Taupō transport strategy puts safety and accessibility top

Ted Jones of the Taupō Access Reference Group says some road crossing points in Taupō are impossible for people in wheelchairs or with walking frames. Photo / Laurilee McMichael

The Taupō District Council has set out its vision for future transport around the district in a draft seven-point plan.

And if you're hoping for new roads you'll be disappointed.

The emphasis is on making it easy for everybody to get around the district, whether by private car, bus, on foot or by cycle.

"It's important that our main roads flow well and people can get around easily. Having dedicated main roads that prioritise traffic flow support this," the strategy says. "In other areas, a balance needs to be struck. Feeder and side roads need to also support house and business access, street parking, cycleways and safe and easy pedestrian crossing opportunities. Town and village areas need to support social and economic interactions."

However, the draft strategy Connecting Taupō 2020-2050 does specifically talk about the revamp of Titiraupenga St and Spa Rd to divert through-traffic around the side of the town centre, while encouraging visitors and locals with business in town to drive in.

The long-wished-for second bridge is also in the strategy, although no date is given for when that could proceed. It does, however, acknowledge Control Gates Bridge as a choke point restricting traffic flow to the north of the town.

It also specifically mentions increasingly slow travel times between Taupō and Turangi in recent years, caused by growing numbers of trucks, visitor vehicles and campervans.

An evening queue begins to build on Spa Rd, Taupō. Photo / File

The draft strategy sets out a number of key themes and ideas that the council hopes will start the conversation to help inform its long-term transport priorities and direction.

It is also specifically asking people to identify which rural roads have become busy with cars or trucks and need reviewing to ensure they're safe; which intersections need upgrading for safety or to improve traffic flow; which pedestrian or cycling connections need protecting or improving; and where it needs to be safer or easier to cross the road.

While the top priority is safety and the report specifically singles out State Highway 1 between Taupō and Turangi, it also discusses rural roads; busy town-centre roads such as Titiraupenga St and Tongariro St; and speed management around schools, walking and cycling routes and town/village areas.

The second priority - making getting around accessible and affordable - talks about public transport connections, including buses from Turangi to Taupō, accessible town centres and parking, including areas around medical facilities and swimming pools. Projects such as regularly reviewing all footpaths to ensure they are smooth, well maintained to support walking, cycling and scootering and that the vegetation is trimmed back are mentioned.

The third is making the district walking- and cycling-friendly to support sustainable choices with a network of shared paths that connect communities to shops, schools, playgrounds and Lake Taupō, upgraded intersections and road crossings, and paths that traverse hills rather than going straight up.

The strategy also lists planning for a second Taupō bridge as one of the actions, saying while building second bridge is likely to be a medium- to long-term initiative, early planning is required so it can be started quickly once the need arises.

For those who hate sitting in crawling traffic, the report says the focus will be on ensuring predictable and reliable travel times rather than trying to prevent congestion at peak periods.

"Slow but stable traffic flow and a few minutes' delay for commuters and summer visitors is acceptable. But we will aim to plan to avoid regular risks of large unexpected delays where traffic flow breaks down completely and causes uncertainty and disruption."

Ted Jones of the Taupō Access Reference Group says the group is happy to have the opportunity to have input into the draft transport strategy, and supports its priority of making transport accessible to all. He says at present, there are barriers to getting around for some groups, including older people, disabled people, school children and people with prams.

"There are places that you just can't get to."

Ted Jones thinks the crossing point at the southern end of Control Gates Bridge is particularly dangerous. Photo / Laurilee McMichael

Having infrastructure and networks that catered to everyone from old people to babies would make it suitable for all people in the community, he said.

Because all of Taupō was built on the side of a slope, almost every footpath was sloping or off-camber and that made it difficult for people in wheelchairs or with walking frames. Many road crossings, even ones with pedestrian refuges, were also a problem, especially those at roundabouts. Ted wanted to see pedestrian-activated traffic lights at key crossing points, well away from intersections, which temporarily halted traffic to allow pedestrians to cross safely.

Ted praised the standard of the upgraded Great Lake Walkway, with its wide, smooth path, and said he wished a similar path could be provided to Acacia Bay as the existing cycle/walking path was "monstrous" to negotiate in his power chair or hand-powered trike.

Taupō-based independent traffic engineer Duncan Campbell says the consultants who prepared the strategy have made "a pretty impressive effort" overall. He said in his opinion it was worth investigating options for improving peak traffic flow at Control Gates Bridge, considering using Mere Rd as a main route south of the town centre with an intersection treatment at Lake Tce, and considering two-lane roundabouts rather than traffic signals for intersection treatments.

Taupō-based traffic engineer Duncan Campbell of Traffessionals Limited. Photo / File

"Signalised intersections are certainly simpler to design, but in general suffer more serious injury crashes and higher user delays outside of peak periods - which for Taupō is the significant majority of the time," Duncan says. "Nowadays a two-lane roundabout can be well designed to cater for pedestrians and cyclists for similar cost, although we do not have any good examples here in Taupō."

Feedback on the draft Transport Strategy is open until 5pm on Friday, September 4. For further information and to provide feedback head to www.taupodc.govt.nz/council/consultation/draft-transport-strategy.

Taupō Draft Transport Strategy order of priorities

1. Safety

2. Inclusive so getting around is not a barrier to anybody

3. Walking- and cycling-friendly

4. Supporting the vibrancy of town centres

5. Well connected to the rest of New Zealand

6. Resilient and reliable

7. Maintaining predictable travel times - managing growth and peaks by making the most of existing networks

Some of the district's transport challenges:

• Increased traffic creating barriers and safety concerns, especially for pedestrians

• Safety

• Transition to low-emission transport

• Ageing population requires more user-friendly and forgiving intersections, pedestrian crossings and footpaths

• Poor walking and cycling connections leading to low walking and cycling rates.

• Population growth in some areas, growth in highway traffic and tourism, plus seasonal influxes placing pressure on a few concentrated roads and intersections