News Archives - Page 13 of 13

Auckland Council Long Term Plan – Waitemata funding decisions

Auckland Council Media Release

29 June 2015

Key Waitematā Local Board projects funded

Completion of the Weona-Westmere Coastal Walkway, continuing the Waipapa Stream restoration and delivering the Western Springs Native Bush Restoration Plan are some of the key Waitematā Local Board projects being funded as a result of public feedback on Auckland Council’s 10-year Budget proposals.

The Waitematā Local Board received 1,412 written submissions. The majority of people who commented on the local proposals supported the board’s initiatives for the coming year 2015-16 and for the Council’s 2016-25 budget.

Other Waitematā Local Board projects being funded include:

redeveloping Pioneer Womens and Ellen Melville Hall as a city centre community hub
upgrading Newmarket Laneways public realm to provide a safer and more vibrant environment for pedestrians and shoppers
supporting local community services, events and grants.

After strong opposition to reducing local library opening hours, the local board has also allocated funding to extend Grey Lynn library’s opening hours by half-an-hour a week.

The board will continue to advocate to council’s governing body and Auckland Transport for investment to improve walking, cycling and road safety.

This includes making a case for a regional budget to allow the implementation of local board Greenway Plans across Auckland.

“We are privileged to have one of Auckland’s most engaged and active communities,” says Waitematā Local Board deputy chair Pippa Coom.

“This is reflected in the quality of the feedback. We’ve listened through the consultation process about the projects the community wants funded.

“The feedback also confirmed that our priorities should continue to focus on a high quality urban design, protecting heritage, advocating for transport improvements and looking after the environment.”

After considering the feedback received, the local board reduced the budget for a temporary arts and culture POP programme – for which there was less support – from $100,000 to $75,000.

The 10-year Budget was adopted by council’s Governing Body at its meeting last Thursday, 25 June.

A full summary of budget decisions, regional and local, can be found at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/longtermplan.

The wheels are spinning for urban cycling

Todd McClay MP for Rotorua, PM John Key , Richard Leggart (member of the panel)

Urban Cycleways Programme

When I first became involved in cycle advocacy through Cycle Action in 2008 it was a struggle convincing politicians about the benefits of cycling. It was very common to hear arguments along the lines of “what is the point of spending money on cycling when people don’t and won’t cycle because it is too hilly and rains too much.”

The debate started to slowly move from “why” to “when and how” by the time the super city was established in 2010 and Len Brown was elected on a commitment to cycling.

The “how” got a major boost in August 2014 with the unexpected announcement of a $100m Urban Cycling Investment Fund by the Prime Minister. Councils across the country were given a massive incentive to dust off their cycling plans to take advantage of the funding to accelerate urban cycling projects.

All credit to the Prime Minister for leading this initiative. It is a smart move that he knows, from his experience of investing in NZ cycle trails, has the potential to yield impressive results.

It was great to be at the launch (as a member of the panel that recommended the programme to the Minister) on 25 June 2015 when the Prime Minister and Minister of Transport jointly announced the full 2015-18 Urban Cycleways Programme at an event in Rotorua.

It is going to be exciting to see projects progress, cycling networks take shape and more people encouraged to take up cycling in a safe environment.

Media Release

Minister of Transport

25 June 2015

Government delivers $333 million urban cycleways

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has today announced a $333 million cycleways investment that he says will change the face of cycling in New Zealand.

The Minister has announced that, on top of the 13 cycleways projects announced in January, a further 41 will receive funding under the Urban Cycleways Programme.

“This is the single biggest investment in cycling in New Zealand’s history,” he says.

The programme is designed to pull together a range of funding sources to build the best possible cycling network that benefits all New Zealanders.

“The Government’s $100 million Urban Cycleways Fund has helped generate an overall investment of $333 million in cycling, getting world-class projects underway much sooner than may otherwise have been the case.”

More than $87 million will be spent in provincial centres, including Whangarei, Hamilton, Tauranga/Western Bay, Rotorua, Gisborne, Hastings/Napier, New Plymouth, Whanganui, Palmerston North, Blenheim, Nelson and Dunedin.

Together with those announced in January, these projects will make cycling a safer, more attractive transport choice for thousands of people around the country.

“The projects announced today will draw on the $90 million remaining in the Urban Cycleways Fund, as well as $107 million from the National Land Transport Fund, and $99 million from local government,” Mr Bridges says.

The Urban Cycleways Investment Panel assessed and recommended the projects to receive the funding.

Projects to be accelerated

Vision Zero for Auckland

On 2 June 2015 Robert Su, 33 was heading home from work at the ASB bank to his family in Hillcrest. Like hundreds of commuters he was walking from Wynyard Quarter to the bus stops on Fanshawe Street. Tragically while crossing the road he was struck by a truck and killed. The exact details of the crash have not been released but it is highly likely that a range of factors were involved – speed, driver error, vehicle design, road design, weather conditions. Flowers have been placed in memory of Mr Su at the pedestrian crossing.

The day after Mr Su’s death a woman was killed in Orewa as she crossed the road marking a week when two pedestrians were also seriously injured and a rider on his way to work was almost killed. So far this year 14 pedestrians have been killed in NZ, 4 in the Auckland area.

What I find particularly tragic and frustrating about Mr Su’s death is that the road he was expected to cross is designed like a motorway for speed and traffic efficiency. For drivers coming off SH1 there are no clues that Fanshawe St is the gateway to the central city. For some time office blocks have been going up near by but no changes have been made to the road to respond to changing land use and the growing numbers of people walking (and cycling) through the area.

At a time when the Auckland Council family of organisations is working to make the city the most liveable in the world through a whole range of transformational projects we continue to let down our most vulnerable road users. Improvements are definitely underway (eg removal of slip lanes in the city centre, complete street upgrades) and various campaigns take a safe systems approach to road safety supported by the NZ Police but what I think is missing is a comprehensive, everyone on board, Vision Zero response where we, collectively as a city, do not consider any fatalities or serious injuries are acceptable or inevitable.

I think Auckland needs to officially adopt Vision Zero (as the Mayor of NYC did in January 2014 ) with a clear action plan. It will need support from politicians, traffic engineers, transport agencies, all road users and grassroots campaigners. Most importantly it will require a huge culture shift in our attitudes to driving and acceptance that managing speeds is at the heart of improving safety.

There is strong community support for improving public transport and providing greater opportunities for active travel (as indicated by feedback on the Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan) but too often resistance if this means slowing down drivers. It is far too common to hear complaints that speed enforcement is “revenue raising” and politicians shy away from taking decisive action on speed control in the face of evidence and the recommendation of safety experts.

Vision Zero AKL – embracing street design, slower speeds, rules changes, education and enforcement -I think could provide the right platform for far greater public support for the concept of putting the safety of people first.

In the meantime I think there is the need for immediate action focused on city centre streets so that no one needs to be put at risk of getting killed on their way home from work.

Fanshawe Street missing ped leg — Photo credit: @BytheMotorway

Remove motorway signage from Fanshawe St
Install the missing pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Fanshawe St and Halsey St (this needs to happen before the new Fonterra HQ opens)
Enforce the speed limit particularly on “motorway” style city streets like Fanshawe, Hobson and Nelson
Implement the 30km/h speed limit for the City Centre and Wynyard Quarter (as proposed in the City Centre masterplan)
Repair the urban fabric of the city where footpaths connections are missing
Target road safety campaigns

(this is my initial list as a non expert – I am sure there are many more actions requiring immediate attention)

Update 17 July 2016

I’ve joined the call to for Vision Zero to be adopted for NZ to bring down road toll

More reading

Five key lessons from Europe’s Vision Zero Success

1) Managing speeds — and speed differentials — is a top priority

In all three of these countries, the leaders of traffic safety efforts emphasize that managing speed is the number one determinant in their successes in improving safety.

Over the past 15 years, the national governments of Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany have all proactively and systematically changed their approaches to speed. Each nation (to differing degrees, but all significantly) has lowered speed limits for a clearly defined hierarchy of roads and corresponding speeds. For instance, the Netherlands has shifted…

from 50 kilometers per hour (kph) to 30 kph on smaller, residential streets;

from 70 kph to 50 kph on bigger, or what we’d consider arterial roads; and

from 100 kph to 70 kph on the freeway-like roads outside cities.

In each of the three nations, nearly everyone I’ve spoken with credits speed management as the greatest contributor to their success in improving safety on the streets and saving more lives.

Unlocking the city with new footpaths

Judges Bay Road boardwalk extension proposal — Judges Bay Rd extension

As part of developing the 2015/16 New Footpath programme the Auckland Transport Walking and Cycling team has asked for Local Board input about footpaths in the Waitematā area.

“Missing” footpaths that Auckland Transport already has on the list are:

Meola Road
George St next to the Domain
Judges Bay Road extension (connecting from the Boardwalk in the photo right to Parnell Baths) – I proposed this to AT 3 years ago

I recently put the call out on twitter to help identify locations where it is currently not possible to walk safety so would benefit from investment in a new footpath. I’ve collated the tremendous feedback so far from people who really know the streets of Auckland.

Please let me know if I have missed any more roads that need a footpath (particularly where no footpath exists at the moment – the funds available are just for new footpaths but I will also forward on the list of renewal work that has also been identified). The final list will be prioritised by the Board and submitted to Auckland Transport by the end of June.

Locations needing new footpaths (where no footpath exists at the moment)

The Strand just east of St Georges Bay Rd
Wellesley Street under the Symonds St bridge
East side of Cheshire St in Parnell
Falcon St, Parnell
Eastern side of Grafton Road (stairs up to the slip lane also blocked)
Mills Lane, City Centre
Durham Lane, City Centre
Myers St, City Centre (leading to Aotea Square off Albert St)
Liverpool St leading into White Street and the lane access to Airedale St, City Centre
Mamion St, City Centre
Hopetown St bridge landing at Howe St
Cook street off ramp connecting to Union St, City Centre
Hargreaves St, Freemas Bay
Gudgeon St, Freemans
Maunsell St, Domain
Titoki St alongside the Domain
George St alongside the Domain (*Domain footpaths also to be considered as part of the Domain masterplan going out for public consultation in August)

Repair of footpaths across driveways (where pedestrians have right of way)

Victoria Street car park entrance on Kitchener St, City Centre
Entrance to the Civic car park next to Myers St off Albert St, City Centre
Stanley Street ASB tennis centre entrance (photo right)
Entrance to the UofA business school car park on Grafton rd
Union Street, east side north of Drake St
Grafton Road, hospital driveway, east side, south of Ferncroft
Grafton Road, hospital driveway, east side, south of Moehau St

Footpaths needing maintenance or widening

Winchester St connection to Gundry St, Newton (a walking connection that has been lost to people)
Boston Road roundabout
Kerb between path and road at Khyber Pass/Grafton Station
Southern side of Great North Rd between St Lukes and Stadium Road
Bankside St, City Centre- narrow footpath
Fields Lane, City Centre – narrow footpath
Scott Street, Ponsonby

How treating pedestrians better will boost the economy

Draft Newmarket Laneways Plan consultation

In 2009 the old Auckland City Council completed an upgrade of Obsborne St and part of Teed St. It set new design standards for the streetscape making it one of the most popular retails areas in Newmarket that has attracted private development like Osborne Lane.

The Waitematā Local Board has been working to continue the upgrade to the surrounding network of “laneways” that connect through to the new University of Auckland campus on Khyber Pass and Station Square. The project has a budget of $4m over the next three years. The Board is currently seeking feedback on the draft Newmarket Laneways Plan. The vision of this plan is to improve the quality of the side streets off Broadway and public spaces, making them safer, more inviting, more interesting and more walkable.

At an open day today it was great to get feedback from locals and visitors who were enthusiastic about the huge potential to improve the streetscape to create a much more inviting retail environment. Parking was mentioned as an issue by many shoppers but this is perhaps because of the lack of visibility of the 9 car parking buildings currently in Newmarket. With such an abundance of off -street parking there is huge potential for what can be achieved by re-prioritising road space to cater for people.

Newmarket laneways draft plan.

Have your say by completing the online form:

Newmarket Laneways draft plan online form

This consultation closes at 5pm on 14 June 2015

Nelson Street Cycleway gets underway

Aucklanders are going to be blown away by the cycling project that got started on 23 April. The Nelson Street cycleway will provide an off road connection from where the Grafton Gully cycleway exists on Upper Queen Street all the way to the waterfront via a bridge connecting Canada St with the old Nelson Street motorway off- ramp and a new separated cycleway down Nelson Street. We are not far off being able to circle the city by bike. Can’t wait!

Media Release NZTA

Nelson Street Cycle Route Gets Underway

A dawn blessing has marked the start of work on the Nelson Street Cycle Route.

Kaumatua from Ngati Whatua o Orakei, Te Aki Tai, Ngati Paoa and Te Kawerau a Maki led the blessing which took place on the disused Nelson Street off-ramp.

The Nelson Street Cycle Route will link Upper Queen Street to Quay Street via the disused off-ramp and connect to the north-western and Grafton Gully cycleways, providing easier and safer access to and from the city centre.

The project will be delivered in partnership with Auckland Transport and delivered in two phases.

Phase one will see the construction of a bridge from Canada Street, connecting with the old Nelson Street motorway off-ramp and continuing as a separated two-way cycle path along the western side of Nelson Street to Victoria Street.

Construction of the bridge is first to get underway. It will be built off-site and when completed will be put in place overnight.

Phase two will extend the separated cycle path from Victoria Street down to Quay Street and will also provide a link along Pitt Street to join Karangahape Road and Union Street.

Canada Street preparation for Nelson St off ramp bridge — Canada Street preparation for the bridge to connect to the old Nelson St off ramp

Construction of the cycleway from Canada Street to Union Street will be undertaken by Hawkins Construction. The completion of Phase one to Victoria Street is expected late this year and phase two by the middle of next year.

Canada Street bridge to Nelson St off ramp — Looking across to the old Nelson St off ramp to be connected from Canada St

First central Auckland Bikes in Schools track opens

Paul McArdle Founder Bikes in School — Bikes in Schools founder, Paul McArdle

In early 2010 Paul McArdle, founder of Bikes in Schools came to Auckland enthused from the success of the opening of the first NZ bike track in a Hastings school. At the time I was on the Cycle Action committee that was keen to support this new initiative. Paul and I had the opportunity for a quick scout around for possible locations for a bike track in a central Auckland School. Several schools expressed interest at the time in following up with Paul and the Bikes on NZ Trust but a combination of building projects and land constraints meant progress was slow.

So five years after the initial discussion about the possibility of a bike track in a central Auckland school it was very special to attend the opening of the new track at Freemans Bay School, the first in the Waitemata Local Board area. The school principal Sandra Jenkins is to be congratulated for her determination in making it happen. She has been supported by the school community and a number of organisations and businesses including Sport Auckland, Cyco bike shop (who did a sharp price on the 55 new bikes), Bike in Schools, and Auckland Transport (provided bike training). The Board contributed a community grant of $2500

Hon Nikki Kaye cuts the ribbon with Freemans Bays school students

The track is available not just in school time as part of PE classes but also accessible after school and at weekends for everyone in the community to use. At the opening it was wonderful to see how excited the kids are about the track and the opportunity to ride bikes in a safe environment.

What is also great about the track is that for the first time ever Freemans Bay School is needing to investigate bike racks as the project has encouraged kids to bike or scoot to school.

Fixing the traffic in a successful city

The Council’s consultation on the 10 year budget (Long Term Plan) has been a catalyst for a wide-ranging conversation about our city’s transport priorities and investment. “Fixing Transport” is highlighted as one of the 4 key issues facing Auckland.

The Mayor has led the way in asking Aucklanders to consider the choices. Do we accept a basic transport network which costs less, or do we invest more to get the advanced transport programme set out in the 30-year vision for our region known as the Auckland Plan. The Auckland Plan transport network includes the new roads, rail, ferries, busways and cycleways our city desperately needs. (From Council’s consultation material)

I was on the panel for the Auckland Conversation event Fixing Auckland’s Transport – the 10 year budget (as a local board member and member of the Urban Cycling Investment panel) to discuss the transport options.

The MC Fran O’Sullivan asked panelists to consider a few points that we wished to get across. Here are mine in a bit more detail than discussed on the night . I’ve also referenced the quotes that I referred to.

What do we really mean by “Fixing” Auckland’s transport.

Brent Toderian (Vancouver’s former Chief Planner and an Auckland Conversations presenter ) says “you can’t fix traffic in a successful city – you have to change it”.
“fixing” is unlikely to result in “getting the traffic moving” for all trips ie there will always be congestion at peak for single occupancy private vehicles.
in order to fix transport we need to re-think mobility and provide transport choice (As Florian Lennert presented at the the Velo city conference last year – the future of transport is “multi-modal sustainable mobility” ). If people are provided safe, effective transport choices it will create more space on the road for the vehicles that need to be there which benefits everyone.

Efficient & smart investment

The presentation of 2 stark choices has been great for forcing the debate about much needed transport investment (and I applaud the Mayor for leading that debate) but I think we have been provided with a Hobson’s choice on the 2 plans. All the benefits for active transport/PT are locked up in the Advanced transport programme (that also included low value roading projects)
Either alternative funding option is going to take at least 2 years to implement so we have to get the “basic” plan right in the meantime to meet Local Board priorities. Can’t have a basic plan that doesn’t provide for “basic” community needs. Eg There is no cycling investment in the first 3 years of the basic plan – this is unacceptable ( feedback so far shows strongest support for AT to focus more on cycling)
Also if cycling investment not included in the final transport programme Auckland cannot leverage off the Urban Cycling Investment Fund established last year by the Govt- there is $90m available over the next 3 years with up to 50% ear marked for Auckland if a local contribution is available
There is huge demand for transport choices to include cycling and there has never been a better time to invest in cycling but the current AT investment proposal in draft RLTP means Auckland is going to miss out on the funds available

The investment model

I agree we need funding for transport investment other than from rates but we are letting the Government off the hook. The Government needs to bring forward their contribution on the CRL and fund PT investment in the same way as state highways – this would be a game changer for the transport budget and the level of alternative funding required
I accept that there is a transport investment funding gap that can not be met out of rates. I support that gap being met from fuel tax as the most preferred option. From a local board perspective motorway tolling is not desirable because of the administration cost, impact on low income households and the negative impact on local roads.

Efficient & smart investment

Even if we agree on alternative funding I think we have been provided with a Hobson’s choice on the 2 plans. All the benefits for active transport/PT are locked up in the alternative funding plan
Either alternative funding option is going to take at least 2 years to implement so we have to get the “basic” plan right in the meantime. Can’t have a basic plan that doesn’t provide for “basic” community needs. Eg There is no cycling investment in the first 3 years of the basic plan – this is unacceptable ( feedback so far shows strongest support for AT to focus more on cycling)
Also if cycling investment not included in the basic plan Auckland cannot leverage off the Urban Cycling Investment Fund established last year by the Govt- there is $90m available this financial year with up to 50% ear marked for Auckland if a local contribution is available
Key point – there is huge demand for transport choices to include cycling and there has never been a better time to invest in cycling but the current AT investment proposal in draft RLTP means Auckland is going to miss out on the funds available

In my concluding comments I mentioned that the Waitemata Local Board has committed to being a UNICEF accredited child- friendly area. At the heart of the initiative is controlling speed and creating an environment where kids are invited to sit, play and walk. I quoted Rodney Tolley who said at a recent Child Friendly Waitemata workshop that “a walking city is a paradise for kids”

I think we often forget who we are building a city for and our focus should be on making the city a great place for children (so far we have let traffic engineers design it to the detriment of everyone).

More on the transport discussion

Transport Blog – Is PT, Walking and Cycling Advocacy “Leftist”

Submit for an essential budget

Council’s online submission form

Open letter to a car addicted city – Brent Toderian’s letter to Perth (but equally relevant to Auckland)

Urban Cycleways investment underway

Transport Minister Simon Bridges, Mayor Len Brown and NZTA CEO, Geoff Dangerfield

On 30 January on the old Nelson St motorway off-ramp the Minister of Transport announced the first package of projects to receive funding as part of the government’s $100 million Urban Cycleways programme. He also announced the Urban Cycleways Investment Panel that will recommend projects to the Minister. I’m delighted to have been appointed as one of 5 panel members representing LGNZ.

An exciting new cycleway on the redundant off -ramp (a project included in the City Centre Masterplan) connecting Upper Queen Street with Quay St via Nelson St is one of the projects to receive Urban Cycleways funding from the first tranche of projects.

Ministry of Transport Media Release: 30 January 2015

Panel Members Richard Leggert and Pippa Coom

First set of Urban Cycleways projects announced

Transport Minister Simon Bridges today announced the first $37 million worth of cycleway projects to be rolled out across the country as part of the Government’s Urban Cycleways Programme.

First announced in August 2014, the $100 million Programme is designed to pull together a range of funding sources to invest in expanding and improving New Zealand’s cycling network.

“This is the beginning of a programme that will change the face of cycleways in New Zealand using clever funding leveraging.

By pulling together multiple funding sources, the Urban Cycleways Programme will get high-quality projects underway much sooner than may otherwise have been the case.

The Government’s Urban Cycleways Fund will contribute $9.92 million, with

Nelson St off ramp before/after - City Centre Masterplan image — Nelson St off ramp before/after – City Centre Masterplan image

another $21.12 million coming from the National Land Transport Fund, and $6.26 million from local government and other contributions,” Mr Bridges says.

This year, those sources have made available a total of $37,295,000.

When completed, the Urban Cycleways Programme will have supported the investment of up to $320 million, over four years, to create a safe, user-friendly cycleway network across the country.

“The Urban Cycleways Fund will accelerate the first set of 13 projects, which will get underway in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, and almost all will be completed over the next 6-9 months,” Mr Bridges says.

“The projects I am announcing today have been prioritised because of their value to commuter cyclists, and their additional benefits to recreational riders.

“Further projects to receive funding from the remaining $90 million in the Urban Cycleways Fund will be announced later this year,” Mr Bridges says.

Urban Cycleways Programme projects are decided by the Minister of Transport, on the recommendation of the Urban Cycleways Investment Panel.

The Panel has been selected to assess the projects and prioritise funding.

The Panel members are:

Cynthia Bowers, Deputy Mayor of Hastings
Glen Koorey, Senior Lecturer in Transportation Engineering at the University of Canterbury
Richard Leggett, Director of Cycling NZ and Chair of the Cycling Safety Panel
Pippa Coom, Deputy Chair of the Waitemata Local Board
Mike James, General Manager Road and Rail, Ministry of Transport
Dave Brash, Group Manager Planning and Investment, New Zealand Transport Agency.

For further information on the Urban Cycleways Programme the , visit:www.transport.govt.nz/cityrides

Projects to be accelerated in 2014/15:

Media release: Pohutukawa savers

Sunday 18 January 2015

Pohutukawa Savers to Attend Public Meeting

Pohutukawa Savers will be out in force at the SH16 St Lukes Interchange Upgrade community liaison meeting on Tuesday evening, 20th January, to highlight the imminent threat to six heritage pohutukawa opposite MOTAT, five of which are at least 80 years old.

A growing alliance of concerned residents from all walks of life and from across the region, the Pohutukawa Savers invite key decision-makers from Auckland Transport to front up and listen to community concerns. The meeting will be held at 6pm in the Western Springs Community Garden Hall – ironically, just down the road from the trees the group aims to save.

Auckland Transport claims the trees must go to make space for its preferred intersection design that creates a second turning lane into St Lukes Road. The Pohutukawa Savers believe the trees can be retained via an improved design that also satisfies traffic requirements. They intend to vigorously appeal Auckland Transport’s decision to the Environment Court.

Pohutukawa Savers spokesperson Jolisa Gracewood says, “These grand old trees are a vital element of the area’s history and living heritage. They were planted in 1934 as part of a continuous avenue of pohutukawa along Great North Road, to beautify the newly created public greenspace as a gift to the citizens of Auckland. As such, they belong to all Aucklanders, and are located on open park land under the responsibility of the Waitematā Local Board.”

“These trees form a spectacular streetscape that welcomes visitors to the Western Springs parks precinct. Trees of this stature are crucial to the urban ecosystem, providing shade, air-filtering and stormwater dispersal, as well as a habitat for native birds. People all over Auckland, and beyond, are aghast at their proposed destruction. The spontaneous joy with which people have decorated the trees since hearing about their possible fate shows how valued they are.”

“Sacrificing these healthy, monumental trees would be a hasty, irreversible loss for little demonstrable gain. We know Auckland Transport has workable alternatives to this ‘either/or scenario’, and we believe that smart design can solve the traffic questions while preserving the historic and visual integrity of the space. We are asking Auckland Transport to recognise the value of these trees to Aucklanders of yesterday, today and tomorrow — and to help create a more liveable city by embracing a 21st century design that saves the trees.”

The meeting will be held on Tuesday 20 January at 6pm at the Western Springs Community Garden Hall, Great North Road. All who wish to support the trees are encouraged to attend.

Comment:

Jolisa Gracewood ph 027 513 5923

Christine Rose ph 021 056 3784

The Pohutukawa Savers are an alliance of residents, arborists, engineers, lawyers, and tree-lovers. They administer a Facebook page (2425 likes as of 18 January 2015) at www.facebook.com/savethepohutukawa6/, a Twitter account at @pohutukawa6 with 468 followers, and an online petition which has gathered 1912 signatures from across the country (as of 18 Jan 2015): https://www.change.org/p/auckland-transport-save-the-6-pohutukawa-trees-on-the-corner-of-st-lukes-rd-and-great-north-rd

Remembering Malcolm (Mel) Coom: Speed limit enforcement will save lives

Pippa Coom, Malcolm Coom and Adam Coom Dec 1991 — Me, my dad Malcolm Coom and brother Adam. December 1991

Just over twenty years ago my generous, fun loving, warm hearted dad was making plans for an overseas trip. He regularly visited the UK (where his parents lived) but this time he was especially excited about including lots of dancing into his travels leading up to the Rio Carnival. My dad loved to dance Latin American style and was a regular at the old El Inca club on K’rd.

Before he left for the UK he set out on a roadie to visit me in Wellington where I lived at the time. He never made it. At Sanson on SH1 he missed the turn off to Wellington and a few minutes later along SH3 he was killed instantly in a head on crash.

He was 49.

Many years later and now with a role on the Waitematā Local Board advocating for road safety, I’ve come to think of the crash not just as a personal family tragedy but also how it provides an understanding of the “safe systems” approach to creating a forgiving roading network.

Every part of the system failed my dad.

The Road: The signage on SH1 used to be terrible. It was easy to miss the turnoff at Sanson like my dad did. Shortly after the crash Transit upgraded the signage.

The crash occurred where an overtaking lane abruptly ends at the brow of a hill.

Road Use: The driver of the on- coming car pleaded not guilty (I think the charge was careless driving). He couldn’t remember the crash and could not believe that he had caused it. He thought of himself as a safe driver who was very familiar with the stretch of road.

The Vehicle: My dad loved old cars (unlike his dad who after a working life in the Vauxhall factory in Luton was able to upgrade his car every year). The car he was driving (I think a Rover) didn’t have any driver safety features like air bags.

Speed: The other driver made a mistake misjudging a simple over taking move in a passing lane. Unfortunately his speed gave him no time to react when he found himself on the wrong side of the road.

Even the best drivers make mistakes. What we don’t have to accept is that fatalities and serious injuries are just an inevitable consequence of driver mistakes. A safe system approach means that we can demand a lower road toll and even zero road deaths (“Vision Zero“) but we all have to play our part. We need improved road design, safer vehicles, competent road users and safe speeds.

The NZ Police are currently under pressure to get their messaging right about their approach to enforcing the speed limit and need to explain why the road toll has increased during the holiday period (when the trend is downwards). However I absolutely back the Police taking a hard line on speed enforcement (with the posted limit recognised as the limit without fiddling with “tolerances” rounds the edges) . It is a lazy political response to claim (as Ron Marks MP has done) that speed management is about revenue gathering. It is based on international evidence that reducing speeds reduces the number and severity of crashes.

If anything I would like to see the Police put even more resources into enforcing urban speed limits. The Waitematā Local Board is advocating for slower speeds in residential areas (starting with a trial) and supports the City Centre Masterplan objective of a central slow speed zone. Reducing speeds will contribute to liveability and encourage more people to walk and cycle. And of course easing back on the gas will save lives.

Safe systems approach explained

Stop the “blame game” – improving road culture in NZ

Edinburgh to roll out 20mph speed limit across city

The Safe System approach aims to create a forgiving road system based on these four principles:

People make mistakes

People make mistakes and some crashes are inevitable.

People are vulnerable

Our bodies have a limited ability to withstand crash forces without being seriously injured or killed.

We need to share responsibility

System designers and people who use the roads must all share responsibility for creating a road system where crash forces do not result in death or serious injury.

We need to strengthen all parts of the system

We need to improve the safety of all parts of the system – roads and roadsides, speeds, vehicles, and road use so that if one part fails, other parts will still protect the people involved.

Saving the Pohutukawa 6

Updated on 26 January 2015

Over the Christmas – New Year break the “Pohutukawa Savers” have been busy drawing attention to the plight of the majestic trees Auckland Transport wants to chop down at 820 Great North Road opposite MOTAT. The Pohutukawa 6 are up against the motorway widening juggernaut but there is still time to save them for the benefit of future generations.

Here is an update on the process so far and what steps are available to put a stop to Auckland Transport’s tree destruction agenda.

Back in August 2013 Auckland Transport’s presented “final” plans to the Waitematā Local Board for widening Great North Road as part of NZTA’s St Lukes interchange project to provide for an additional turning lane onto SH16 via a reconstructed St Lukes bridge. AT’s plans included improved cycling facilities and an extended bus lane but also required the removal of six 80 year old Pohutukawa trees. As the trees are on Auckland Council owned open space land zoned for car parking Auckland Transport needed the Board’s consent to go ahead with the intended works.

After many months of reviewing draft plans and discussing the options with the Board (and our Park’s advisors) Auckland Transport’s army of consultants were confident the Board’s sign off was a mere formality. However the Board remained unconvinced with Auckland Transport’s assessment that the only option was for the road to be widened and the trees removed so we refused to grant consent. I reported on the Board’s position at the time.

A couple of months later Auckland Transport took a different tack by successfully obtaining resource consent for stage 1 works for a single turning lane from Great North Road on to the new bridge. As landowners the Board gave approval for the trees to be pruned so the turning lane could be raised to meet the height of the new bridge-subject to a range of conditions.

However in Febuary 2014 Auckland Transport informed the Board that instead of going ahead with stage 1 as consented AT intended to seek to vary the resource consent and obtain a Notice of Requirement (NOR) to remove the trees. The application was publicly notified on 6 June 2014 and 65 submissions were received, the majority of which opposed the removal of the trees (frustratingly due to a clerical error 54 of these submissions were disqualified from the process – an absurd situation that undermined the hearing – Jolisa Gracewood has documented the experience here) . The Waitematā Local Board was one of the submitters in opposition to the NOR suggesting an alternative design which would have seen the trees retained without defeating Auckland Transport’s transport objectives.

A public hearing on the NOR was heard in early November over 2 days. The Waitematā Local Board engaged its own lawyer (the excellent Nick Whittington from Meredith Connell) and expert witnesses to strongly oppose Auckland Transport’s application at the hearing as outlined in the Board Chair’s statement.

Auckland Transport's planting schedule — Auckland Transport’s planting schedule

Just before Christmas, Council received the independent commissioners recommendation unfortunately confirming the NOR as lodged, i.e. with the removal of the trees, with the addition of the landscaping plan (photo right) submitted at the hearing.

Next Steps

Auckland Transport formally received Council’s (through the Hearing Panel) recommendation on 18 December 2014 and has 30 working days to make their decision on whether or not they accept the Hearing Panel’s recommendation. They can now make that decision any time up until 20 February 2015. (For the purposes of the RMA, “working day” does not include the period commencing 20 December to 10 January).
Once Auckland Transport advises Council of their decision, Council has 15 working days to advise submitters of the decision.
Auckland Council (as the Territorial Authority) and/or the submitters may appeal the decision within 15 working days of receiving notice of Auckland Transport’s (the Requiring Authority’s) decision
The appeal period runs for 15 working days from Auckland Council’s notification of Auckland Transport’s decision.
AT cannot do any of the works under the NOR (which includes the removal of trees) until such time as the appeal period has ended and any appeals resolved.
Once the appeal process has been exhausted and if Auckland Transport has permission to remove the trees, Auckland Transport has to seek land owner consent to enter the land. Auckland Council is the landowner. The Waitematā Local Board are the delegated decision makers. If the Board refuses to give consent AT will then have to use the Public Works Act. At the Community Group Liaison Meeting on 20 January (reported on by Transport Blog’s Patrick Reynolds) Board Chair Shale Chambers said that he would take the decision to a Board meeting so that there would be another opportunity for public input.

The fight to save the trees

The appeal process is likely to mean that Auckland Transport cannot take any steps to remove the trees until well into the year. In the meantime campaigning is underway to put pressure on Auckland Transport to re-look at the options.

Action Station: use this handy link to send an email to David Warburton, CEO Auckland Transport (over 500 have used it already)

Follow and support the campaign on Facebook (Save the Western Springs Pohutukawa)

The Pohutukawa 6 on Twitter

Join the campaign:a Pohutukawa Savers group is using Loomio to plan the protest action. The history of the trees is also being collated by Jolisa Gracewood . It looks highly likely the Pohutukawas that form a boulevard along Great North Road were planted deliberately on Arbor Day in 1934 for the enjoyment of future generations as part of the formation of Chamberlain Golf Course

Media

Interview on Checkpoint 17 December

NZTA’s motorway plans affect pohutukawas

Backyard battler – Patrick Reynolds talks on video about the trees

Pohutukawa tree battle heats up 23 January, Auckland City Harbour News

Brian Rudman’s column

Push to save 80 year old Pohutukawa trees, 20 January, Radio NZ

Why the Pohutukawa 6 has got people so passionate, 26 January, Transport Blog