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

Appendix 1 - best practice in district plan provisions

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

Well-considered examples of plan provisions

Listed below are some examples of the way road safety and efficiency matters can be appropriately dealt with in district plans.

Please note: no one policy has all the attributes required, ie, SMART – simple, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.

Issues

‘The types of activity that can compromise the overall safety and efficiency of the transport infrastructure include ribbon commercial development along main roads and the location of schools or playgrounds adjacent to main roads...’

‘The continued growth of motor vehicle traffic over the next decade and provision for its growth to ensure that acceptable levels of safety, amenity and mobility are maintained’

‘The encouragement of measures that increase traffic safety’

‘The multifunctional use of the transport network has the potential to impact on the safe and efficient functioning of the transport network’

Objectives

‘To maintain a safe and efficient transport network that allows the city to function and develop with minimal conflicts between land uses, traffic and people’

‘To protect infrastructure resources from the adverse effects of activities located adjacent to, or in association with, the facility’

‘Minimise conflicts between land use and the roading network, while providing for mobility, and safe and efficient ingress and egress to roads’

‘A safe and efficient roading network which recognises and provides for different users’

Policies

‘Giving consideration to the nature of adjacent roads to ensure that entry, exit and manoeuvring of vehicles onto a public road can be conducted safely from all sites in X zone’

‘To classify roads in the district according to their proposed function in the road network’

‘To have regard to the Land Transport NZ guidelines for the following...’

‘To continue the review accident data to enable “black spots” and “black routes” in the road network to be recognised, investigated and improved; and trends to be followed to evaluate the success of safety works undertaken’

‘To control the establishment of land-use activities to achieve compatibility with the roads they front by avoiding, remedying or mitigating the effects which each has on the other’

‘To ensure that the subdivision activity for urban purposes outside urban areas only occurs following an appropriate assessment of all environmental effects’

‘To enable the subdivision of rural land for rural residential purposes provided that … the subdivision does not cause demand to be made for an extension or upgrading of any road where that extension or upgrading is not in the economic interest of the city’

Methods

‘Requiring resource consents where a new roading network may have a significant effect on the environment’

‘Use of traffic-control measures to ensure safe and efficient use of the roading network outside of the district plan process’

‘City rules regarding transport … provision of works and services … coordination and liaison with transport operators...’

Rules

Eg, access

Permitted activities - access to state highways

An access to a state highway shall be a permitted activity subject to:

1. No legal access is available from another road
2. The traffic generated through the access to a state highway is less than 100ecm/d
3. Compliance with the performance criteria given in Table 1 overleaf regarding sight distance, clearance from intersections and minimum access spacing
4. For an access with less than 30ecm/d, the vehicle crossing is to be designed and formed in accordance with Diagram C overleaf.
5. For an access with between 30 and 100ecm/d the vehicle crossing and localised road widening is to be designed and formed in accordance with Diagram D overleaf
6. Provision for manoeuvring on site, so that no reverse manoeuvring onto the state highway is required.
7. Do not allow new additional access unless it is a close one
8. Development access in accordance with land use and subdivision criteria in the plan – land use, not subdivision, is a permitted activity

Restricted discretionary activities – access to state highways

Any access to a state highway unable to meet the performance criteria above shall be a restricted discretionary activity. The council’s discretion is restricted to matters of access.

Assessment matters – access to state highways

When considering a resource consent application for access to a state highway as a restricted discretionary activity, council shall include assessment of the following matters:

1. whether the crossing is sufficiently removed from an intersection having regard to traffic volumes on the roads, and any other factors that will prevent conflict and confusion between vehicles turning at the crossing or at the intersection;
2. the adequacy of available sight distances having regard to the 85th percentile speed of vehicles on the road;
3. whether there is a need to separate entry and exit in order to reduce potential traffic confusion and conflict
4. whether the physical form of the road will minimise the adverse effects of access (eg, whether the road offers good visibility, whether a solid median barrier will stop unsafe right-hand turns or a flush median will assist right-hand turns, etc)
5. whether particular mitigation measures, such as a deceleration or turning land, are required due to speed or volume of vehicles on the road;
6. the design of the crossing to enable traffic exiting the site to safely enter the traffic stream;
7. the location and design of the crossing in relation to pedestrian and cycle safety
8. whether there is adequate queuing and parking space on site so that vehicles do not queue over vehicle crossings or on the state highway;
9. and potential cumulative effects of extra access points on the function of the state highway;
10. any relevant accident history of the state highway in the vicinity of the site; and
11. the particular traffic characteristics of an existing or proposed activity, including expected traffic generation, types of vehicles, etc.

On-site manoeuvring

‘On-site manoeuvring shall be provided to ensure that no vehicle is required to reverse either onto or off a site where:

1. any site has access to a major or minor arterial road
2. any site has access to a collector road and requires three or more parking spaces...’

‘Where the location of a vehicle crossing providing for access from the road to any site would be likely to cause a traffic hazard, council may require further or other provision to be made for access to the site or may prohibit such access and any parking or loading’

‘Where a site fronts a major or minor arterial road and the site also has frontage to a secondary road, the access to the site shall be provided to the secondary road’

Traffic study

‘A traffic impact study shall be prepared for any activity which:

1. will have x or more parking spaces
2. will generate more than x vehicle movements per day

The traffic impact study shall address the following matters:

1. the provision of parking on site, manoeuvring and servicing
2. provision of egress and ingress
3. sight visibility distance for access points
4. impact of access on the existing roading network
5. impact on existing traffic volumes of the roading network’

Frost/ice

Permitted activities – vegetation on land adjacent to roads

‘Vegetation on land adjacent to arterial roads shall be a permitted activity subject to:
In areas where ice can form on roads, vegetation shall not be planted or allow to grow in a position which will shade the carriageway between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm on the shortest day of the year.’

Signs

Permitted activities
The following are premitted activities:

1. An ‘official’ sign; or
2. A ‘community’ sign; or
3. An ‘advertising’ sign located

Either:

1. adjacent to a state highway with speed restrictions less than 70km/hr; or
2. (subject to Transit New Zealand approval) on a state highway with speed restrictions less than 70km/hr); or
3. adjacent to a state highway with speed restrictions of 70km/hr or greater meeting all the following standards:
   1. it is to be located on the site to which it relates;
   2. there shall be only one advertising sign directed at the state highway;
   3. it is to have a minimum lettering height of 160mm, with font that complies with Land Transport NZ standards ‘Advertising Signs and Road Safety: Design and Location Guidelines’;
   4. it must not have more than six words or symbols and no more than 40 characters; and
   5. it is to be located so as to provide an unrestricted view to the motorist for a minimum distance of 180m.

Permitted activities are subject to the following performance criteria:

1. Any sign on or adjacent to a state highway must be located so as not to obscure or confuse the interpretation of official signs or traffic signals on state highways; and
2. Any sign or message, other than an official sign, on or adjacent to a state highway must be static (ie, does not move, rotate or include variable message systems).

Discretionary activities – signs on or adjacent to state highways

Any sign on or adjacent to a state highway which is unable to meet all of the performance criteria for permitted activities shall be a discretionary activity.

Assessment matters – signs on or adjacent to state highways

When considering resource consent application for discretionary activities for signs on or adjacent to a state highway, council shall include assessment of the following matters:

1. The extent to which any adverse effects on traffic safety or amenity values are avoided, remedied or mitigated;
2. Whether or not the off-site signs are necessary because:
   • the safety of drivers would be at a significant risk without it, and
   • a complying sign adjacent to the entrance to the subject property would not be seen for the required 180m.
3. The manner in which glare from illuminated signs which may be hazardous is avoided or minimised.

NB:
Official traffic signs – all signs in the traffic regulations and in the ‘Manual of Traffic Signs and Marking’ approved by Land Transport NZ.

Advertising signs and devices – all advertising signs and devices which are visible to or are intended to be seen by road users, whether they are motorists, cyclists of pedestrians. It includes advertising that is:

• Located within the road boundaries
• Located on property near a road
• Permanent or fixed
• Temporary or moveable
• Vehicle-mounted

Community signs – provide information for or about the community (see Transit New Zealand Planning Policy Manual No. SP/M001 for an expansion of definitions).

Other

‘On a corner site, no building, fence, hedge wall or retaining wall exceeding 1m in height shall be permitted on the triangular part of the site defined by measuring...’

‘All parking and access must be in accordance with appendix x and x’

Anticipated environmental results:

‘An efficient and effective road network allowing the city to function and develop with minimal conflict between land uses, traffic and people is anticipated to produce the following outcomes:

1. Improved road safety generally throughout the city
2. A reduction in the conflicts between land uses and road functions.’

‘Safe and efficient movement of people and goods on the transport network through and within x area of the city.’

‘Improved road safety throughout the city.’

Monitoring:

‘Improved road safety generally throughout the city’ with possible indicators being listed as ‘change in the number and severity of accidents before and after road improvements’ and ‘change in the number and severity of accidents’. The possible source of the data should also be listed.

 

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Page created: 1 October 2008