Auckland Transport Archives - Page 9 of 9

Reflections on the first term of the Waitemata Local Board

Board member monthly report – September 2013

This is my last report of the first term of the Waitemata Local Board. I was elected to the Board in October 2010 and have served the last three years as Deputy Chair with portfolio responsibilities for Transport – West and Community Development. I am also chair of the Grants Committee, a member of the Central Joint Funding Committee and the Board’s representative on the Grey Lynn Business Association.

This month my report covers my reflections on the first term of the Board as well as my activities from 1 August – 9 September 2013. I have provided a monthly report each month since February 2011. My previous reports are available here.

First term of the Waitemata Local Board

It has been a privilege to serve on the first Waitemata Local Board. After the uncertainty that existed at the first super city elections in 2010 about what the new Auckland Council would mean for our local communities I think local boards have been the success story of the local government restructuring.

The first term has been characterised by extensive community engagement, a genuine willingness to understand the community’s needs and a high level of energy and commitment. We have been fortunate that Shale Chambers has so capably led the Board and has not missed any opportunity to put the concept of “subsidiarity” (local decisions being made locally) into practice. I think as a board we have tried hard to make the structure work effectively for local democracy and decision making.

The last three years have been immensely rewarding (and fun!) and it has been very satisfying to see so many local projects and initiatives getting progressed that just would not have been possible under the old Auckland City Council. The Board’s annual achievements reports available on the Council website highlight just how much has happened over the term.

The role on the board has certainly been bigger than anyone expected (and is definitely distinct from the previous community boards) but the rewards have been great for those able and willing to put the time into their board work. It is clearly not possible to work full time in other employment and be an effective board member.

There have been an impressive number of fantastic learning opportunities provided by Council with international speakers and local experts which have greatly assisted in my understanding of my role as “placemakers” (I’ve reported each month on the highlights). I’ve also been grateful for the opportunity to attend the annual LGNZ conferences, the TRAFINZ conference 2012, the IPENZ transportation group conference 2013 and the walking & cycling conference 2012 as well as a number of forums over the last couple of years.

It has also been an a opportunity to meet a wonderfully diverse range of people, to get involved with our many community groups (particularly through our community grant funding) and to take part in the many events on offer in the Waitemata area.

In terms of the Council’s overall performance I agree with many of the observations in the recently released report by AUT Super City? State of Auckland report. The report notes the energy, vibrancy, optimism and regional renaissance that have occurred since Len Brown and his Councillors were elected in October 2010. There are still many challenges ahead for Auckland Council including health and employment, and issues in the deprived communities of South Auckland

In our Board area there is still much to do. I think the priorities of the next Waitemata Local Board need to include:

Getting the relationship right with CCOs in particular Auckland Transport so that local priorities are clearly part of the transport work programme
Continuing to develop community capacity and make the most of our community facilities
Understanding the needs and strengths of our young people and inner city residents. I think the 2013 census results will give us a much better picture of our communities and require the Board to reassess its priorities.
“Walking the talk” – taking forward the sustainability initiatives that have been started and putting them into practice at the office as well as in the community. Such as waste minimisation and energy reduction.
Council making a genuine commitment and providing a space for community-led development and planning to flourish

I also think our Local Board Plan is just as relevant three years on and provides a focus on the community priorities to make our streets safer, provide transport choice, improve service levels, protect our heritage and ensure the city is well planned for future growth.

Report of my activities and the issues from 1 Aug – 9 Sept 2013

We may have hit the election season but Board work has continued at pace throughout August and into September.

Portfolio Reports – Community Development

Ellen Melville Hall redevelopment

Steps were taken this month to progress the redevelopment of Pioneer Women’s and Ellen Melville Hall as a community hub. A consultant has been appointed to make recommendations on how best to achieve a vision for the facility that meets the needs of our inner city residents.

Significant funding for the redevelopment was secured by the Board through the annual plan process. This is a major project for the Board and a great opportunity to make the most of our only central city community facility.

Inner City resident’s survey

The Waitemata Local Board in partnership with the Council’s research unit funded an inner city resident’s survey. The survey was in response to the recommendations from the Noise Action Plan.

Mobius Research interviewed 886 people to provide an overview of the experience and views of our city centre residents. The survey results are reported on our agenda this month.

The survey results highlighted for me the need to focus on safety, noise and the street environment in particular cleanliness.

Community Funding

The Grants Committee met for the first funding round of the 2013/14 financial year. We now have $100,000 to distribute annually up from $80,000. The recommendations of the committee are on the Board agenda.

I also attended a workshop to discuss the applications to the Community Group Assistance Fund and the Accommodation Support Fund. The Central Joint Funding Committee is meeting on 20 September to allocate the funding.

Other community portfolio business

Working with Tricia Reade I am following up on a number of issues including the complaints from residents arising from skateborders in St Patrick’s Square (we have a presentation on our agenda from CBD residents association on ideas for dealing with this issue).

All relevant community development meetings and events are listed below.

Portfolio report – Transport

How Auckland Transport prioritises it work programme

For the first time Auckland Transport has presented on its programme prioritisation at local board cluster workshops during August. The workshops were requested by the Governing Body’s Accountability and Performance Committee last year and are intended to better inform the 2014/15 planning process that starts in September.

Auckland Transport CEO David Warburton explained the steps to create a programme of works. The workshop was very useful and will now be held annually however I continue to be concerned as to how Auckland Transport responds to community concerns and priorities. As noted at the workshop Auckland Transport consider the community to be “Special interest requirements” and do not view

Local Board plans to be part of the strategic framework for prioritisation purposes.

A followup workshop was help with Auckland Transport and board members on the work programme for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 for the Waitemata Local Board. This is an iterative programme that is not yet finalised. We noted a number of gaps at the workshop in particular with regards to active transport initiatives.

Maintenance programme

At our monthly transport catch up we met the Maintenance team and discussed new contracts; upcoming programme, explanation of the terms such as kerb and channel, reseal, rehab etc., how they interact with other department and UFB issues.

This was a really useful update to better understand what responsibilities Auckland Transport has in the road reserve. This is particularly relevant as a number of issues have been raised about whom is responsible for the maintenance of squares and plazas in the city centre. Generally Auckland Transport is responsible for all the road reserve including squares, shared spaces – AT’s contractor Downers (or sub-contractor Civic) undertakes the sweeping and cleaning (street washing), repairs and renewals. Auckland Council continues to be responsible for all grass areas, trees and shrubs. Council contractors are also responsible for the rubbish collection and recycling.

This means for example that for Aotea Square and St Patricks Square both AT and Council contractors have responsibilities depending on whether it is a hard surface or green surface. This arrangement creates a great deal of confusion for members of the public so it is good to hear Jane Aiken (Manager – Parks) is working to clarify respective roles.

Christopher Dempsey and I (the Transport Portfolio members who attended the catch up) also asked the maintenance team to prioritise:

Replacing the missing anti- skating lugs at St Patricks Square,
Franklin Road surfacing (but noted that the likely $7-8m budget for the full renewal will need to be included in the annual plan next year)
Litter prevention at the “designated smoking area” on Hardinge Street located on the public footpath

The inclusion of cycling facilities when road surfaces are renewed (for example cycle lanes) – it was good to hear that this is already underway working with AT’s Community transport team

Auckland Transport committed to providing a quarterly report of upcoming work including footpath renewals. We noted that the Great North Road footpath from Bond Street to the Surrey Cres shops is currently being renewed but the Board did not receive any prior notice.

Parking – Residential parking in St Marys Bay

The St Marys Association has raised in a letter drop concerns about possible changes to the residents parking scheme that has been successfully trialled for the last year (and recently extended for another year). They do not want to see any moves to encourage commuter parking on residential streets and have not been reassured by the responses received from Auckland Transport..

At our monthly catch up Auckland Transport confirmed that a parking strategy is going to the Auckland Transport Board in September which will include residential parking principles. They then intend to consult on a residential parking policy.

My understanding is that the policy is still very much under development and that there are a number of issues the policy needs to cover such as:

The appropriate level of on-street parking capacity for each specific zone or suburb: The St Marys Bay trial has been such a success the average capacity is now at 50%. The consultation needs to give residents an opportunity to respond as to what they think is appropriate in their community. The Association has made it clear that 50% is about right for St Marys Bay. In areas closer to the city centre or with more mixed use (such as Parnell) there is likely to be greater tolerance for higher levels of on street parking (in the city centre the aim is to have capacity at about 75-80% which always guarantee car parking). In areas with narrow streets and heritage homes a lower level of capacity may be more appropriate.
How the scheme prioritises users: The residential policy should seek to prioritise residents but there needs to be consultation on who else the on-street parking can be made available for. For example Freemans Bay and Ponsonby residents may be more receptive to local workers and business owners using the available on street capacity because there are a higher proportion of home based businesses.
The appropriate tools to manage the additional capacity through pricing: My understanding is that the parking team are investigating a range of options. A coupon scheme has been given as one example by AT which was strongly rejected by the Association. Through any scheme it is possible to prioritise residents and discourage commuters – it is just a matter of getting the pricing tools right.

I have also been reassured that AT is not working on a policy that seeks to apply a one size fits all scheme to distinct suburbs. There needs to be flexibility about how a residential scheme is applied. For example in Parnell there is a greater need for late night restrictions because of the visitors coming to the bars and restaurants. Pricing may also need to vary depending on the desirable level of on street parking.

My understanding is that all these issues are going to be covered in the AT policy and it will be consulted on. It is through the policy development that we need to ensure that St Marys Bay ends up with an appropriate scheme based on the successful trial. I also want to ensure the policy is not delayed as there is a need for effective residential parking schemes in the other central suburbs particularly Freemans Bay.

Parking – Eden Terrace

A new parking zone has been installed in the Eden Terrace area and reports so far are that it is going smoothly with no complaints received by the Uptown Business Association.

The good news is that the zone has resulted in more customer parking for the local businesses and because on street parking is now $8 a day, Tournament and Wilson have dropped their day rate from $11 to $7. This really shows the market responds to appropriate pricing of on street parking.

Auckland Transport intends to report on the results following a 3 month survey.

Cycling business plan 2013 – 2016

The Board has been given the opportunity to comment on an Auckland Transport’s draft Cycling Business Plan 2013- 2016 that is being developed as “a commitment to make cycling a positive choice”.

This plan is critical to delivering on the Board’s transport priorities so at a workshop on the draft plan we have signalled that we expect Auckland Transport to put forward a robust business case for increased investment in cycling.

I would also like to see the plan include robust targets that are aligned with the Auckland Plan.

I am coordinating the Board’s feedback that will be finalised in early September.

Access Signage for pedestrians and cyclists

Living Streets Aotearoa has been advocating for changes to No Exit signage around our streets. No Exit street signs are there to indicate to vehicle drivers there is no exit but don’t reveal if there is in fact access way for walking and/or cycling. This is common around our inner city suburbs – streets with No Exit signs that have through routes include Arthur Streets exit to Ponsonby Rd, Westmoreland Street, Samoa House Lane, Tasman Ave and Cheshire Street to Gilbratar Ave.

There is an international movement to have the No Exit signs enhanced with pedestrian and cycling access way information. In New Zealand it is proposed that a walking person and/or cycling person symbol on a transparent sticker is attached to the No Exit sign to indicate a through route.

Andy Smith Living Streets president asked me to request Auckland Transport to consider how these important active travel connections can be made visible. Auckland Transport came back to me with this positive response:

Auckland Transport supports the concept of a permeable network for all users and is pleased to inform the Local Board Member that good progress has been made in improving ‘on the street’ information for pedestrian and cyclists in relation to the existence of access ways from cul-de-sacs. The draft Auckland Transport Code of Practice has a requirement that all new ‘No Exit‘ street signage must include an indication that there is an access way from the street if one exists. Whether the image is a separate sign below the street sign or is to be included on the actual street sign is yet to be decided.

A programme for retro-fitting signage on existing cul-de-sacs is being explored through road maintenance programmes.

We would like to thank the member and the President of Living Streets Aotearoa for promoting this concept to improve the amenity for pedestrian and cyclists on Auckland’s streets.

It is great that Auckland Transport is on to this project and has recognised the benefits to Auckland.

Further updates from Auckland Transport are reported on our agenda.

Other board activities

Unitary Plan

In August we presented our Response to the Unitary Plan at an extraordinary meeting. This document is available online. The report brings together many months of work led by our Chair (as a member of the political working group on the Unitary Plan) and consideration of the significant input received from the community. I worked on the Board’s response with Shale, Tricia and Christopher.

I attended the all of Council workshop on the Unitary Plan on 2 August and have sat in on the Auckland Plan committee deliberations held over 3 days at the end of August. At the time of writing it is too early to say if all the outstanding issues we have raised have been adequately covered and whether the draft plan is ready for notification.

Draft Ponsonby Road master plan consultation

Consultation on the draft Ponsonby Road master plan has been underway throughout August. Tricia Reade and I have attended all the pop in sessions (photo from the engagement event held at Whitespace Gallery thanks to Deborah White). Most debate has been about the best use of 254 Ponsonby Road, the preferred layout of the road reserve (to incorporate cycle lanes) and whether Three Lamps should be made 2 ways. I have been impressed by the level of interest and the considered responses so far.

At the public meeting on the master plan held at the Leys Institute Library Hall on 15 August the Freeman’s Bay girl guides gave their feedback on the draft. Their priorities: 1. A playground. 2. Bikelanes (and hire bikes) 3. More trees. It really could be this simple. We just need to listen to all the feedback and plan with a 30 year vision that develops Ponsonby Road for future generations.

Copies of the plan are available at the Ponsonby Community Centre and online at aucklandcouncil.govt.nz (current consultations page)

The deadline for feedback has been extended to Monday 16 September.

Tapping into the Access Market a “Good for business” seminar

Waitematā Local Board, in association with AECOM, held a further Good for Business seminar in August on the economic benefits of engaging with and understanding the needs of the world’s fastest-growing consumer group – access customers.

Presented by Minnie Baragwanath from Be. Accessible, Minnie explained that the access market includes the one in five New Zealanders who come from the groups such as those with disability issues, the elderly, and families with young children, visitors from overseas, and people with a temporary injury or illness. She showed how business can grow as much as 20% by better serving this market.

By tapping into this market, Be. Accessible has seen organisations attract new business, raise their profile in the marketplace, and boost staff motivation and engagement. It’s a myth that access customers don’t spend because of economic circumstances, according to Be. Accessible CEO, Minnie Baragwanath.

“Retiring baby boomers, for example, represent a golden opportunity for New Zealand business owners. With simple yet effective improvements to their products and services, businesses can be accessible to everyone, and tap into the growing access market.”

This seminar concluded a successful series of “Good for Business” seminars for this term that I’ve organised with AECOM.

Greenways – Parnell Tunnel

As part of the Waitematā Local Board’s Greenway Plan, we are pushing for the opening of the closed Parnell rail tunnel (the original rail tunnel immediately adjacent to the present day tunnel) so that a Greenway could be created between Newmarket and Parnell as well as the Domain, Beach Rd, and the Grafton Gully cycleway.

This would mean residents from Newmarket being able to walk or cycle for part of the way into town on an off-road path without having to negotiate busy Broadway and Parnell Rd. An engineer’s report commissioned by the Board has recently confirmed the suitability of the tunnel for a pedestrian path and cycleway, subject to several constraints that need to be managed. The report confirms the old tunnel is in really good condition – better than the new tunnel.

The next step is for the Board to secure agreement from Kiwirail to use the Tunnel and funding for the link and the connections to and from the tunnel entrance (a Greenways implementation plan is planned for the Board’s December meeting) .

Berm moving

Spring is here and the grass berms are growing fast. Many residents are unaware that Council is no longer mowing the berms.

As reported on Auckland Transport’s website in the 2013/2014 Annual Plan, Auckland Council decided to standardise urban berm mowing services throughout the region, it is estimated this will save about $3m per year. The alternative, providing berm mowing services region-wide, would have cost ratepayers an extra $12-15m a year.

Auckland Transport has been responsible for mowing the berms in the central area since the development of the new council, local boards and CCOs in 2011. This recent decision means that the only berms that Auckland Transport has been instructed to mow from 1 July are those adjacent to council-owned properties.

Generally the responsibility of mowing grass berms adjacent to all other properties now rests with the owners or occupiers. The exceptions and situations when Auckland Transport will undertake the mowing are detailed on AT’s website.

I have asked Auckland Transport to urgently look at how best to communicate the new arrangements before our neighbourhoods start looking really uncared for and board members start receiving complaints.

State highway 16 widening

Auckand Transport and NZTA are seeking the Board’s land owner consent to remove 6 large pohutakawa trees at the intersection of Great North Road and St Lukes Road (opposite MOTAT) to provide for an additional lane for traffic approaching the west bound SH16 onramp.

At an all of Board workshop attended by officials from NZTA, Auckland Transport, Council parks and consultants to the project we discussed the reasons for widening the road and the proposed mitigation (the photo shows the trees currently and the same area in 5 years time).

My personal view is that the case for the widening has not been made. The modelling by NZTA and AT suggests the intersection will reach capacity by 2026 with delays of 7 minutes at the peak. However I am not satisfied that they are using the new EEM (economic modelling manual) from NZTA that states default traffic growth assumptions are no longer to be used and real evidence for their predictions must be produced.

“Discontinuation of a default traffic growth rate (travel demand predictions) – The current ‘default’ travel growth rates (1-3%) generally do not accurately reflect the current situation in New Zealand and we are discontinuing these. Funding applications will therefore be required to provide evidence that any assumption of the future growth is realistic.”

It is most likely that the 2026 numbers used to justify destroying the trees are based on an assumption that the traffic is going to grow. There are options available to NZTA and AT to provide the lanes required within the current road width which need to be pursued. The other option is to wait to see if the predictions are correct.

I am also not satisfied with the cycling facilities that have been proposed for the intersection. There are some improvements with an off road shared path across St Lukes bridge however the cycle lanes are not continuous nor safely connected to the existing network.

Local Board Workshops and meetings

During the period 1 August – 9 September I attended:

Meeting to discuss a Localised carbon emission plan for Waitemata on 1 August
Meeting with Olympic Pool Directors to discuss future plans and funding for Newmarket swimming pool
All day Auckland Plan Committee Workshop for Local Board members and Councillors at the Rendezvous Hotel
Waitemata Local Board weekly workshop on 6 August
Meeting to discuss the Board’s Unitary Plan response on 6 August
Interactive play spaces project next steps meeting on 7 August
Attended the Transport Committee meeting on 7 August to hear the public forum presentation on the Congestion Free Network by Generation Zero, Campaign for Better Transport and Transport Blog
Neighbourhood Planning Task Group Meeting convened by Roger Blakely on 7 August
Extraordinary Waitemata Local Board meeting: Unitary Plan feedback on 8 August
Waitemata Board briefing on CRL and Downtown Shopping Centre development proposals by Council officers Clive Fuhr, Manager Acquisitions and Disposals and Tim Watts from the Built Environment Unit on 8 August
GLBA committee meeting on 13 August
Meeting to discuss the draft Operational guidelines between the Board and Auckland Transport on 13 August
On site meeting with Tim Coffey and St Patricks Sq. residents to discuss issues arising from skateboarders using the Square
Waitemata Local Board business meeting at Graham Street on 13 August
The polishing of the greenways plan meeting (delegated to myself and the Chair) on 14 August
Central cluster Auckland Transport workshop on prioritisation criteria and programme of work on 15 August
Waitemata Local Board weekly workshop on 15 August
Community leases portfolio update on 15 August
All of Boards Ways of Working: Proposed Options workshop on 19 August
Special Housing Accord update on 19 August to explain the processes around special housing areas and discuss the candidate locations for the first tranche of SHAs to be established concurrent with the notification of the Unitary Plan.
Waitemata Local Board weekly workshop on 20 August
Annie Inwood to discuss Board support for the Grey Lynn Business Association as part of the Local Economic Development Action Plan
Briefing on Heritage Tree Tags Concept: Western Park on 20 August
Community Development monthly catch up with portfolio holders
Good for Business seminar – Tapping into the access market on 21 August
Local Board Chairs and Community Portfolio Holders briefing on the Thriving Communities Action Plan on 22 August
Transport portfolio monthly catch up with Auckland Transport on 22 August
Extraordinary Waitematā Local Board meeting on 25 July regarding the board’s Unitary Plan feedback
Auckland Place makings meeting hosted by Hobsonville Point Management company on 26 August
Waitemata Local Board weekly workshop on 27 August
Meeting to discuss the brief for engaging a consultant for the redevelopment of Pioneer Women’s Hall on 27 August
Brainstorming session: Local board actions to support a Localised Carbon Reduction Plan on 28 August
Catch up with Ashley Church, Newmarket Business Association 29 August
Central Joint Funding Committee meeting on 30 August
Auckland Plan Committee draft Unitary Plan deliberations on 28, 29, 30 August
Grants Committee meeting 2 September
Grey Lynn Business Association committee meeting on 3 September
Waitemata Local Board weekly workshop on 3 September

Events and functions

During the period 1 August – 9 September I attended:

Cycle Actions Associates Breakfast on 1 August
LATE at the Auckland Museum (at the invitation of the Museum) on 2 August
Generation Zero – What’s the Holdup speaking tour event at the Auckland University Business School on 5 August
Mary Jo (MJ) Kaplan 2013 Ian Axford Fellow social enterprise talk at AUT organised by Billy Matheson, Principal Advisor – Social Entrepreneurship Auckland Council on 6 August
Public ‘Drop-in’ Engagement Session – draft Ponsonby Road Master plan on 7 August at White space
West Lynn Red Carpet Night on 8 August
Public ‘Drop-in’ Engagement Session – draft Ponsonby Road Master plan on Saturday 10 August at Leys Institute Library
Big Little City Restaurant Month – street eats at Shed 10 on 10 August
Ponsonby Master plan public meeting at the Leys Institute Library Hall on 15 August
Opened the Peace Foundation’s 2013 Cool Schools Symposium on 16 August at Western Springs Garden Community Hall.
Community development team lunch at Orakei Marae Community Garden on 16 August
Kill the Bill – Town Hall meeting to stop the GCSB Bill 0n 19 August
Famous for free: GLBA seminar with Louise Pagonis on 22 August
Management Consulting Club – Galactic competition. Panel member with community development officers to critique presentations from students on Saturday 24 August
SugarTree development (600 apartments on Nelson Street) ground-breaking on 26 August
Grey Power – meet the mayoral candidates meeting at the Flicking Centre on 27 August
Citizenship ceremony official party on the evening of 27 August
Public ‘Drop-in’ Engagement Session – draft Ponsonby Road Master plan on 28 August at the Ponsonby Community Centre
State of Auckland report launch and Radio NZ panel discussion hosted by AUT on 29 August
22nd Wallace Art Awards at Pah House at the invitation of the Wallace Arts Trust on 2 September
Smoke free Auckland celebration hosted by the Cancer Society on 4 September
Cycle Action Associates breakfast on 5 September at the Auckland Art Gallery
LATE at the museum on 5 September at the invitation of Auckland museum
Fruit tree planting Grey Lynn park with local residents on Saturday 7 September
Kelmarna Gardens Trust strategy session on 7 September
Lord of the Flies – Auckland Theatre Company production on 7 September at the invitation of ATC
Myers Park Neighbourhood BBQ on 8 September
Sea change launch at Auckland Museum on 9 September
Lunch at the Crossroads clubhouse on 9 September

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)

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.