Managing road safety and efficiency under the Resource Management Act 1991: The way forward

7. Individual issue assessment

Print version: Managing road safety and efficiency under the Resource Management Act 1991 (PDF, 259 KB, 63 pages)

• 7.1   Group 1 – generic rural/urban issues
• 7.1.1   Issue 1 - access
• 7.1.2   Issue 2 – commercial/residential conflict
• 7.1.3   Issue 3 – linkages
• 7.1.4   Issue 4 – road and subdivision design
• 7.1.5   Issue 5 – parking/loading/servicing
• 7.1.6   Issue 6 – signs
• 7.1.7   Issue 7 – glare/lighting
• 7.1.8   Issue 8 – cross-local authority boundary issues
• 7.1.9   Issue 9 – transport options/mobility restrictions
• 7.2   Group 2 - rural issues
• 7.2.1   Issue 10 – town boundaries
• 7.2.2   Issue 11 – ad hoc development
• 7.2.3   Issue 12 – frost/ice build-up
• 7.3   Group 3 - urban issues
• 7.3.1   Issue 13 – vibration/noise
• 7.3.2   Issue 14 – pedestrian/cycle facilities

Section 5 highlights a range of road safety and efficiency issues that can be provided for in district plans. The ways in which these matters can be addressed within the contextual breakdown of district plans are outlined in section 6. The gap between what can be provided and what is typically being provided has therefore been highlighted.

To provide more specific discussion and direction, this section elaborates on how the broad range of issues can be addressed within the different sections of district plans.

This section is linked to section 9, which identifies ‘good’ provisions and recommended sample provisions. This discussion draws significantly on safety and efficiency assessments and findings available in existing documents.

The Ministry for the Environment has published a variety of best practice guides, such as Drafting issues, objectives, policies and methods in regional policy statements and district plans.

The issues addressed in this section were determined by the industry working group and are not exhaustive. It should also be noted that the issues are not addressed in priority order. For those issues not covered in this BPG, such as control over roadside vegetation, the discussion provides a general guide to how other associated issues require due consideration.

Appendix 3 provides a list of references for more information.

7.1   Group 1 — generic rural/urban issues

7.1.1   Issue 1 — access

Issues

Arterial roads are principally ‘through’ roads for transporting goods and people. Their safe and efficient operation can be adversely affected as access demands increase, and the type and frequency of movements on and off the road change.

All other effects, such as driver distraction, are of lesser significance (Transit New Zealand, 2000:37).

Access to and from arterial roads has a significant adverse effect on the safe and efficient operation of the road system by creating additional conflict points and potentially reducing the safe operating speed of traffic and increasing the frequency of crashes.

The subdivision and development of land adjacent to arterial roads increases the demand for access. In rural areas, there are lower volumes of traffic than in urban areas but generally higher operating speeds.

Urban areas have lower operating speeds but higher volumes of traffic. Most urban crashes happen at intersections and driveways (Transit New Zealand, 2000:40). Urban areas have much more development and greater demands for access.

It is possible to identify urban/rural roads that are ‘at risk’ in terms of future land developments and the associated demand for access affecting their safety and efficiency. ‘At risk’ roads are typically in the rural/urban fringe; have higher operating speeds than urban roads; have traffic volumes that mean they are currently safe and efficient, but have urban-type activities close by with the likelihood of future pressure for more urban activities and more access demands that would affect the overall safety and efficiency of these roads. The limited access roads (LAR) provisions can be used to manage access to these roads.

Objectives

The objectives of addressing this issue in district plans are to ensure that:

• activities are located and designed to avoid, remedy or mitigate the effects of traffic-generation points on the safety and efficiency of the road network
• access points are appropriately located and designed so as to avoid, remedy or mitigate any adverse effects on the safety and efficiency of road network.

Policies

Some recommended policies include:

• have all local road intersections and property accesses that adjoin arterial roads located and designed to comply as far as possible with engineering performance standards (such as the Austroads standards)
• make ‘at risk’ sections of arterial roads LAR
• protect arterial roads from inappropriately located and designed access to developments at the stage of zoning land by giving such activities an appropriate activity status, and ensure the adverse effects of adjacent developments are avoided, remedied or mitigated
• ensure that every site has access that provides safe entry and exit for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists (all road users) from the site to a road, without compromising the safety or efficiency of the road network
• ensure that the costs of road improvements required as a result of ongoing development are equitably applied.

It should also be noted that policies relating to issue 5 (section 7.1.5), for internal site design matters that affect access, are relevant to this issue.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6 above. Additional methods can include:

• declaring arterial roads at the edges of the rural settlements as LAR where pressures for intensification and new access points are likely to be felt. Controls through zoning and minimum lot sizes could also control access numbers on the approaches to rural settlements instead of LAR
• developing new side roads and encouraging the sharing of accesses that are appropriately located
• having corridor management agreements or access management structure plans for arterial roads
• promoting covenants and voluntary agreements relating to access
• considering constructing segregation strips to prevent direct property access to and from arterial roads where appropriate
• including in plans location-specific rules relating to particular developments.

A corridor management agreement can provide and protect road amenities, road services and certain carriageway features on arterial roads. It does not replace or remove any of the existing statutory obligations, legal rights or obligations of the roading authority, councils or any other relevant agency, such as the network utility operator (Transit New Zealand, 2000:41). This method would benefit from location-specific access provisions contained in district plans to guide developers intending to incorporate them into their developments.

Rules

Examples of specific rules in relation to state highways are given in appendix 1. Other areas that require rules include:

• encouraging developments to gain access to a side road where it is reasonably practicable
• the number, location and control of access points
• controlling activities that generate major traffic movements, eg, ‘major traffic activities’ fronting highways require resource consent
• controlling access and intersection spacing, sign distances, design and construction, including gradient
• requiring on-site manoeuvring and turning so vehicles do not reverse out onto arterial roads
• promoting a road hierarchy
• location-specific rules relating to sections of road defined as ‘at risk’.

Anticipated results

Anticipated results include:

• avoiding inappropriately located and inappropriately designed access points that may have an adverse effect on the safety and efficiency of arterial roads
• potential establishment of new areas of LAR.

Monitoring

Councils should monitor the demand for and creation of all new access points and the requirements to upgrade existing ones, and should assess these against appropriate standards, such as design, spacing, construction.

In particular, monitoring could look at the:

• effects of where activities are located
• effects of access on traffic conditions
• extent to which activities overflow
• subsequent mitigation by road design.

The possible indicators to monitor are the number of:

• accidents arising from access onto arterial roads
• crossings on arterial roads
• crossings on local roads.

7.1.2   Issue 2 — commercial/residential conflict

Issues

This issue relates to conflicts between commercial and residential activity regarding concerns over access, parking, vehicle manoeuvring, and pedestrian and cycle activity. The issue of ad hoc development of commercial enterprises within a predominantly residential area is a concern that echoes those expressed in issue 1 above. In particular, commercial activities attracting high traffic volumes (such as shopping centres) or increased movements of heavy vehicles (such as packing houses or courier depots) can cause traffic conflicts in a predominately residential-type environment.

Objectives

Residential and commercial development should be encouraged in suitable areas where they are unlikely to conflict with each other, and thereby lower the safety and efficiency levels of roads.

Policies

Some recommended policies include ensuring that:

• commercial activities generating significant traffic volumes are located in such a way that traffic has access to classes of roads that are able to receive the increase in traffic volumes without reducing safety or efficiency
• access points are designed so that traffic access and egress points avoid or mitigate adverse effects on the safety and efficiency of the road network.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6. An additional method could be considering pedestrian linkages and potential conflicts.

Rules

Councils could consider including in their district plans rules that covered:

• vehicle-oriented commercial activities (such as drive-ins and supermarkets) in terms of access design, location and construction
• ensuring adequate space for on-site parking, queuing, loading and manoeuvring
• internal access; separating or controlling pedestrian/motor vehicle interactions
• the provision of pedestrian access facilities through large car parking areas
• the provision of cycle parking.

Anticiapted results

Anticipated results include a safer and more efficient road network and minimised conflict between pedestrians and vehicles.

Monitoring

Councils should monitor:

• the development of access points regarding standards required in the district plan
• resource consent applications for variations to rules and reasons for applications.

A possible indicator to monitor is the number of accidents involving access and manoeuvring from commercial activities in residential areas.

7.1.3   Issue 3 — linkages

Issues

Roads provide the vehicle linkages between areas targeted by the public. They should also cater for ease of access by those who cannot readily access a location by another means, eg, where someone is wheelchair bound or the location is remote and other means of transport are not appropriate or available. The latter is often the case with public access to sites along coasts, lakes or rivers. Similarly, roads provide the major linkages between significant developments, including other public facilities.

A holistic approach to linkages recognises the importance of the road hierarchy in providing for transport efficiencies and safety. The greater traffic volume that can be carried by arterial roads promotes energy efficiency, as well as more efficient use of time. Local roads, by being relieved of through-traffic, are able to provide access to more immediate localities and assist to maintain safety on arterial roads. The road hierarchy should also define the cycling routes and pedestrian linkages.

This issue links in closely with issue 4.

Objectives

• To ensure that public access to facilities is provided by roads in a safe and efficient manner.
• To plan and manage a safe and efficient road network, while minimising conflict between traffic, land activities and people by adopting a hierarchy of roads.

Policies

Policies can be general, eg:

• to protect and enhance the ability of the transport infrastructure to provide for transport needs
• to promote a safe and sustainable transport system that provides for ease of access for all people while avoiding, remedying or mitigating adverse effects on the environment
• to implement appropriate performance standards.

Policies can be specific, eg:

• to classify all roads according to their function
• to use the road hierarchy to implement appropriate performance standards for nearby activities to control adverse impacts on the road network.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6 above. An additional method could be developing and maintaining a road hierarchy.

Rules

Councils could consider including in their district plan rules that covered:

• maintaining the road hierarchy, including rules relating to access location and design, and offstreet parking provision
• the control of activities generating high vehicle numbers in relation to roads in the hierarchy.

Anticipated results

Anticipated results include safer roads and the use of roads appropriate to their status in the hierarchy, eg, access or through-route roads.

Monitoring

Accident statistics signalling conflict between different types of traffic can be monitored.

Accident statistics can also be used to monitor crash rates on the road hierarchy generally, relating to intersections and mid-block access.

The level of service can be monitored to ensure levels are not compromised.

Possible indicators

• the number of accidents involving cars versus trucks
• the number of commercial (truck/van) movements in residential streets.

7.1.4   Issue 4 — road and subdivision design

Issues

Each road has some element of providing access or being an artery for ‘through’ traffic. A hierarchy exists, whether formally acknowledged within district plans or not, with arterial routes at the top level performing a predominantly through-route function, while small local roads are focused on providing immediate access to the locality.

It must be recognised that the position of any road within a hierarchy is not static. As frontage activities and developments further afield occur, the function of a road may change. This may swing one way or another between predominantly providing for access or for through traffic.

Any subdivision may potentially lead to an increase in traffic attracted to an area, whether or not that is the intention of the present owner or occupier, because the activities on the land are likely to increase.

The relationship between frontage activity and subdivisional development, and road capacity and safety is very clear. Each frontage and/or intersection manoeuvre has an impact several times greater than the equivalent ‘through’ movement (Transfund New Zealand, 2000). Development that is not on the arterial frontage (eg, down a side road) can also significantly impact on road efficiency and safety.

The development of ad hoc subdivision in rural areas is clearly related to issues 3 and 12. However, of particular note is the manner in which subdivisions are planned to link into the road network. Typically, one designated intersection is created. The location of this intersection, its standard of construction, relationship to other intersections, frontage development on either side and the overall impact on demands on nearby roads due to stepped-up increase in vehicular movements are all relevant considerations.

Councils are also concerned over the contribution of developers to costs incurred by road-controlling authorities who have to deal with any new immediate and/or downstream effects.

While it may be advantageous in terms of safety to limit access to one road, this potentially raises other safety issues, such as creating large areas of development with only one access point, which may be blocked during emergencies.

The LGA now makes provision for development contributions that could be used to obtain payment for any upgrading required due to growth caused by the development.

Ribbon or strip development also becomes an urban issue where retail development is allowed to spread down arterial roads into other zones. It impacts on the frontage road by reducing safety and efficiency.

Objectives

Proposals for development should take into account the status of frontage roads in the road hierarchy, and evaluate their effects in terms of the safe and efficient functioning of the road network in the vicinity.

District plans provide a mechanism to reflect the changing status of roads within the hierarchy. This has implications for design of the road and the overall role it plays in the road network, and the standard of design of the accesses and intersections with the road.

Similarly, district plans can acknowledge that roads within the hierarchy will be adversely impacted by activities that place inappropriate demands on them.

Policies

Examples of appropriate provisions relating to subdivisions are outlined in appendix 1. Local authorities will also have detailed subdivisions codes that can be cross-referenced in district plan policies.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6. Additional methods can include:

• ensuring the safety auditing of significant land-development projects and activities before resource consents being granted, where impact on the arterial road network is likely to be an issue
• setting appropriate standards for access and intersection design
• minimising direct access onto arterial roads
• developing and maintaining a road hierarchy and rules controlling such things as vehicle access to roads, road widths, standards of construction, according to the status of the road
• preparing neighbourhood transport-management plans
• having development contributions.

Rules

Examples of rules are included in appendix 1. Other examples use:

• clauses such as ‘The layout of roads shall, as appropriate for their position in the roading hierarchy, ensure that people, vehicles and goods can move safely, efficiently and effectively...’ to ensure traffic safety is a key consideration in new road design
• words such as ‘to accommodate the level of vehicle use anticipated...’ to enable the consideration of future traffic flows to be factored into a design. (However, it is noted that the Environment Court has made a ruling that the environment has to be the environment as it exists at the Issue 5 – parking/loading/servicing time of the application and therefore consideration of future traffic flows may not be legally possible.)

Anticipated results

Anticipated results include a safer and more efficient land transport network.

Monitoring

The council should monitor the:

• construction of roads/intersections to the standards required by their district plan
• need for safety networks to accommodate development.

Possible indicators:

• similar indicators to issue 1
• 90 percent of housing should be within 500 metres walking distance of a bus route.

7.1.5   Issue 5 — parking/loading/servicing

Issues

Parking, loading and turning operations should not involve any vehicle manoeuvring that detracts from road safety or efficiency. In other words, traffic activity on sites should not overflow onto the adjoining road.

Objectives

Activities should provide adequate facilities and manoeuvring on-site or, if necessary, off-site to avoid using the carriageway curbside and avoid potential conflict with through-traffic, other traffic accessing the site, and pedestrians and cyclists. This includes visits to the site by service vehicles.

Policies

Sites should provide adequate on-site parking, loading and turning for vehicles, including provision for vehicles to enter and leave in a forward direction, or have sufficient access to those facilities to avoid any adverse effects on the safe and efficient operation of the road network. Any use of off-site facilities should not compromise pedestrian or vehicle safety, or the safe and efficient operation of the road network.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6. Additional methods can include:

• providing parking off-site, where there is insufficient space for on-site parking, subject to a legally binding covenant or agreement to lease parking elsewhere
• considering council-provided carparks in the vicinity of the activity or a cash contribution in lieu of part of all of the parking requirement
• considering whether parking/loading can be provided in a joint fashion
• considering whether the site is regularly serviced by public transport
• considering whether shared parking can be provided for two activities that have differing hours of operation
• where off-site parking is provided, considering pedestrian access back to the site (eg, it should not be on the opposite side of an arterial route).

Rules

Rules could include:

• requiring parking, loading and manoeuvring to be provided on-site
• specifying requirements for loading, parking and manoeuvring according to the activity, including rules relating to queuing
• requiring that vehicles should be able to conveniently enter and exit in a forward direction, with no reversing from driveways
• providing for people with disabilities. However, district plan rules requiring disabled parking spaces cause problems because the RMA allows dispensation from rules through the resource consent process, yet the Building Code requires these spaces regardless. District plans should not contain rules for facilities that are required by other statutes, but this can lead to other difficulties, ie, they won’t be in consent plans
• considering cycle and pedestrian routes through carparks
• requiring internal site design characteristics to avoid activity, such as queuing, parking and reversing, overflowing onto the street – see section 7.6 of the LTSA draft Rules.

Anticipated results

Anticipated results include:

• minimal adverse effects on the safety and efficiency of the road from on-street parking, loading and manoeuvring vehicles
• adequate on-site provision for parking, loading, manoeuvring and any queuing associated with activities, that provides safe and efficient access to the site, and avoids the need for vehicles to reverse onto arterial roads.

Monitoring

Councils should monitor:

• accidents or complaints relating to conflict between kerbside parking, loading or manoeuvring in association with road-frontage activities
• whether or not their district plan parking requirements are adequate through regular surveys.

Possible indicators:

• number of accidents involving parked cars
• number of accidents involving loading or manoeuvring.

7.1.6   Issue 6 — signs

Issues

Signs are important for conveying messages and information. However, they also have the potential to cause driver distraction. Signs can be inappropriate in a number of ways, eg, they could be located too close to intersections, obscure traffic signs, be illegible or contain too much information. Advertising signs, for example, may cause distractions to drivers and a precautionary approach should be taken in areas of high risk, such as 100 km/h areas and at arterial road intersections.

In urban areas, where speed limits are lower, the distractive effect of signs is less and fewer controls are needed. However, they still should not compete with official road signs or traffic signals for driver attention or confuse the interpretation of essential driver information.

Along rural arterial roads and motorways, it is important to keep advertising to a minimum. They must be clearly legible and interpretable, and appropriately located, and must not mimic traffic signs.

Objectives

To ensure signage is kept to a minimum adjacent to motorways and rural arterial roads, and is appropriately designed and located in all instances to minimise any potential for distraction from the driving task.

Policies

Examples of policies include:

• minimising the adverse effects of signs on the safe and efficient operation of arterial roads
• restricting signs adjacent to higher-speed (70 km/h or greater) sections of arterial roads to those that are necessary and effective and that assist drivers to locate accesses
• ensuring signs are legible and do not confuse the interpretation of official signs and/or traffic signals
• encouraging the removal of old, poorly maintained or superfluous signs
• permitting suitable permanent community signs in lower-speed environments (50 km/h zones) for community services and information
• permitting temporary community signs on road reserves where traffic safety is not compromised
• controlling the location, design and purpose of advertising signs on land adjacent to arterial roads, particularly in areas of conflict.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6. Additional methods can include:

• educating adjoining landowners, occupiers and developers of the adverse effects of signage on road safety and efficiency
• providing for signs on the state highway reserve as permitted by regulations, bylaws and legislation. Similarly, addressing adverse effects under these provisions and providing appropriate bylaws
• seeking voluntary covenants and agreements with adjacent landowners to control any adverse effects of signs on private land on adjacent arterial roads
• utilising the detailed information included in the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) publication Advertising signs and road safety design: Location guidelines when considering resource consent applications
• enforcing compliance of new signs, policing for illegal signs and removal of derelict signs.

Rules

Appendix 1 includes a range of suggested rules in district plans that relate to signs next to state highways. These rules can be less restrictive for roads lower down in the hierarchy.

Anticipated results

Anticipated results include:

• reducing demands for signs in the rural environment and/or adjacent to high-speed sections of road because of the inclusion of clear and reasoned provisions in the district plan
• establishing only those signs that are appropriately located and designed, and that are necessary
• preventing the proliferation of ‘remote’ advertising adjacent to rural arterials roads and motorways
• removing derelict signs that clutter the road environment
• reducing accidents owing in full or part to driver distraction from signage.

Monitoring

The council should monitor the number of applications for signs, and their nature, to determine whether the plan provisions are unclear or confusing, or require more stringent controls.

Possible indicators:

• number of applications for signs and their nature
• number of accidents that refer to driver distraction
Examples of policies include ensuring that:

7.1.7   Issue 7 — glare/lighting

Issues

Glare can be a problem when developments are constructed that may dazzle road users at certain times of the day when affected by the sun’s rays. The opportunity for glare to become a problem is more likely in intensively developed (urban) areas, such as new office buildings. However, they could also be rural in nature, eg, glasshouses.

With respect to lighting, inappropriately located or high levels of illumination for land-use activities have the potential to distract drivers from driving. Flashing and strobe lights viewable by drivers also present a potential hazard.

In some instances, headlights from vehicles using roads or accesses parallel to a major road can cause confusion for road users.

The effects of lighting are influenced by topography, lighting orientation and type.

Objectives

• Glare that impedes the vision of road users should be avoided.
• Lighting must be of an appropriate type for its purpose and appropriately located for its environment. It should not so intrude into road users’ line of vision that it detracts from driving.

Policies

Examples of policies include ensuring that:

• the erection of structures adjacent to roads take into account the possibility of glare from the sun’s reflection and that this is avoided, remedied or mitigated
• exterior lighting on all properties (including sports grounds) adjacent to roads is undertaken in such a way that light emission from frontage properties (including security lighting) does not adversely affect driver safety.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6 above. Additional methods can include:

• seeking voluntary agreements with relevant landowners/occupiers
• educating and consulting council officers, potential developers and the wider public
• considering mitigation, eg, the glare from vehicles on parallel roads can be mitigated through the use of plantings, fences, walls, mounds and landscaping on the adjacent road reserve
• evaluating the potential effect of glare/lighting in any resource consent application.

Rules

Include rules such as:

• requiring significant sources of outdoor lighting to be directed away from roads
• providing for planting/screening/buffer zones
• requiring lamps to be shielded
• permitting only activities that are not associated with any adverse effect on road users arising from glare.

Anticipated results

Anticipated results include:

• a road network that is not encumbered by lighting or glare that adversely affects road users’ vision
• improved road safety.

Monitoring

Possible indicators include the number of accidents in which glare/lighting is a factor.

7.1.8   Issue 8 — cross-local authority boundary issues

Issues

Cross-boundary issues are those resource management concerns that are common between adjacent local territorial authorities. The transport network is a system that overlays council boundaries and would benefit from a consistent approach to management.

The RMA requires councils to investigate common or cross-boundary issues and specify in their plans the processes for dealing with them. Regional land transport strategies also provide a mechanism where regional strategic issues are identified and addressed across boundaries.

Objectives

• The full, effective and consistent integration of resource management planning in relation to the management of land transport across the boundaries of the district.
• Integration of the management of effects arising from use of the road network and effects of the road network.

Policies

Initiate or continue the joint definition and analysis of the interconnectivity of the roading system with adjacent local authorities, and pursue appropriate and consistent resource management policies.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6. Additional methods can include councils:

• consulting and undertaking joint investigations and analyses relating to managing land transport with adjacent councils
• pursuing consistent resource management policies to address land transport under agreed priorities and processes under district (and regional) plans
• cooperating in the use of joint committees, where appropriate, to achieve the above.

Rules

There should be coordination and consistency of rules between adjacent councils, eg, on access or roading hierarchy.

Anticipated results

• Producing jointly produced transport planning documents, such as regional land transport strategies, and adopting their contents.
• Environmental results that are in accordance with sustainable and integrated management aims of all affected councils.

Monitoring

Councils should monitor:

• the completion of joint-resolution processes, ie, joint document production or joint liaison in the form of committees and/or working parties
• regional land transport strategies and/or combined transport strategies.

Possible indicators include the number of participating joint committees/working parties.

7.1.9   Issue 9 — transport options/mobility restrictions

Issues

The consideration of transport options forms part of local and regional land transport strategies. Where appropriate, this can be implemented through district plan provisions and long-term council community plans.

Older people, children, young people, people with disabilities and others without ready access to a vehicle have transport needs that require consideration. Increased accessibility and mobility are important community goals.

Objectives

• To ensure that subdivision, use or development of land promotes a safe and efficient transport system and does not hinder the range of transport options being provided.
• To ensure that developments for safety and efficiency do not preclude the possibility of passenger transport facilities.
• To provide facilities that help people with disabilities use the transport services.

Policies

• Encourage the provision of direct and short-travel routes by vehicle, cycling and pedestrian modes between living, working, service and recreational areas.
• Ensure the district plan does not unduly restrict the opportunities for viable passenger transport services to be initiated or expanded in the district.
• Provide safe pedestrian and cycle links that connect significant areas of employment, residence and community facilities.
• Avoid establishing activities that generate high levels of pedestrian movement across busy arterial roads unless adequate crossing facilities are provided.
• Avoid establishing activities that have busy access points that inhibit pedestrian and cycle activity (eg, recognise cycle routes and areas of high pedestrian activity when designing and locating driveways).
• Ensure subdivisions and developments take into account wider transport network issues.
• Provide effective capacity to ensure public transport usage is not affected by development.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6 above. Additional methods can include:

• specific design criteria for assisting people with disabilities to access transport services
• developing a public transport strategy for an area, including identifying safe routes for people with disabilities (such as blind people), through the regional land transport strategy. The strategy needs to acknowledge the needs of both the disabled and the car-less in terms of access to services
• policies for subdivision design in the district plan that promote arterial roads that cater for public transport.

Rules

Rules could cover requiring:

• cycle parking facilities in car parking areas
• car parking for people with disabilities
• pedestrian links to bus routes (or potential bus routes)
• pedestrian and cycle links through subdivisions.

Anticipated results

• A greater range of public transport choices, including for the mobility impaired.
• Increased accessibility and mobility of the community using transport systems.

Monitoring

Councils should:

• assess the public transport choices on option, including routes, patronage, etc, and determine any deficiencies or where capacity has been reached.
• audit transport facilities for provisions for the mobility impaired (such as blind people and people with wheelchairs).

Possible indicators:

• number of transport choices
• number of residents using transport systems
• percentage of residents satisfied with transport options.

7.2   Group 2 — rural issues

7.2.1   Issue 10 — town boundaries

Issue

Rural townships are often traversed by arterial roads. Within townships, speed limits reflect that of urban areas, as do requirements regulating access onto the road and similar characteristics.

However, there are often problems in defining town boundaries, especially with intermittent ribbon development on one or both sides of the arterial road. Ribbon development is the proliferation of access points on the fringe of settlements. More intensified frontage development may be inappropriate where the open road speed limit still applies for traffic approaching the town.

As the density and use of accesses along an arterial road increases, the ability of the road to operate efficiently and safely diminishes.

Objectives

The urban limits of rural townships and their approaches should be clearly defined to road users. Ribbon development along major arterials is inappropriate outside of defined urban areas.

Policies

Examples of policies include:

• promoting the location and form of a built environment that provides a clear and distinctive transition between urban and rural environments
• discouraging ribbon development fronting major arterial routes outside of rural settlements
• providing for activities that require frontage to major arterial routes within urban areas, where appropriate.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6 and the methods given for issue 1. Additional methods are:

• encouraging the development of defined ‘entrance’ points into the rural settlements (‘threshold treatments’)
• encouraging corridor management plans (these plans deal with a number of operation matters, including access onto highways, road surfaces, the management of new subdivisions adjoining roads, road safety and capacity, asset management, etc)
• providing adequate zoned land within rural settlements to cater for new development.

Rules

Rules could cover:

• the strict enforcement of signage rules to ensure urban-type signage and density does not straggle out into the rural fringe
• encouraging developments to gain access to a side road where it is reasonably practicable
• controlling access and intersection spacing, design and construction
• requiring on-site manoeuvring and turning so vehicles do not reverse out onto arterial roads
• ensuring sight lines are not adversely affected by vegetation or poorly located signs on private property near access points and intersections
• promoting the adoption of a road hierarchy.

Anticipated results

An anticipated result is minimal applications for intensification of access on the outskirts of rural settlements.

Monitoring

Councils should monitor:

• applications for intensification of development on the outskirts of rural settlements
• the use of ‘threshold treatments’ to define the town boundary
• speeds measured in rural settlements
• accident data.

Possible indicators include:

• density of development (dwellings/hectare) on the outskirts of rural settlements
• number of defined entrance points to rural settlements.

7.2.2   Issue 11 — ad hoc development

Issues

The types of activities relevant to this category include:

• roadside stalls
• tourist-related commercial activities
• rural recreation activities
• retail development/expansion (downstream/cumulative effects)
• high-volume retailing activities
• service/industrial activities.

People involved in these activities tend to want to establish them adjacent to arterial roads to attract customers (tourists/high customer volume targeted). They may seek to do this in the rural environment in an ad hoc manner, which may be inappropriate to the surrounding environment or developments. Activities like these often encourage spur-of-the-moment stopping, are prone to incremental expansion and may, once established, encourage other activities to establish in close proximity.

There is also the issue of people parking and manoeuvring on the side of the road, even when the parking is provided on site, especially where motorists park on the opposite side of the road and run across (eg, roadside stalls).

Objectives

• To avoid the development of inappropriately located and designed access points and activities that generate significant volumes of traffic, and that may have an adverse effect on the safety and efficiency of arterial roads.
• To safety audit land use developments in relation to road safety and efficiency to ensure new or enhanced conflict or capacity problems do not arise.

Policies

• Require all local road intersections and property accesses adjoining arterial roads to be located and designed to comply as far as possible with Austroad standards.
• Declare ‘at risk’ sections of arterial roads (limited access roads).
• Protect arterial roads from inappropriately located developments and ensure the adverse effects of adjacent developments are remedied or mitigated.
• Avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects of high traffic-generating land uses on the community cost of the road network resource of the district.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6 above. Additional methods can include:

• safety auditing significant land-development projects and activities before resource consents are granted
• safety auditing land development projects or sections of existing roads.

Audits can be part of internal council processes (Transfund NZ, 2000).

Rules

Rules could cover:

• regulating activities in relation to traffic effects, including the location, scale and timing of activities
• retaining discretion on activities with high effects on traffic on arterial roads
• controlling the number of access points according to the road hierarchy
• encouraging development that generates people into areas where roading hierarchy is designed for that purpose.

Anticipated results

An anticipated result is a reduction in traffic generated by access points.

Monitoring

The council should monitor traffic volumes and accidents.

Possible indicators include the number of accidents involving access/manoeuvring to non-residential activities on arterial roads.

7.2.3   Issue 12 — frost/ice build-up

Issue

Frosts have the potential to be a safety hazard to road users and, in many instances, particular locations are known areas of frost hazard.

Shading of the road by vegetation can prevent the thaw of ice or snow by restricting the sun from evaporating moisture and raising the surface temperature, or by reducing natural airflow. While it may be difficult to prevent ice forming in the first instance, every effort should be made to allow for ice to be able to dissipate during the day.

Objectives

• To avoid, remedy or mitigate the adverse effects of frost or ice forming on road surfaces.
• To ensure that the shading of a road by vegetation and developments does not increase the likelihood of frost or ice forming.

Policies

Examples of policies include:

• managing the planting of vegetation on land adjoining roads in frost-prone areas to reduce the incidence of winter ice on road surfaces
• planning road improvements in frost-prone areas with regard to the potential to improve sunlight on to the road surface, eg, through batter angles.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6. Additional methods can include:

• educating adjoining landowners and occupiers of the adverse effects of vegetation on road safety and efficiency
• using and encouraging other relevant parties to use available legislation to avoid, remedy or mitigate the adverse effects of vegetation adjoining roads, eg, Public Works Act 1981, Resource Management Act 1991, Transit New Zealand Act 1989
• consulting with the Department of Conservation regarding processes to address any adverse effects from shading caused by vegetation with protected status
• advocating appropriate roadside vegetation control, eg, input into the code of practices of forestry companies
• ensuring adequate signs are in place to alert the travelling public to the possibility of frost/ice on the road
• forestry set back rules.

Rules

A useful example is ‘vegetation (particularly planted forestry) should not be planted or allowed to grow in a position where it will shade the carriageway during the middle of the day in winter’.

Anticipated results

An anticipated result is increased road safety through the minimisation or avoidance of ice forming on roads and presenting a safety hazard.

Monitoring

Indicators include a:

• reduction in accidents arising from a loss of control by drivers on ice-affected roads
• cessation in complaints over lack of advisory warning signage.

7.3   Group 3 — urban issues

7.31   Issue 13 — vibration/noise

Issue

It is clear that, over time, increasing traffic volumes on a road may lead to concerns and complaints over vibration and/or noise. This is more likely to be from the inhabitants of frontage properties and relate to increased volumes of heavy vehicles using the adjacent road.

Objectives

The level of traffic, particularly heavy vehicles, should not be so great that it begins to conflict with frontage development because of the new or increasing incidence of vibration and/or noise. Heavy vehicles should be directed to roads where adjacent development is likely to be compatible with increasing heavy vehicle traffic.

Policies

To link the use of roads by heavy traffic to those roads most suitable for it.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6. Additional methods include:

• providing heavy vehicle bypasses where appropriate
• implementing a road hierarchy and identifying higher-level roads as appropriate for heavy vehicle through traffic
• encouraging drivers of heavy vehicles to use heavy vehicle bypasses, eg, through agreements with heavy transport operators
• preparing a regional freight strategy (such as the one being prepared for the Canterbury area) to try to address some of the problems associated with heavy transport.

Rules

Rules could cover:

• encouraging and/or requiring heavy vehicle operators to use particular routes
• discouraging the establishment of development on heavily trafficked routes which are likely to be incompatible with increasing traffic vibration and/or noise.

Anticipated results

• Reducing or avoiding in complaints to roading authorities from the public about vibration and/or noise from heavy traffic.
• Increased usage of targeted heavy traffic routes by heavy traffic operators.

Monitoring

the council should monitor the:

• number and nature of complaints relating to vibration and/or noise
• percentage of heavy vehicles using targeted and non-targeted heavy vehicle routes.

7.3.2   Issue 14 — pedestrian/cycle facilities

Issues

Pedestrian and cycle facilities must be provided for within the road network. They are a critical factor in the interface of alternative forms of transport. Within urban areas, the potential for conflict between pedestrians and cyclists and vehicular traffic is reduced because of slower speed levels and driver awareness of obvious side friction. Pedestrian and cycle routes should also be incorporated in large developments.

In rural areas, however, the requirements for pedestrians and cyclists to cross roads are much less obvious and unpredictable. Irrespective of this, the types of activities described in issue 11 are in locations with a high probability of pedestrian movement. A clear example is where tourist facilities (eg, cafes) are located on one side of a rural road and car parking is on the other side of the road. Cycling on rural roads has also become a popular tourist activity, but there are few provisions for this, such as signs or safe cycling routes.

Objectives

• To develop and maintain a safe road network for pedestrians and cyclists.
• To provide for the safe and convenient movement of pedestrians and cyclists in urban and rural areas.

Policies

• Ensuring safe and convenient access and linkages across the road network are available to pedestrians.
• Ensuring safe and convenient cyclist facilities and services are provided throughout the roading network.

Methods

District plans should consider all the methods outlined in section 6. Additional methods include:

• road and subdivision designs that take into account and promote the needs of pedestrians and cyclists
• creating walkways and/or cycleways into a network where adequate pedestrian and cycle access on existing roads is not available, or for separating vehicles and pedestrians
• mapping cycle routes and pedestrian links in the district plan in association with the road hierarchy and rules – councils should retain their discretion and take account of such links to ensure development is consistent with them.

Rules

Rules could cover:

• controlling the effects of new roads relating to the design and location of property access and intersections
• regulating the location and design of subdivisions by reference to impacts on the road network
• regulating the construction of new roads
• regulating the location of activities by reference to their access to types of road in the hierarchy
• ensuring cycling facilities are taken into account in subdivision and development design and location relating to whether the frontage road is part of the cycle network
• ensuring that subdivision roads (where likely to be classified) have cycle facilities included in their design.

Anticipated results

An anticipated result is the safe and convenient location of pedestrian and cycle linkages.

Monitoring

The provision for pedestrian and cyclist movement in development proposals.

 

< previous | next >

Page created: 26 September 2008