grants Committee met on 27 March to consider 18 applications totally $68,573.98 to the Waitemata Local Board’s third round of discretionary funding. The committee agenda is available online. Thank you to all the applicants who came along to speak in support of their applications.

The recommendations of the committee will be referred to the Board’s business meeting on 9 April. The last and fourth round of funding for this financial year is open until Friday 26th April. (application form available here)

Relationship between CCO’s and Local Boards

At our February meeting we received the report and resolutions from the Accountability and Performance Committee – Relationship between Local Boards and Council Controlled Organisations

It was delegated to the Board Chair and Deputy Chair to work with Local Board Services officers to provide feedback to the Committee on the type of engagement the Waitemata Local Board would like with Council Controlled Organisations.

This feedback is attached as ATTACHMENT A.

It should also be noted that CCO’s are required to report to the Governing Body on their engagement with Local Boards and that Auckland Transport has been directed to hold workshops with Local Board on their prioritisation criteria in early 2013. This workshop has yet to occur and Auckland Transport, Waterfront Auckland and ACPL have not provided Local Board Services with their engagement plans for 12/13.

Professional development

During March I have taken advantage of a number of excellent learning opportunities available to board members.

Re-thinking Pacific Auckland, Damon Salesa, Associate Professor, Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Auckland – a lunchtime learning hosted by the Research, Investigations and Monitoring Unit.

This presentation highlighted the high degree of racial segregation occurring in Auckland (using census and demographic data) which is not talked about and therefore not addressed. There are serious consequences of this segregation not just within lower socio-economic areas. Pakeha who attend racially segregated schools are also educationally disadvantaged.

It means differences of opportunity and attainment and damages confidence in democracy.

The presenter gave as the number one solution building social housing in wealthier areas – he felt strongly that no development should happen at the waterfront without social housing.

I would like the Waitemata Local Board to ensure it meets the challenge given by the presenter of working to create the World’s most liveable city for EVERYONE.

Innovation Auckland Conference

SOCANZ conference on 25 and 26 March (conference report to be provided next month)

The conference presented energetic experts on social entrepreneurship and a range of workshops on a cross-section of subjects.

Place making session – connecting Auckland Place Makers

Ethan Kent, International Place advocate for the Project for Public Spaces. Hosted by Waterfront Auckland at the Cloud

“If you plan for cars and traffic you get cars and traffic, if you plan for people and places you get people and places”

The presentation held up place making as a transformative agenda going through the key attributes that make a good place, describing place making opportunities and benefits.

Natalie Nicholles, associate director, new economics foundation (nef) London

Local economic development – a community development approach for the ‘toolbox’ – a session for Local Board members

Provided a practical overview of nef’s innovative, tried-and-tested local economic development tools:

– developing community knowledge about local wealth creation, and why it matters

– building community capability to assess where and how money and resources leak out of local

I also used a private visit to Melbourne to learn more about what it takes to create the world’s most liveable city with lots of people cycling for transport (report here)

Getting Parking Right for Auckland Seminar

Invites went out in early March for the seminar on 3 April to all of the business associations, CBD advisory board members, local board members and a number of councillors.

An impressive line up of experts, including Chief Economist, Geoff Cooper are included in the programme.

Portfolio reports

Transport

The Transport portfolio monthly briefing with Auckland Transport took place on 21 March 2013. We covered:

Road safety campaigns
Parking issues in Parnell, Freemans Bay and the Strand
Eden Terrace parking zone update
St Mary’s Bay parking business permits
Road Corridor Operations latest updates

Full details of current proposals and issues are outlined in Auckland Transport’s monthly report attached to the Board agenda.

Parking

Parking continues to be an issue for many neighbourhoods in our board area. In Freemans Bay nearly all the unrestricted on-street parking is taken up daily by commuters making it difficult for visitors and residents to access parking spaces. Freemans Bay is the number one priority for a residents parking scheme applying the lessons Auckland Transport has learnt from the St Marys Bay trial.

In February we heard from residents of Scarborough Tce at our monthly board meeting about the parking issues on their street. Auckland Transport is investigating a number of options for a scheme that needs to be effective in a mixed use area with high occupancy rates into the evening.

In Eden Tce we heard that Auckland Transport successfully presented to the Business Association on a proposal for a paid parking zone with a limited number of free on -street parking areas. As part of implementing a new parking scheme Auckland Transport is able to work with the local businesses to offer free public transport for 3 weeks, bike hire and car pool software with a travel plan for the area.

In St Marys Bay Auckland Transport is continuing to assess the trial and how best to deal with the request for business permits. One option being considered is to allow for a limited number of coupons for daily parking (similar to the coupon scheme in Wellington).

What is clear from all the investigations that AT is undertaking is that each neighbourhood will require an appropriate parking scheme to be developed to fit the particular community needs.

Road safety

I have raised concerns with Auckland Transport that their latest campaign aimed at pedestrians is ill-conceived and unlikely to resonant with the target audience. The Pay Attention or Pay the price campaign is aimed at young people who are involved in large number of accidents in the city centre.

However what I have learnt from safety campaign experts such as Jonathan Daly is that these kinds of messages don’t work as they are missing the key ingredient of empathy. It is human nature to switch off to messages such as “Slow down”, “Pay Attention”, “Be polite “

I think this campaign also doesn’t recognise current realities regarding how people – especially young people -choose to move around the city and how Auckland streets are being designed that even work to encourage distractions (such as shared spaces).

Of course pedestrians need to take care but I believe this campaign will lead to a greater tendency to blame the victim of road accidents involving pedestrians which is nearly always the pedestrian.

Interestingly we found out that AT uses a very small focus group sample on which to test safety messages. From the representative sample that we were shown all of the responders asked AT to not waste money on the campaign but to invest in more pedestrian friendly street design.

Richmond Road School

After more than 4 years of pushing for improved safety improvements on Richmond Road the school has been successful in Auckland Transport approving a range of measures.

I attended a meeting with the principal, Stephanie Anich, representatives of Auckland Transport and Cycle Action on 22 March to discuss the current proposals which are either underway or about to start. These improvements include:

Relocating the bus stop near the school to provide for greater visibility
Installation of electronic repeater 40km/h signs
Installing school zone signs
Improvements to the crossing layout
New markings and raised speed strips to encourage slower speeds

These safety improvements are being undertaken as part of the overall Richmond Road safety action plan which is a local board project.

Promoting active transport for events

I have raised with Auckland Transport and ATEED the lack of promotion for active transport as an option for travel to events over the summer. For example the promotion for travel to Pasifika was just focused on using the park and ride facilities. No bike parking was provided at the event despite it taking place right next to the north western cycle way.

I am also aware of the large number of complaints that have been directed to Auckland Transport regarding the lack of planning to cope with the large numbers using public transport to attend events particularly over the weekend of 9/10 March. AT have advised that their Special Events Team will review all available data and apply the learnings to planning for future events so that the travelling public is better served.

Other board activities

Local Board Workshops and meetings

I attended during March:

Waitemata Local Board workshop on 5 March
Meeting to discuss Waitemata Local Board feedback on the Unitary Plan & current status of the draft Unitary Plan
Symonds Street cemetery public meeting on 5 March
Waitemata community facility needs meeting
Informal meeting with Waterfront Auckland CEO, John Dalziell
AT Briefing on cycle connections to the Grafton Gully Cycleway
Coxs Bay Advisory Group meeting on 7 March
Local Board briefing on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 changes to the current liquor licensing framework
Planning for Parnell Baths Centennial Celebration in March 2014
Ponsonby Road Master Plan – Working Group Workshop 2: Issues, Opportunities and Aspirations on 11 March
Meeting with Philip Jones, Architect for Ponsonby Central to discuss proposed parking and bus stop changes on Ponsonby Road and Brown Street
Communications fortnightly update
Meeting with the solid waste team to discuss the work underway to encourage zero waste events
Waitemata Local Board business meeting in Parnell on 12 March
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 12 March
Initial meeting of the working group on neighbourhood planning convened by Roger Blakely on 15 March
Launch of Unitary Plan and attendance at the business and heritage sessions held during the day (pictured)
Meeting to discuss Pioneer Women’s Hall redevelopment budget and process
Fortnightly catch up on the Ponsonby Road master plan progress
Annual Plan hearings for Waitemata Local Board on 19 March
Re-thinking Pacific Auckland lunchtime learning. Presentation by Damon Salesa, Associate Professor, Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Auckland
Auckland Transport monthly catch up for Transport portfolio holders on 21 March
Richmond Road School meeting on 22 March organised by Auckland Transport to discuss the proposed safety measures to be introduced outside the school
Meeting with representatives of Albert – Eden, Puketapapa Local Boards and the solid waste team to discuss the next stage for the resource recovery centre
SOCANZ innovation Auckland Conference on 25 and 26 March
Workshop for place makers with Ethan Kent on 25 March hosted by Waterfront Auckland
Waitemata Local Board Community Grants Committee meeting on 27 March
Ponsonby Road fortnightly update meeting
Briefing from Rob Cairns, Manager, Region wide Community Planning and Policy regarding Auckland Domain Governance
Natalie Nicholls, new economics foundation for an in-depth conversation for Local Board members regarding local economic development

Events and functions

The Auckland Arts Festival 2013 was a big highlight of the events calendar during March. I was fortunate to attend the following performances

The opening night of The Factory and drinks afterwards at the Festival bar (at the invitation of AAF)
Breath of the Volcano at the Auckland Domain
Hui at Q Theatre (at the invitation of AAF)
One Man, Two Guvnors
Urban by Circolumbia (at the invitation of AAF)
Cantina at the Festival tent

I also attended during March

International women’s day celebration at Khartoum Place on 8 March
Pasifika Festival at Western Springs
Grafton Cricket Club’s 150th birthday celebratory dinner (at the invitation of GCC)
BeSpoke – Cycle Style at Silo Park (I was part of the organising team as coordinator of Frocks on Bikes – Auckland)
Grey Lynn Business Association March networking drinks
Ponsonby Road Market Day
Movies in Parks at Grey Lynn Park on 16 March
West Lynn Street Party and Twilight market in celebration of neighbours day Aotearoa on 21 March (I had the privilege of opening the event with Rev Faasoo (pictured)
Genesis Energy Whio Breakfast at the Auckland Zoo on 22 March
Opening of the Sir Paul Reeves Building at AUT on 22 March
Urbis Design Day off ramp installation (viewed from the K’rd over bridge) – how would you like the city to move? (pictured)

Monthly board report March 2013

This report covers my activities from 1 February – 28 February 2013.

February has been an absolutely action packed month as the year gets well underway reflecting the many activities of the Board and significant progress on a number of projects I am championing including Greenways and the development of a Ponsonby Road master plan.

Ponsonby Road master plan

At our Board meeting in October 2012 the Board approved the establishment of a Ponsonby Road working group with representatives of the local community, the business association and local board members and supported by Auckland Council and Auckland Transport tasked with developing a a draft master plan for endorsement of the Waitemata local Board prior to public consultation.

A meeting was held on 18 February to establish the working group followed by a site visit and walkover of Ponsonby Road with the group on 25 February. My opening remarks to the first meeting of the working group are attached (ATTACHMENT A).

I am now seeking the Board’s endorsement of the working group membership, the planning process and budget approval as outlined in the Ponsonby Road Master Plan – Project Establishment memo from Yvonne Masefield, Planner, Central & Islands Planning dated 1 March 2013 (ATTACHMENT B). This process anticipates the working group producing a draft master plan to be endorsed by the Board for public consultation.

Greenways

The Board held a successful Greenways event on 20 February at the Richmond Rovers Clubrooms in Grey Lynn Park with a large number turning up to provide feedback on the proposed Greenway routes.

We also sought feedback from those passing by as the club sits on a popular active transport and leisure walking & cycling route. The Grey Lynn Park – Coxes Bay connection is one of our proposed priority greenways.

Consultation continues until 11 March

Zero Waste events

I attended the Waitangi Day festival at Bastion Point organised by Ngati Whatua o Orakei as a waste volunteer with Christopher Dempsey. We wanted to learn about the best practice of running a genuine zero waste event. We were both really impressed with the wonderful family atmosphere and the support from stall holders and visitors. The organisers were aiming to not just remove waste from landfill but to reuse everything.

Some of the learnings I took away from the event:

Ensure events are alcohol free – this greatly reduces waste from glass and bottles
Have only a limited number of waste stations and push the take your own waste home message
Ensure the waste contractors are committed to zero waste and separate everything on site
Target waste at source – all stallholders have to sign up to reduce packaging and only offer compostable plates etc.
Make it fun to “do the right thing”. A Zero waste pa at the festival had activities for kids, chickens and seedlings to give away in re-used coffee cups

I would like to see all events in our area that are funded by the Board to be zero waste.

Community Engagement – Local Board Agreement public briefings

I attended the three Board public briefings on the Council’s annual plan and the Board’s annual agreement which outlines our projects and budget for 13/14.

The meetings attracted low numbers which I think can partly be attributed to a general feeling that the Board is on the right track and we are following through with the commitments we consulted on last year as part of Long Term Plan process and partly because the process was very poorly advertised.

The Annual plan brochure was meant to have been delivered to every mailbox. From my informal surveys I would estimate that it reached about 50% of households and very few in the city centre. I think the Council’s distribution processes need to be urgently reviewed and the value of hard copy communications critically evaluated.

Good for business seminar series

Planning has continued with AECOM on the Good for business parking seminar (now in two parts) with invitations due to go out to business associations and their members in early March.

Getting parking right for Auckland – A good for business approach to parking regulation, planning and design

Part 1 – the New Zealand perspective

Date: Wednesday 3 April 2013

Time: 2pm – 5pm (followed by networking drinks)

Where: AECOM House, 8 Mahuhu Crescent

Keynote speaker: Julie Anne Genter, Transportation planner and parking expert

Plus speakers from Auckland Transport on current policies that are supporting communities and Auckland Council on proposals for parking requirements in the Unitary Plan.

Part 2-the international experience with Keynote speaker Todd Litman scheduled for mid-May

Portfolio reports

Transport

The Transport portfolio monthly briefing with Auckland Transport took place on 28 February. We covered:

– Parking issues in Eden Tce, Parnell and Freemans Bay

– Sarawia railway crossing options

– Local Board capex fund – pedestrian facilities on Victoria/Nelson Streets

Full details of current proposals and issues are outlined in Auckland Transport’s monthly report attached to the Board agenda.

Parking

The following is the current update from Auckland Transport regarding the parking issues in Freemans Bay:

Auckland Transport and Waitemata Local Board have received numerous complaints in regard to parking issues in Freemans Bay. This has increased since the 2 hour parking zone trial in St Mary’s Bay was implemented in July 2012. Most of the complaints relate to a lack of on-street parking for residents with local business workers and commuters seen as taking up the spaces for most of the day.

Auckland Transport wished to monitor the first 6 months of the St Marys Bay trial before looking at alternative parking options for Freemans Bay; this has enabled it to more fully understand the effect of the St Marys Bay zone on not only that suburb but also the surrounding suburbs such as Freemans Bay. Before Auckland Transport can develop a robust proposal to consult with the community there are some necessary steps to complete. These include an inventory of existing parking restrictions and a survey to help Auckland Transport to better understand parking behaviour taking place and to assess why current restrictions are not being effective. The road reserve is a public asset and Auckland Transport has to balance the many legitimate and often conflicting needs of users. This involves considerable data collection and consultation across a wide spectrum of customers in order to formulate a balanced proposal. Once this initial work has been completed, the results can be analysed and some options developed for discussion with the local board and stakeholders.

Depending on how the investigation develops, it is anticipated that options may be ready for public consultation by mid—year

Grey Lynn Footpath upgrade

The Grey Lynn foot paths and new pram ramps (at the intersection of Great North Road and Williamson Ave) have now been completed with minimal disruption and no complaints that I am aware of. This project was a successful collaboration between Auckland Transport, ARMA (the contractor) the GLBA and the Board.

The only outstanding renewal is with regards to the painting of the street furniture. I am following this up with Auckland Transport

Other board activities

Local Board Workshops and meetings

Attended:

Meeting to discuss Transport advocacy projects
Meeting to discuss Good for Business Parking seminar
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 5 February
Community Development monthly catch up with portfolio holders
Grey Lynn Business Association February business meeting
Resource Recovery centre – meeting of project champions on 7 February
Meeting to discuss CCTV policy and strategy
Integrating Public Input into Political Leadership and Government workshop at the Auckland Business school organised by IAP2 Auckland Branch on 7 February
Waitemata Local Board public briefing on the Local Board Agreement (as part of the Annual plan process ) in Parnell on 7 February
Site visit walkover of Kent/York and Teed street with AT’s urban design planner on 8 February
Meeting with the Eden Tce Business Association and AT parking officers to discuss the Eden Tce parking zone proposal on 8 February
Joint Unitary plan briefing and workshop for the Governing Body and local boards on 11 February (see photo)
Grey Lynn Park Advisory Group meeting on 11 February
Smokefree Policy Development workshop with Local Boards organised by Cr Sandra Coney on 12 February (I attended with Jesse Chalmers as the Board’s rep and presented on the Board’s experience of going smoke free)
Waitemata Local Board monthly meeting at Graham Street on 12 February
Presentation on the Tamaki Drive Master plan to the Waitemata Local Board and Harbour Edge Development Team by Orakei Local Board on 13 February
Transport committee deliberations on the Sky path proposal
Waitemata Local Board LBA Public Briefings in Grey Lynn on 13 February and at the Local Board office on 14 February
Unitary Plan update session for local boards on 15 February
Presentation on O’Connell Street design concepts
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 14 February
Ponsonby Road master plan working group establishment meeting on 18 February (opening introduction to the group attached as ATTACHMENT A)
Youth Advisory Panel meeting on 18February
Local Board workshop on 19 February
Meeting to discuss the Board’s engagement on the Unitary Plan as part of the wider regional engagement timetable on 19 February
Introductory meeting with Rachael Eaton – new Team Leader City Transformation (Central and Islands) to discuss concept of “Park-lets” for the city centre
Greenways event at the Richmond Rovers Clubroom, Grey Lynn park on 19 February
Meeting to discuss the public art proposals received for Interactive Play Spaces project on 20 February
Meeting between the GLBA and planning officers to discuss the Grey Lynn precinct plan
Waitaurau plaza meeting with NZTA and AT to discuss the permanent structures outside the new Bird cage
Ponsonby Master plan working party site walk over on 25 February
Local Board workshop on 26 February
Communications update on 26 February
New tools for local government seminar on 27 February
Presentation to the CBD Advisory Board on the Board’s redevelopment plans for Pioneer Women’s and Ellen Melville Hall on 27 February (refer ATTACHMENT C)
Transport Portfolio monthly update with Auckland Transport on 28 February
Briefing the Waitemata Local Board on the University of Auckland Newmarket site

Professional development

I attended the New tools for Local Government seminar with David Engwicht who is considered one of the world’s most innovative thinkers on place making, citizen management and creative problem solving. He is the inventor of the Walking School Bus, a world-wide phenomenon.

The free seminar covered four unspoken assumptions that are ‘putting lead boots on local government’ as well as strategies to:

Influence greater creativity and resilience in your organisation
Empower the communities you serve

Events and functions

I attended the following events and functions during February

Hum de-wrap party on Saturday 2 February (the Board gave the Falling Apple Trust $5000 towards the scaffolding and wrap on the building)
Te Matatini Luncheon on 4 February to recognise and celebrate the four Kapa Haka roopu that will be representing Tāmaki Makaurau at Te Matatini 2013 in Te Arawa. (as alternate to the Chair)
Waitangi Day Festival as a waste volunteer with Christopher Dempsey
Cycle Action Auckland Associates breakfast at the Auckland Art Gallery on 7 February
Big Gay Out VIP hospitality tent at the invitation of the NZ Aids Foundation on 10 February
Go by Bike day breakfasts at Wynyard Quarter and Air New Zealand offices
Wet Hot beauties performance at Parnell Pools on 13 February
The Pride Parade grandstand (at the invitation of GABA) on Saturday 16 February
Launch of the GREAT British Car Rally 2013 by the British High Commissioner and Sir John Walker on behalf of the Mayor on 17 February (see photo)
Greenways event on 19 February
Farewell lunch to our Senior Board advisor on 22 February
Lantern Festival official opening by the PM John Key and the Mayor on 23 February
Media briefing the Mayor for the start of the Daldry Street linear park on 24 February

Recommendation

a) That the report be received.

b) That the Waitemata Local Board endorses the Ponsonby Road working group membership and the planning process as outlined in the Ponsonby Road Master Plan – Project Establishment memo from Yvonne Masefield, Planner, Central & Islands Planning dated 1 March 2013 (ATTACHMENT B).

c) That the Waitemata Local Board approves the allocation of $50,000 of the 12/13 budget for this project ($75,000) for delivering urban design/ public realm services as part of developing the draft master plan by the working group.

Greenways

Greenways have the potential to transform the way we travel around our local area. The Waitemata Local Board’s Greenways proposal is to have a network of routes that connect parks and open spaces. As well as offering safe, high-quality routes, particularly getting to schools, greenways can also increase recreational opportunities and can deliver environmental benefits through expanding habitats for native fauna and wildlife.

Our Greenways event in Grey Lynn Park on 20 February really highlighted the demand of safe and connected routes for walking and cycling.

Consultation closes today . You can provide feedback by filling out a short online survey.

BeSpoke – Cycle Style at Silo Park

Cycle style – fashion comes together with gorgeous bikes – is back for the third time. This year Frocks on Bikes and Cycle Action have teamed up with Freshconcept, Waterfront Auckland, Auckland Transport and Fashion in the Big Little City to create BeSpoke. This is my last year of Cycle Style ( I’m handing over the Frocks on Bike coordinator role) so I am particularly looking forward to what is on offer this year at a fabulous outside venue. I am also honoured to be taking part in the Dalston show at 1pm with the Velociteers.

Sunday 10 March, 12-6pm, Silo Park, Wynyard Quarter

Cycle Style was born in the streets, markets, and parks we love and ride everyday. So how better to celebrate it than with a full market of local designers and bicycles, fashion shows, street food, music and more in the heart of Auckland’s waterfront.

BeSpoke is a fabulous event for ALL Aucklanders and a great way to introduce friends to the fun of life on a bicycle.

The line up for Sunday

1pm            Dalston (fashion show)
1.45pm       Velociteers (entertainment)
2pm            KAF Kids (kids fashion show)
2.30pm      Sitka (fashion show)
3pm            Kingdom Of. (fashion show)
3.15pm       C-Unit (entertainment, boys on unicycles)
3.30pm      Starfish (fashion show)
3.40pm      Myles and Dan Dj set begins
4pm            We’ar (fashion show)
4.30pm      203H (fashion show)
5pm            Vintage (fashion show)

Videos from previous cycle styles:

July 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SkEfeRD9mU

March 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc8yeQw5b6U

Monthly Board Report – February 2013

This is my first report for 2013 covering my activities from 1 December 2012 until 31 January 2013.

Portfolio reports – Transport

The Transport portfolio monthly briefings with Auckland Transport representatives re-commenced on 31 January. Full details of current proposals and issues are outlined in Auckland Transport’s monthly report attached to the Board agenda.

Parking

The year has started with a number of complaints and concerns about parking. AT has been consulting on a proposal to install a zone of pay and display parking in Eden Tce. The proposal is intended to address the issue of all day commuter parking blocking visitors to local businesses. I responded directly to Mr Wilson who addressed the Board in December about the scheme and his concern that it doesn’t take into account the needs of residents in a mixed use area. The next step is to hear the results of the consultation and recommendations from AT before taking the proposal further.

The highest number of complaints received by AT come from the Freemans Bay area where commuters are blocking access to on street parking by residents and visitors. I have also responded to a number of calls and emails about this issue. The transport portfolio has given support for AT to work on a solution that is likely to involve a zone approach with price and/or time restrictions.

AT is looking at the results of the St Marys Bay Residents parking scheme and plans to consult on a proposal for the Freemans Bay area in the next couple of months.

Good for business seminar series

Following on from the successful Good for Business seminar held last year in partnership with Auckland Transport and AECOM I am working with Christopher Dempsey to organise two further seminars aimed at the business community. AECOM have agreed to host a parking seminar and one on the accessibility dollar (as part of our Be.accessible plan). AT have indicated that they will be able to fund a guest speaker for the parking seminar which we are looking to hold in March.

Draft Regional Public Transport Plan

Christopher and I presented the Board’s submission on the Regional Public Transport Plan to the hearings panel on 29 January 2013. A copy of our presentation is attached as ATTACHMENT A.

Grey Lynn Footpath upgrade

Thanks to the advocacy work of the Grey Lynn Business Association and the financial contribution from the Board the renewal of the footpaths at the Grey Lynn shops was able to get underway in January. Businesses and residents are really pleased to see the works happening. The contractor has worked hard to minimise disruption and to ensure the works are undertaken as smoothly as possible which has been greatly appreciated by the local businesses.

Greenways

In January I assisted Shyrel Burt in finalised a consultation plan for our Greenways project. The project featured in Our Auckland and in the Board’s advertorial in February. A Greenways event is planned for 20 February from 4- 7pm at the Richmond Rovers Clubrooms in Grey Lynn Park.

Community Portfolio

During December and starting again in January the community portfolio worked on

Consultation plan for our Local Board Agreement and Unitary Plan engagement
Christmas message from the Board to community representatives
follow up to the Jim Diers inspired neighbourhood planning proposals
feedback on the Thriving Communities Auckland Council’s role in supporting communities to flourish discussion document which is attached to the February agenda.
Planning for a Good Citizen/Volunteer Awards
Proposal for a working group to develop the Ponsonby Road master plan

I also attended the Youth network meeting in December and a quarterly workshop for all community development portfolio holders in the central area.

Grants Committee

The Committee met to consider applications to the second round of community grants funding 2012/13. A total of $24,649.09 was recommended in grants to the Waitemata Local Board ordinary meeting on 11 December 2011. The minutes of the meeting are available here .

Other board activities

Local Board Workshops and meetings Attended:

Waitemata Youth Network meeting on 3 December at Freemans Bay Hall organised by the Community Development team
Grants Committee meeting on 3 December
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 4 December
Community Development portfolio holders (central area) workshop on 6 December
Grey Lynn Business Association December meeting
Waitemata Local Board monthly meeting in Grey Lynn on 11 December
Presentation on O’Connell Street design concepts
Community Portfolio meeting on the Thriving Communities discussion document
Neighbourhood Planning – Follow up to Jim Diers on 14 December meeting hosted by the Deputy – Mayor
Unitary Plan Local Board update session – Central
Energy and Climate Change Mitigation Strategy workshop on 17 December – a progress update workshop for councillors and local board members covering the overall ECCM work programme
Follow up meeting – Thriving Communities Discussion document feedback
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 18 December
Community Development and Partnerships Central monthly update meeting on 19 December
Meeting led by the Chair on 19 December with Ashley Church, Newmarket business Association, officers and Tomizone to discuss the extension of the WIFI zone in Newmarket
Greenway project consultation planning meeting on 20 December
Freyberg Square briefing and input meeting on 20 December
Waitemata Local Board Engagement approach for the Local Board Agreement and Unitary Plan on 21 December
CEWT Study site walk organised by AT on 15 January – a walk through the Wellesley and Victoria Streets study area to discuss issues, constraints and opportunities
Meeting with AECOM to discuss further Good for Business seminars
Scoping the Ponsonby Road Master plan process with planning officers on 16 January
Development of an inner-city residents survey meeting with the community portfolio
Auckland Harbour Bridge Pathway project update at Heart of the City on 16 January
Planning meeting for Waitemata Volunteer Awards on 17 January
Meeting with Adventure capital CEO to discuss Council street trading by-laws
Meeting to discuss Waitemata Local Board’s engagement on the Local Board Agreement on 23 January
Community portfolio meeting with Frances Kelliher (Circability Trust) to discuss proposed use of Campbell Free Kindergarten on 23 January
Presentation to the Public Hearing on the Draft Regional Public Transport Plan on 29 January
Draft Local Board Agreement advocacy projects meeting
Tour of Shed 10 refurbishment with Waterfront Auckland
Meeting with AT to receive an update on the Transport Management Association for Wynyard Quarter
Transport Portfolio monthly update with Auckland Transport on 31 January
Newmarket Business Association meeting to discuss transport matters with David Warburton and senior AT managers on 31 January

Professional development

I attended:

The IPANZ Auckland Two Year on Conference on 10 December – see conference report attached as ATTACHMENT B

Events and functions

I attended the following events and functions during December and January

Ponsonby Market Day and Franklin Road Christmas Lights on 1 December
Citizenship ceremony on 4 December
NZCSI Social Entrepreneurs School Graduation Ceremony, held at Telecom Place on 5 December
Outlook for Someday sustainability film challenge at the Aotea Centre ( I am a trustee of Connected media that runs the challenge)
Cycle Action Associates breakfast on 5 December at the Art Gallery
Western Park Christmas carols hosted by the Board on Sunday 9 December
Western Bays Community Group meeting on 10 December
Grey Lynn Business Association Christmas drinks
Parnell Inc Christmas drinks
Jacobs Ladder Footbridge Official Opening – invitation of the NZ Transport Agency on 15 December
Kahui Kaumatua Christmas Luncheon at the Council Chambers (as alternative for the Chair) on 19 December
British High Commission ‘Great History – Great Future’ Reception for the Rt Hon William Hague on 15 January at Sale Street

Monthly Board report: December 2012

2012 in Review
This is my last report for 2012. Looking back over the year I think it has been characterised by the significant progress we have made as a Board on our projects and initiatives following an inaugural year of planning and figuring out how the new Super City structure fits together. It has also become noticeable this year that the role of the Board is far better understood by the community. I think we have become the go to people on a huge range of local issues.

Inevitably there have been challenges and frustrations but personally I have found 2012 to be hugely enjoyable and rewarding. I have particularly welcomed all the opportunities to learn from international experts, to meet the people we represent and to fully take part in civic life. I feel very privileged to represent such a dynamic, interesting and diverse area at the centre of Auckland.

I very much appreciate the skills and passion that officers bring to their role that has enabled local board projects to be advanced and implemented quickly. We still have lots to do but I think we are fortunate to have a great board team with excellent leadership that will ensure 2013 is a good one.

Board activities for the period 1 November – 1 December 2012
Transport

A number of meetings were held with Auckland Transport during November. These are covered in the Auckland Transport monthly report and included:

the Board’s greenways aspirations and potential locations for AT to fund on-street routes
Update on a public bike hire scheme for Auckland
Draft Regional Public Transport Plan
Location of the bus stop outside Ponsonby Central

Good for business seminar
In February this year I asked Auckland Transport to consider bringing international expert Rodney Tolley to Auckland to be the key note speaker at a seminar aimed at our business associations and their members. I would like to thank Auckland Transport for making it happen and their work in organising the “Good for Business” seminar in partnership with the Board that was held on 28 November at the offices of AECOM.
Dr Tolley spoke about the economic benefits of investing in walkability to an audience of over 60 including representatives of business associations from across Auckland
My presentation that concluded the seminar is attached (Attachment A).

Community Funding
I represented the Board a the Central Joint Funding Committee meeting on 9 November that decided the allocation of grants from the Accommodation Support Fund, Cultural Heritage Fund and Community Group Assistance Fund (round one). These funds are legacy Council funds that following a recent decision by the Regional Development and Operations Committee are going to be rolled over for a further year (2013/14).
The minutes of this meeting are available online.

Local Government
LGNZ Zone 1 meeting
I attended the Local Government New Zealand Zone 1 meeting in Whangerei on 16 November (at no cost to the Board).
The presentations covered:
–       Alcohol Reform Bill – Charlotte Connell Senior Advisor Ministry of Justice – update on the Bill and what the changes to the supply and sale alcohol regime is likely to mean for TA’s
–       Mayor’s taskforce for jobs, Jan Francis
–       Strategic Plan introduced by Malcolm Alexander, CEO LGNZ
–       TRAFINZ update from Karen Hay
I found Malcolm’s presentation to be particularly interesting because of the energy, leadership and skills he is bringing to local government. The new strategic work plan has specific actions to bring about a brand shift to LG with LGNZ’s aim to be the Strong voice for great local government.
Malcolm intends presenting the LGNZ strategic plan to local board members next year.

Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill
I was extremely disappointed that the Government passed the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill on 28 November with the slimmest majority, with no mandate and no evidence what so ever that Councils are operating ineffectively and uneconomically because of the “four well-beings”
I agree with LGNZ’s President, Lawrence Yule assessment that in its drive to have councils move their focus away from the four well-beings, the Government has instead injected uncertainty into the law by increasing the scope for council decisions to be judicially reviewed.As Lawrence said on the day the Bill was passed “The lesson from this legislation is that processes that are not based on facts, principle and constructive dialogue between central and local government do not serve the public well.”

Building a Better Newmarket Seminar
I attended this one day seminar for members of the Newmarket Business Association and was invited to sit on the panel that concluded the day.
At the seminar Westfield New Zealand Director, Justin Lynch outlined plans for a proposed new retail development on the Dominion Motors/Levene Extreme/Farmers site which borders Mortimer Pass and Broadway. In addition to a proposed flagship 9,500 sqm Department store, 95 new specialty stores are planned, along with a six-screen cinema, gymnasium and 1,400 car additional parking spaces. Westfield is waiting for the right market conditions to commence the multi-million dollar complex.

NZTA Senior Urban Design Advisor, Jacque Bell presented on the draft master plan for the area under the Newmarket viaduct which provides for a mix of commercial and office space, active retail frontages, car parking buildings and multi-functional open space. Consultation is currently underway on the plans.

Other speakers included Dr Libby Weaver (building a better you), and Hon Stephen Joyce (the big picture)

Community empowerment and the strengthening of democracy
During November local board members had the opportunity to attend presentations by two international speakers on the related areas of participatory budgeting and building community capacity.

Giovanni Allegretti, an architect, planner and senior researcher at the Centre for Social Studies at Coimbra University (Portugal) spoke about the benefits of entrusting citizens to decide how to allocate Council budgets in his presentation on participatory budgeting.

The following week Jim Diers, who is internationally recognised for his work with communities, gave his presentation on the Power of Community and how to get people to cherish their government and strengthen citizen participation. He also gave examples of neighbourhood planning process and the value of community driven planning.

Social Enterprise conference 26 November

The Social Enterprise conference was organised by the CDAC team with the support by the Waitematā Local Board, University of Auckland Business School, Mira Szászy Research Centre, and The Kitchen with the aim of supporting the sector, celebrating best practices and exploring initiatives to support social enterprises.

The conference included Pecha Kucha style presentations from a number of social enterprises based in the Waitemata Local Board area.

Key speakers included:

Di Jennings, Community Economic Development Trust
Nicky Benson, New Zealand Centre for Social Innovation
Andrew Hamilton, ICEHOUSE
Assoc. Prof. Manuka Henare University of Auckland Business School

The CDAC team are to be congratulated on successfully organising the conference.

My welcome on behalf of the Board is attached (Attachment B)

Local Board workshops and meetings

Attended during November:

Parks Renewals Programme – Workshop on 1 November
Community leases meeting 1 November
Meetings to finalise the Board’s Unitary Plan report on 1 November, 5 and 12 November
One to one engagement meetings on the Unitary Plan with key community groups. I attended the following:
o   Westmere Heritage Projection Group on 1 November
o   GLBA and Grey Lynn 2030 on 5 November
o   Western Bays Community Group on 5 November
o   Newmarket Business Association on 7 November
o   Parnell Community Committee on 7 November
o   NZ Historic Places Trust on 8 November
o   Parnell Heritage on 12 November
Local Board workshop on 6 November (Thriving communities discussion document , Pioneers Women’s Hall redevelopment and Pt. Erin Pools)
Communications update on 6 November
Meeting on 7 November with Team Leader, Community Facilities to discuss Parnell Trust’s request for financial assistance
Meeting with Auckland Transport and Council officers to discuss the Board’s Greenways priorities on 7 November
Workshop with Auckland Transport on the Draft Regional Public Transport Plan to assist with preparing the Board’s submission on the plan
Meeting with Auckland Transport to discuss the options for the location and design of the bus stop outside Ponsonby Central on Ponsonby Road
Meeting with Julie Fairey, Community spokesperson, Puketapapa Local Board
Central Joint Funding Committee meeting on 9 November
Waitemata Local Board business meeting at Graham Street on Tuesday 13 November in Parnell
Meeting with Auckland Transport to discuss portfolio processes
Introduction to the new reporters for the Central Leader and the Auckland City Harbour News on 15 November
Meeting on 15 November to discuss the City Centre Noise Management Action Plan 2012-2015 and how Waitemata Local Board can respond in support of the latest Noise Report to the Unitary Plan submission process and what actions can be initiated going forward through the Noise Action Plan
Waitemata Christmas event organisation in Western Park meeting on 15 November
Resource Recovery Centre workshop with transition town groups looking to support the development of a centre – hosting by Puketapapa Local Board on 15 November with Warren Snow
LGNZ Zone One meeting in Whangerei on 16 November
Meeting with the Central Relationship Managers to discuss options for dealing with applications for Facilities Partnership funding on 19 November
Financial information and support for Local Boards meeting prior to the Chair’s forum on 19 November (part attended for the Chair )
GLBA meeting on 20 November
Local Board workshop on 20 November
Meeting with Auckland Transport to receive an update on the Public Bike Hire scheme on 22 November
Meeting and site visit at Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on 22 November with Christopher Dempsey
Participatory Budgeting presentation by international guest, Giovanni Allegretti. on 23 November
Waipapa Stream project update on 23 November
Grey Lynn Park Advisory Group meeting on 26 November
Breakfast presentation by Jim Diers for elected representative on 27 November
Local Board workshop on 27 November to discuss the Board’s draft annual agreement
Ports of Auckland Briefing to Local Boards on 27 November
Good for Business seminar on 28 November
Transport portfolio monthly meeting with Auckland Transport (informal catch up)

Events and functions
I attended the following events and functions during November:

Cycle Action’s Associates breakfast on 1 November
Square Art – opening of the art exhibition in Station Square as part of the Newmarket Festival
Art in the Dark event on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 November
Highwic House Cycle Style (part of the Festival of Flowers) on 18 November
Taste Auckland at Victoria Park on 18 November (at the invitation of Taste Auckland)
Opening of Ponsonby Central on 20 November
Building a better Newmarket conference hosted by the Newmarket Business Association
Grey Lynn Business Association AGM (I have been re-elected to the Board )
Sustainable Business Network’s Sustainable City Showcase 22-24 November including:
o   SBN Sustainable Business Awards
o   Conscious consumer breakfast
o   Ethical Fashion Show
o   Walk around with Cr Mike Lee
o   Carrot mob launched by Mayor Len
Social Enterprise Conference organised by CDAC on 26 November
Regional Facilities Auckland Limited’s end of year drinks for Local Board Chairs and Deputy Chairs at the Auckland Art Gallery on 28 November
Cycle Action Auckland Christmas gathering in support of Bikes for refugees
Invite from Royal NZ Ballet – RNZB season of Giselle on 30 November
Ponsonby Market Day on 1 December
Launch of the Franklin Road Christmas lights at the Rob Roy plaza on 1 December

Safe systems approach to road safety

Conference report back: Attendance at the Trafinz Conference Auckland 8/9 October

Reducing the True Cost of Road Safety

Introduction

I attended the Trafinz (New Zealand Traffic Institute) Conference 2012 on behalf of the Waitemata Local Board with funding from the Board’s professional development budget (Early registration of $390 +GST and return bus fares from Grey Lynn to Takapuna).

I found the conference to be invaluable for my role on the transport portfolio and my ability to contribute to quality decision making. The conference made me challenge my understanding of road safety and to ask questions about the responsibility I need to take as a politician in pushing for good solutions that will reduce road fatalities and injuries. I took away a completely new understanding of road safety in particular the application of “safe system principles”.

This report highlights the speakers of particular relevance.

Introducing Safe Roads – what will it take? Dr Soames Job, Road Safety Expert

Dr Soames introduced me to the concept of a “safe systems” approach to road safety for the first time. A concept that will be very familiar to transport professionals.

The question to ask is not what caused the crash but what caused the injury or death. The old model is wrong as it looks to find a percentage of each factor to blame. When in fact in every case it is 100% the road, 100% the vehicle and 100% the driver. If you can fix one of these conditions you can solve the problem.

The challenge is where to focus efforts and where to commit resources. What we can control is the safety of roads and the speeds. It is far harder to control vehicle design and almost impossible to control people. Humans are irrational, emotional and have an optimism bias so we should end the pretence that people’s errors can be stopped.

From this understanding of the issues Dr Soames made a number of specific suggestions as to how we can achieve safe roads that are relevant to the Waitemata Local Board area.

In metropolitan areas the focus should be on the vulnerable road user not on vehicle occupants. This means reducing speeds, providing for separation of users and good urban design. The safe system principles are about reducing the energy absorbed by the body to survivable speeds.
Prioritising safety over traffic flow. Traffic flow is too influential in spending and key decision. To calculate BCRs pedestrian time doesn’t count only drivers which is harming the extent to which we cater for the vulnerable road user. Voters blame government (politicians) for delays but not for deaths. The media also focus on traffic flows. We should NOT be prioritising traffic flows over fatalities
Focus on speeds. Need to convince the community that speed is critical to safety (If you drive 65km in a 60km zone double the risk of critical injury). In particular we must see the value of speed management and that it is not about revenue raising

Dr Soames gave the example of France where the death toll has lowered far quicker than NZ because 500 new speed cameras are added each year (in NZ there are only 40 in total)

In another presentation about combining safe system principles and road safety education in schools Dr Soames outlined why safe systems are not adopted:

We blame the victims. There are good psychological reasons for this. We don’t want to be a victim. Almost inevitable outcome of personal responsibility
“People must take personal responsibility for their own safety” is the get out of jail free car of road management used by politicians and operators
Community attitudes supporting risk & victim blaming – deaths are considered an inevitable and acceptable outcome for our mobility

He recommends the use of education to create demand for road safety. We also need political demand for safe systems and a refusal to except that any death is inevitable.

Children’s Travel in the Urban Environment Associate Professor Claire Freeman, University of Otago

How to make a city safe for children

Reassert children’s right to be in the urban environment – right to be seen
Make it normal to use active transport
Reduce car dependency
Skill development
Realistic safety assessment of the dangers
About getting everyone on the street
Reassert local as a living space

Public Health effects of Transport Policy Dr Alex McMillan

I have already reported on a shorter version of this presentation from the Cycling summit but I think it is worthwhile to highlight again some of the key points from Alex’s work to develop a simulation model that assists with understanding the integrated social, health, climate change and benefits of a range of policies and procedures that could increase commuter active cycle transport

Basically if we take a combined best practice approach which involves building separated infrastructure we would achieve a 40% mode share by 2050 with a BCR of 20 ( it is a myth that people do not cycle because of the weather or because Auckland is too hilly). It all comes down to our funding priorities.

Role of Local Government in achieving road safety in NZ Cr Andy Foster, Wellington City Council President TRAFINZ

Andy presented a number of comments in conjunction with Dr Soames Job.

Key points

Swedish approach – if it works – just do it
The weakness of the Government’s safer journey’s document is that it has no targets
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility
Are we investing in the right place? – imbalance between investment between local roads and highways
Safe systems is the way to go but we must be willing to mandate a safe system
We should lower speed limit until it is safe. Need to reverse the onus – accepting traffic flow over safety
Further education needed for other safety measures like wearing seat belts.

Conclusion

The conference delivered a hard message to transport operators and politicians that we must collectively take responsibility for road safety through a “safe system” approach. This means challenging some of our assumptions about what causes crashes and where to find solutions. We should not just accept that fatalities are inevitable but should have a zero goal.

One of the clearest roles we have is to insist on lowering the speed limit until it is safe and not prioritising traffic flows over safety. We must also insist on road builders building better roads that encourage safer speeds with space for all users.

Monthly Board Report: November 2012

Covering activities from 1 October – 31 October 2012 and reported on at the Waitemata Local Board meeting held on 13 November 2012

Portfolio Reports

Transport

The Transport Portfolio monthly transport catch up with Auckland Transport was held on 25 October with me and Christopher Dempsey. We covered a number of issues including:

Proposed consultation on the Kingdon Street pedestrian crossing and the provision of a new footpath on railway land between Kingdon Street and Davies Cres
Sarawia Street Crossing and the options AT have looked at to permanently close this crossing to vehicles.
Update on the Richmond Road Safety Action Plan
St Mary’s Bay Parking Trial – initial feedback on the trial at the 3 month point and the work that is underway to review requests for business permits for businesses located outside the zone without off street parking.
Eden Tce Parking area introducing consistent pay and display that is about to go out to consultation with the support of the business association.

Full details of these issues and other matters discussed are outlined in the Auckland Transport monthly report attached to the November agenda.

Waitemata Local Board capex priorities

The Local Board Agreement transport proposals for funding from the Local Transport Fund that I reported on last month have now been referred to the Review Group for an initial assessment.

Good for business workshop

Invitations went out on 31 October to business associations and members for the “Good for Business” Seminar to be held on Wednesday 28 November. This will be an opportunity to hear from international expert Rodney Tolley about the economic benefits to business of streetscape investment.

Greenways

The last of our Greenways workshops was held in October to confirm and prioritise the draft greenways routes that we would like presented at our December meeting for endorsing by the Board so that we can start consultation. This is an exciting project that has the potential to transform transport options in our area and will maximise the walking and cycling investment currently underway by Auckland Transport, NZTA and Waterfront Auckland.

Chorus – Ultra Fast Broadband

I have received a number of complaints this month about the standard to which pavements are being re-instated following the Chorus UFB works. In a number of places the high grade footpaths that were renewed in the western bays area only a couple of years ago are being left in a “patchwork” condition. Auckland Transport is following up these issues with Chorus and working to ensure the Code of Practice is followed.

TRAFINZ conference 8/9 October

I attended the NZ Traffic Institute’s annual conference in Takapuna on behalf of the Board. I learnt a huge amount at the conference about road safety and the “safe system” principles. I would recommend all members become familiar with the safe system approach to road safety and the responsibility we need to take as politicians for road design and working towards zero fatalities. My conference report is attached.

Community Portfolio

Community Funding

Tricia Reade attended the Central Local Boards Joint Funding Committee workshop on my behalf on 19 October. We first considered the officer recommendations together for applications to the Community Group Assistance Fund and the Accommodation Support Fund. Both of these funds are substantially over subscribed with many of our local groups relying on the funding support. The committee meeting to decide which groups will receive funding is on 9 November. The agenda is available online.

Unitary plan

Key stakeholder engagement on the preliminary Unitary Plan proposals that will inform the draft for public consultation in March 2013 got underway in October. I attended the stakeholder workshop on 4 October and the Unitary Plan public meeting on 18 October. I have also taken every opportunity to gain greater understanding of the Unitary Plan proposals by attending the forums for board members.

Housing affordability

It has been recognised by Auckland Council and the Government that there is a housing crisis in Auckland – a crisis of supply, affordability, quality and choice. I attended the briefing on the Housing Strategic Action Plan (HSAP) that commits Council to working with others to deliver a multi-sector plan. Stage one of the HSAP, which is programmed to be completed by December this year focuses on investigating the whole range of possible housing development vehicles, policy and regulatory tools, available to Council that would increase the supply of affordable housing in Auckland. I would like to see the Auckland Council take a pro-active role in providing and encouraging affordable housing (which needs to be understood on a continuum from social housing through to assisted home ownership and covering affordable rent) and making full use of the tools available such as inclusionary zoning.

Other issues relevant to the Community portfolio

A range of meetings and presentations were attended during October relevant to the Community portfolio – these are listed below.

Other board activities

Keep Auckland Beautiful Conference

I attended this free conference on Saturday 6 October on behalf of the Board. The conference started with an enthusiastic welcome from the Mayor Len Brown, who is patron of the Keep Auckland Beautiful Trust (KABT).

As I learnt at the conference the KABT is a new Trust that falls under the umbrella of Keep NZ Beautiful. It builds on the work of Keep Waitakere Beautiful that has operated from Eco- Matters Environmental Trust. As a non-profit organisation KNZB operates as a charitable trust to promote litter abatement, waste minimisation as well as town and city beautification across New Zealand. The purpose of the conference was to the determine what level of interest there is in the Auckland Region for localised beautification projects and what Keep Auckland Beautiful Trust can do to support, foster or initiate these projects.

I asked Iris Donoghue, Chair of the KNZBT about the funding sources of the Trust as I am concerned about the support provided by tobacco companies. Iris confirmed that a tobacco company is a member of the Trust and provides funding (which is voted on each year) but not the Auckland Trust. I think the KNZBT has done a lot of good work and it is great we now have an Auckland Trust but I would like to ensure that any support we provide does not in any way benefit the tobacco industry (for example by providing public place ashtrays that normalise smoking in public areas and put the cost on to Council).

Business Improvement District workshop

I attended the BID workshop with Nick Pinchin from the Grey Lynn Business Association to get a better understanding of the process and funding available for setting up a BID. The workshop covered the value of BIDs in an economic development context, identifying a business area’s needs and the key priorities for a BID, how to engage the business community, surveying businesses, developing a strategic plan, lessons from recent BID establishments, the balloting process, resourcing the establishment process, funding and budgeting to get to a successful outcome. The GLBA is going to consider the process more carefully but the initial reaction is that as there is no longer funding available to support a BID establishment process it is going to be extremely difficult for an association run by volunteers to get a BID off the ground.

Local Board workshops and meetings

Attended during October:

Cluster workshop for Local Board members to discuss the first draft of the Parkland Design Guidelines on 1 October.
The Parkland Design Guidelines are going to directly influence the design, upgrade and maintenance of all parks across the region. They will also be an important decision making tool for local board members who will enable them to powerfully evaluate design proposals, achieve cost savings and promote high quality designs.
Unitary plan briefing for the Board on historic/character overlays on 2 October
Local Board workshop on 2 October ·
Meeting on 3 October to discuss the Board’s hosting of Carols by Candlelight and ideas for the event to be held in Western Park on 6 December
Low impact design for storm water meeting on 3 October
Meeting with the new Stormwater Liaison Advisor about her role and the process for regularly engaging with local boards
Feedback on Bylaws: Public Places/Public Safety, Trading and Events meeting on 3 October
Auckland Transport’s briefing on 4 October for Local Boards on two key upcoming initiatives: The development of the Regional Public Transport Plan, and the Auckland Cycle Network (previously the Regional Cycle Network)
Unitary Plan stakeholder engagement workshop on 4 October (photo right)
Monthly catch up with Ashley Church, CEO Newmarket Business Association on 4 October
Meeting with Andy Davies and Philip Jones to discuss the placement of the bus stop outside Ponsonby Central and parking issues Waitemata Local Board business meeting at Graham Street on Tuesday 9 October
Meeting to finalise Board’s accessibility action plan on 10 October
Annual plan meeting for Board members on 11 October
Greenways workshop on 11 October
BID Establishment and Collaboration Workshop for board members and business associations on 12 October
Housing Strategic Action Plan (HSAP) cluster meeting on 15 October
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 16 October
Workshop on the Waitemata Coastal Walkway Project on 16 October
Movies in the Park Presentation by Gina Dellabarca and Rebecca Knox on 17 October
Meeting on 18 October with John Dunshea and Tim Watts regarding the failure to include the Waitemata Local Board’s City Centre priorities and projects in the final version of the CCMP
Unitary Plan public engagement on 18 October – information session about the Unitary Plan process
GLBA committee meeting on 23 October
Waitemata Local Board workshop on 23 October
Public Art Concepts for O’Connell St meeting on 23 October
Communications update on 23 October
Safety in Albert Park meeting
Transport portfolio monthly catch up with Auckland Transport on 26 October
Draft Library Future Directions plan review on 26 October
Community Development and Partnership Central Portfolio Holders meeting (Community Gardens and Social Enterprise) on 26 October
Meeting with Megan Barclay from Be Accessible to finalise the Board’s accessibility plan
Final meeting of the Mayoral taskforce on alcohol and community safety to review the work and progress to date of the Taskforce initiatives (as alternate to the Chair)
Final workshop of the Greenways working group before a report is prepared for the Board’s December meeting
Update from Waterfront Auckland on proposed activation of Queens Wharf and the restoration of Shed 10
Unitary Plan Planning Forum – Topics: Rural Urban Boundary & Heritage & Historic Character on 30 October
Discussion and lunch at the Waterfront Auckland October board meeting held on 31 October.

Events and functions

I attended the following events and functions during October:

Cycle Action’s Associates breakfast on 4 October
Joined the start of the Waitemata Local Board’s Original foreshore walk on 5 October. As part of the Heritage Festival, Malcolm Paterson along with Christopher Dempsey as assistant led a walk of 30 from Parnell pool through to the city centre and out to Victoria Park along the historic foreshore.
Attended the Keep Auckland Beautiful conference on Saturday 6 October hosted by at the Mt Albert War Memorial Hall, Mt Albert (see report above).
Jam on Toast – a showcase of users of the Grey Lynn Community Centre on 6 October (I supported a stand for the GLBA, GLFM and Grey Lynn 2030)
Trafinz Conference 2012 on 8/9 October (report attached)
Your Power Team AECT election launch outside Vector on 10 October
GLBA monthly networking drinks on 11 October at the Grey Lynn RSC
Kelmarna Community Gardens open day on 12 October (I am a trustee of the gardens)
Billy Bragg concert at the Town Hall on 12 October – “The greatest enemy of our time isn’t capitalism or conservatism. It’s cynicism”
Leys Hall Official Opening on Saturday 13 October
Savalivali Grey Lynn Heritage Walk on 13 October
Opening of the Divali Festival on 13 October
Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market AGM on 14 October (I was re-elected as Chair )
Sustainable Business Network’s 10 birthday party celebrations on 16 October
International Triathlon Age-Group World Championships– enjoyed checking out the racing on Labour Day by bike
Art in the Dark launch on 23 October at Barrio, Ponsonby Road (photo right)
Green Drinks at the Kitchen on 24 October
Jeremy Hubbard’s leaving function as Director of MOTAT after 10 years of service on 25 October
Launch of the Living Room programme. Arts+ performance funded by the Waitemata Local Board on 26 October
Space Invaders car park installation on K’rd on Saturday 27 October
Launch of the Italian Festival held at Freeman’s Bay School on Sunday 27 October including lunch hosted by Dante Alighieri society
Auckland War Memorial Museum and carboNZero programme sustainability event
Launch of the Auckland Arts Festival on 31 October at the Aotea Centre – an impressive line-up of local and international acts that is sure to bring a new level of excitement to the festival under the direction of Carla van Zon.