Regional Freight Transport Plan Regional Freight Transport Plan

The Regional Freight Transport Plan identifies the critical challenges for freight movement, desired outcomes, and an action plan to achieve those outcomes.

 

 

 

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Background

As Auckland’s population continues to grow, so too does the demand for goods and services. However, it has become increasingly difficult to deliver goods to customers. Managing competing network demands with the safe, sustainable distribution of freight is a critical challenge for Auckland.

In 2017/18, 76.3 million tonnes of freight were moved within, to, from and through Auckland. Freight in Auckland is expected to grow substantially over the next 30 years, with total freight carried in the region projected to increase to 108 million tonnes by 2046, influenced by population growth as well as trends in import, export and manufacturing.

Freight is a key enabler of economic activity and fundamental to the liveability of a city. Given so much of the freight that comes into Auckland stays within Auckland, this needs to be a core area of focus for Auckland Council.

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About the Regional Freight Transport Plan

The plan has been co-designed with our partners, (NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport) and key freight stakeholders, (including KiwiRail, Ports of Auckland, Auckland Airport, Automobile Association, National Road Carriers Association, Mainfreight and Road Transport Association NZ).

The plan identifies the critical challenges facing the freight transport system in Auckland:

• changing land uses
• congestion and growth
• growing demands
• road space and urban amenity
• safety and health
• fuel crises
• environmental pressures.

It also sets out desired outcomes:

Productivity
Improve the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of Auckland's transport network to support freight movement. Strategic freight connections should provide predictable journey times, support supply chain performance, and maximise the productivity of existing transport infrastructure.

Regulatory Improvements
The supply chain within Auckland is cost effectively managed and monitored to enable the freight industry to provide its customers with reliable access to goods and services.

Safety
Improve safety outcomes by reducing the risk of deaths and serious injuries involving freight vehicles, while supporting safe freight operations through infrastructure, vehicle types, and operating practices.

Sustainability
Reduce the environmental impacts of freight through improved operational efficiency, lower emissions, and the adoption of cleaner technologies. Freight should contribute to Auckland's broader climate and environmental objectives while continuing to support economic activity and innovation.

System Integration
Integrate freight considerations into transport, land use, and investment decision-making. This will help protect strategic freight connections, support growth, and ensure freight needs are balanced with wider transport and place-making outcomes.

Smarter Freight
Improve freight decision-making through better data, information, technology, and collaboration. Greater understanding of freight activity and emerging trends will help identify opportunities to improve the performance, efficiency, and resilience of the freight system.

To get to these outcomes, an action plan has been developed with our partners and stakeholders with actions grouped around these areas:

• building freight knowledge – to have informed decision making.
• stronger relationships – to build a more cohesive approach and better behaviour.
• smarter freight movement – to identify areas of concern on the network and address.
• optimising loading and servicing – to improve the last mile issues.
• aligning freight and strategy – to incorporate freight into the transport planning system.

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The strategic freight network

One of the core outputs of the freight plan is a refresh of the strategic freight network (SFN). The SFN represents the most critical roads in Auckland for the movement of freight and where freight should be considered a modal priority (though not necessarily the only priority).

The SFN has been designed to:

• Link major areas of freight generation and attraction within the Auckland region, and to and from important locations outside the region.
• Minimise the impact of freight movement on the community.
• Provide roads and routes capable of accommodating the largest vehicles within normal legal limits.
• Offer convenient and reliable travel for freight between key locations.

In addition to the strategic routes, the SFN map also identifies the overweight and over dimension routes in the Auckland road network, as well as core freight areas. The hierarchy of the SFN is outlined below.

Table outlining hierarchy of road designations in the Auckland strategic freight network

Level	Definition
1A	Roads of the highest strategic value to freight movement, including the motorways and most of the state highways (typically the Waka Kotahi, NZ Transport Agency road network), being Arterials where efficient freight movements must be actively supported to maintain Levels of Service through active planning and design.
1B	Roads of the highest strategic value to freight movement being Arterials where efficient freight movements must be actively supported to maintain Levels of Service, where competing modes and land uses require active management.
2	Local freight networks within strategic freight areas where there are no competing land use demands i.e. the land adjacent to these roads are primarily used for industrial/commercial purposes and free from sensitive community or other residential impacts. Planning and design should consider the efficiency of freight movements.
3	Supporting freight networks connecting to/between strategic freight areas where planning and design should consider the efficient movement of freight, noting that land uses adjacent to the road are such that the impacts of freight movement requires active management.

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For more information on this plan contact Auckland Council.