“This is probably the second biggest complaint that comes to my office when it comes to roads; mums with buggies, or elderly or middle-aged people like myself, trying to cross the road from Briscoes to Rebel Sport.”
Work needed to fix the region’s roads after Cyclone Gabrielle features heavily in the plans.
Councillor Andy Cranston said it would be useful to remind the public about the repair costs which are estimated at up to a possible $725 million.
Just $200 million of that amount is to be funded from central government.
Mayor Stoltz said the plans reflected that urgent work.
“I do not want us to lose sight of the huge amount of work that needs to be done just to repair what we lost during the cyclone.
“The RLTP reflects the community needs, not what the community wants.
“The RLTP focuses on the basics that our community needs and deserves, so I am really happy with what I am reading (in the RLTP).”
Cr Colin Alder said it was essential to fix potholes as soon as possible.
“It will save lives and it will save money down the track.”
The mayor said the council was trying to get “up to speed” with potholes.
“Our maintenance has fallen behind for obvious reasons.”
The RPTP draft proposes to use current funding of $1.3 million per year to increase bus passenger usage.
These plans include new bus stop/hub infrastructures as a key priority as well as proposals to change policies on fares and ticketing.
Cr Debbie Gregory said the use of a public transport app “could encourage the younger generations to take public transport”.
She asked if rail could be considered as an option. Repairing the railway “doesn’t sound like that much” compared to the cost of road repairs.
“Do we wait for the Government to see what they will do?”
A council staff member said that without government and KiwiRail support, reinstating the rail line ”would be pretty challenging”.
The strategic intent of the RLTP has five objectives —
■ Resilience and security to changes to climate, land use and demand.
■ Healthy and safe people, with no deaths or serious injuries.
■ Economic prosperity, prioritising efficient movement of people and goods.
■ Environmental sustainability, supporting low carbon travel.
■ Inclusive access, enabling all demographics to access transport.
The strategic intent of the RPTP has four main objectives —
■ Service delivery — enhancing levels of services and increasing patronage.
■ Access and mobility — all demographics have access to sustainable public transport.
■ Fares and funding — ensuring fares are fair to passengers whilst covering reasonable proportions of operating costs.
■ Procurement and contract management — delivering an efficient and environmentally conscious public transport service.
The RLTP, which is linked to the RPTP, covers the time period of 2024-36 and has a cost estimate of $39.6 million. This covers payments for making buses more mobility-friendly, improving the ticketing system and creating new routes for the current public transport network.
Public transport infrastructure is estimated to cost $5.5m and updating the walking and cycling paths is estimated at $26.7m. The total cost for local road improvements is $31.2m and road safety promotion is set to cost $4.6m.
State highway improvements span a six-year period and are estimated at $2.9 billion.
Public consultation opens today, February 2.
Committee chairwoman Ani Pahuru-Huriwai urged people to participate.
“We really need your say in what this is going to look like . . . let’s have a cup of tea and talk transport.”
