Contact Auckland Transport for further Information

For extended verbal descriptions of maps or for further information on the maps please call Auckland Transport, (09) 301 0101, or email rltp@aucklandtransport.govt.nz . Please make it clear your query relates to the Regional Land Transport Plan. If you email us please provide your name and a contact phone number.

1.1 Prioritisation to optimise the funding available

2.1 Feedback from local boards

Some local boards reflected a view that local board aspirations, as shown in their Local Board Plans, were not adequately reflected in the project lists included with the RLTP. However, there are structural barriers to a direct connection between Local Board Plans and the RLTP. First, AT's primary reporting relationship is to the Governing Body, through the Letter of Expectation and the Statement of Intent (SOI), and accordingly it is the Governing Body's priorities that are most strongly reflected in the RLTP. Second, the prioritisation tool used to analyse projects for inclusion in the RLTP does not give specific weight to local aspirations, but is primarily based on technical criteria, considering "transport need" on a regional basis.

Notwithstanding, Local Board Plans are strongly supportive of many of the strategic initiatives that AT is undertaking, including the extensive improvements being undertaken in both the rail and bus networks, and the emphasis being placed on walking and cycling. The main area of difference here is that local boards generally are seeking more to happen, and more quickly, than AT is able to deliver. In addition, there are a number of locally cherished roading initiatives which have not attracted sufficient priority under the prioritisation process.

The Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF) gives local boards the ability to fund minor works directly, in response to public concern or local aspirations. Some local boards have been slow to realise the potential of this fund, and may have difficulty spending their allocation during their current term in office. However, local boards that have actively sought to progress programmes funded by the LBTCF have been able to deliver many dozens of minor projects and infrastructure consistent with their Local Board Plans.

Auckland's Transport Policy in Detail

***

3.1 The purpose of the RLTP

This RLTP sets out an investment programme for Auckland which maintains the momentum of transport improvements seen in the last four years, to the extent possible within current funding constraints.

All publicly funded land transport activities in Auckland are included in this RLTP, including:

• The road network, including state highways

• Footpaths and cycleways, which are usually but not always beside roads

• Road safety activities delivered in partnership by AT, the Transport Agency and the NZ Police

• Public transport (bus, rail and ferry) services

• Improvements to bus stops, rail stations and ferry wharves, and the creation of transport interchanges and park- and-ride facilities

• Management and improvement of rail track infrastructure by KiwiRail

• Parking provision and enforcement activities

• Transport planning.

Information about these activities is provided in detail for the three years 2015/16 to 2017/18, and in outline for the seven years 2018/19 to 2024/25.

The Regional Transport Committee (RTC) will review this RLTP in 2018 and will consult again on a revised 10-year programme.

3.2 Transport strategy in Auckland

Transport strategy in Auckland is potentially complex. The three delivery agencies each have their own priorities which, while consistent, create the potential for misalignment. At the highest level, the Auckland Plan drives the allocation of council funding while the GPS sets the investment platform for government investment. A number of sub-strategies also exist, including Auckland's Parking Strategy and the Upper North Island Freight Strategy.

However, all funding decisions and delivery agencies are aligned toward the need to address:

• Growth: infrastructure is required to support Auckland's increase in new housing, jobs, student numbers and tourists.

• Congestion: long-standing issues with traffic flows will only get worse as Auckland grows. Public transport is one dimension but investment to support freight movement and improve key road corridors is needed.

• Business as usual: a large stock of existing infrastructure investments needs to be maintained, and safety and environmental factors kept to the fore.

These outcomes are all measured as part of this RLTP. The following section outlines the priorities contained in the suite of existing policy. It also lays out how a prioritisation matrix and investment logic map have been used to inform the allocation of resources and choice of projects over the 10-year life of the plan.

3.3 The Auckland Plan

The Auckland Plan outlines how Auckland will grow and change to accommodate an estimated one million more people over the next 30 years. It sets out a vision of Auckland as the world's most liveable city, and describes the outcomes needed to achieve this vision by 2040, highlighting six transformational shifts where a step-change is needed, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Auckland Plan vision, outcomes and transformational shifts

Auckland's Vision: The World's Most Liveable City

Outcomes: What the Vision Means in 2040

• A fair, safe and healthy Auckland

• A green Auckland

• An Auckland of prosperity and opportunity

• A well connected and accessible Auckland

• A beautiful Auckland that is loved by its people

• A culturally rich and creative Auckland

• A Maori identity that is Auckland's point of difference in the world

Transformational Shifts: to Achieve the Vision

• Dramatically accelerate the prospects of Auckland's children and young people

• Strongly commit to environmental action and green growth

• Move to outstanding public transport within on network

• Radically improve the quality of urban living

• Substantially raise living standards for all Aucklanders and focus on those most in need

• Significantly lift Maori social and economic well-being

Two of the six transformational shifts, the move to outstanding public transport and radically improving the quality of urban living, relate most closely to transport and can be seen as enablers of the other transformations.

To deliver a well-connected and accessible Auckland, the Auckland Plan sets out four transport priorities:

• Manage Auckland's transport as a single system

• Integrate transport planning and investment with land use development

• Prioritise and optimise investment across transport modes

• Implement new transport funding mechanisms.

This RLTP supports the Auckland Plan by setting out the transport investment programme and supporting strategies for delivering the Auckland Plan's strategic direction over the next 10 years. A key task for the RLTP is the prioritisation of transport expenditure, particularly where insufficient funding is available. Alignment with the Auckland Plan's strategic direction is a central part of how transport projects have been prioritised for inclusion in this RLTP, as discussed in Section 4.6.

3.4 Government Policy Statement on Land Transport

The investment programme set out in this RLTP is designed to give effect to the transport components of the Auckland Plan, and is consistent with the GPS. The GPS sets out the government's priorities, objectives and funding levels for land transport, establishes funding ranges for land transport activity classes, and identifies the results expected from this investment.

The GPS 2015 was issued by the Minister of Transport on 18 December 2014. It proposes to continue the three key priorities from GPS 2012:

• A strong and continuing focus on economic growth and productivity: the government proposes to continue supporting improvements which are expected to bring benefits for national economic growth and productivity. (1)

• Road safety: the GPS 2015 continues to support the delivery of the Safer Journeys vision of a safe road system

increasingly free of death and serious injury.

• Value-for-money: a land transport system that is effective in enabling the movement of people and freight in a timely manner, and efficient in delivering the right infrastructure and services to the right level, at the best cost.

The GPS proposes six national land transport objectives, requiring a land transport system that:

• Addresses current and future demand for access to economic and social opportunities

• Provides appropriate transport choices

• Is resilient

• Is a safe system, increasingly free of death and serious injury

• Mitigates the effects of land transport on the environment

• Delivers the right infrastructure and services to the right level at the best cost.

The GPS recognises that an Auckland transport system that is working well is crucial to improving the contribution the city can make to New Zealand's economic growth and productivity. (1)

3.5 Auckland Transport strategic themes

Auckland Transport has developed five strategic themes to drive the delivery of the transport components of the Auckland Plan.

The themes are:

Prioritise rapid, high frequency public transport to achieve the Auckland Plan outcome of moving to outstanding public transport.

Transform and elevate customer focus and experience by delivering road, public transport, cycling and walking services which are user friendly, customer oriented, and meet the needs of the people of Auckland.

Build network optimisation and resilience to get better value out of our existing services and assets and be resilient against future shocks (e.g. oil price changes), changing travel patterns and demands and natural events (e.g. flooding).

Ensure a sustainable funding model to create certainty for maintaining and renewing our assets, improving service levels incrementally and adding additional capacity to the transport system to meet the needs of future growth.

Develop creative, adaptive, innovative implementation of Auckland Transport's services, programmes and new projects.

Figure 3: Auckland Transport's strategic themes to implement the Auckland Plan

Strategic Themes

Prioritise rapid, high frequency public transport

• RTN and FTN routes/innovation

• LRT Programme

• Road hierarchy programme

• Integrate active modes

Transform and elevate customer focus and experience

• Branded services

• Customer centric culture

• Digital information

• Way-finding

• Facilities and placemaking

• Modal choices

• Integration of transport for customer experience

• HOP enhancement

• Loyalty recognition

Build network optimisation and resilience

• One network/system

• Commercial Productivity

• Route optimisation

• Network options

• Transport development

• Real time information

• Congestion management

• Network resilience/reliability

• Integrate active transport

Ensure a sustainable funding model

• Commercial partnering

• Business improvements

• Diversified revenue sources

• Asset optimisation/AMP

• Disposal/usage/development of surplus assets

• Internal costing

• Procurement models

• Legislative issues

Develop creative, adaptive, innovative implementation

• Technology partnerships

• Digital data experience

• Shared facility plan

• Innovation HUB

• Academic partners

• Innovative cities mix

Auckland Transport's strategic themes align with Auckland Plan transport outcomes as shown in Figure 4 below.

Figure 4: Auckland Transport's strategic themes and the Auckland Plan strategic directions

4.1 Problem definition

According to the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development's Economic Survey of New Zealand in June 2015, Auckland is considered to be the second most congested city in Australasia, just behind Sydney. In surveys of Aucklanders, transport consistently rates as something that people are not happy about. (2)

As Auckland's population and economy continue to grow, existing transport challenges will get worse unless changes are made. The capacity of Auckland's transport system needs to expand to support and enable this growth, which is essential to New Zealand's economic development.

It is important to agree the component parts of the problem and their relative value, before designing solutions. With this in mind, AT, Auckland Council and the Transport Agency identified four key problems that need to be addressed, as discussed below.

1. Limited quality transport options and network inefficiencies undermine resilience, liveability and economic prosperity

Under-developed public transport, walking and cycling networks mean that Auckland continues to have high reliance on private vehicle travel and low levels of public transport use, walking and cycling. Private vehicles account for 78 per cent of trips in urban Auckland. (3)

Many people have no choice other than to travel by car and this high dependency on private vehicles means not only long traffic delays but that cars take up space when parked that could otherwise be used to address Auckland's housing shortage. Their use reduces environmental outcomes and worsens health and safety. It also increases the risk to the economy from future oil price shocks.

Some level of congestion is a by-product of a successful city. However, overly long travel times can reduce accessibility, subsequently impacting on economic productivity and quality of life. Poor travel time reliability negatively impacts on the efficiency of business and time sensitive freight travel. Future projections suggest worsening congestion as Auckland grows, especially for trips to and from the Auckland city centre, which is New Zealand's largest and most productive employment area. Constraining the growth of the city centre undermines the performance of Auckland and New Zealand's economy.

Investments in the rail network and the Northern Busway are already making a difference, and Aucklanders have been taking up these new choices in numbers that exceed all forecasts. Annual surveys of travel to Auckland's city centre confirm that the growth in public transport travel is already making more capacity available on key links for freight and business trips. (4)

2. The existing transport network won't adequately support growth in a way that achieves a quality compact city

Auckland is New Zealand's largest and fastest growing region and is predicted to grow by up to one million people by 2040, with 300,000 new jobs created in that time (5). Auckland is New Zealand's only international city, and does not compete with other NZ cities for investment and development; rather it competes with Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore, Vancouver and Portland. Increasingly, the competition for talent and investment is being won by cities that offer an attractive lifestyle, a safe and vibrant community and a quality environment.

Figure 6: Population growth 1996-2043, Auckland and territorial local authorities

Source: Statistics NZ medium growth projections, 2013 base

Auckland's growing population and economy will result in a corresponding increase in the demand for travel, not only during peak commuter periods, but throughout the day. The existing transport system, which is already under pressure, will not be able to support Auckland's growth without significant changes.

In some of the newly designated Special Housing Areas, there is only very basic transport infrastructure. A completely new transport network will be required to support growth. Within the existing urban area, upgrades to roads, public transport, walking and cycling networks will be required to improve efficiency, make better use of existing transport assets and provide the additional capacity and enhanced connectivity that is required to encourage and support growth and intensification.

3. The transport system creates adverse health, safety, cultural and environmental effects

The social cost of road crashes in Auckland in 2013 was $847 million. (6) Although there has been a declining trend in deaths and serious injuries on Auckland's road network over the past decade, the 2013 calendar year saw an increase in road trauma, and in 2014, despite a slight improvement, Auckland did not meet its road safety targets. Using international comparisons, New Zealand has a high road fatality rate on both a population and a per-km basis. (7)

Transport accounts for around 20 per cent of New Zealand's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with the great majority of transport emissions coming from private vehicles. (8) The Auckland Plan outlines a target of reducing GHG emissions by 40 per cent by 2040 (based on 1990 levels). While some recent improvements have been achieved, especially with the rollout of electric trains, a transformational reduction will be required for transport to

"do its share" in achieving this target.

Transport construction, maintenance and operations can have adverse effects on the natural and physical environment, including damage or destruction of flora and fauna, adverse amenity effects, and the emission of harmful pollutants and the contamination of stormwater runoff from the street network. Transport projects can also adversely affect sites and areas of significance to Māori but equally the transport system can play a role in bringing Auckland's Māori identity to the forefront as a point of difference in the world.

4. Meeting all transport expectations is increasingly unaffordable and will deliver poor value for money

Providing new or expanded transport infrastructure to respond to growth is becoming increasingly expensive and inefficient. Land corridors designated in the past for transport purposes have now been used, and constructing transport infrastructure on land already used for housing or as open space is expensive and unpopular.

The Victoria Park Tunnel and the Waterview Tunnel are two examples of roading projects that have been constructed underground to minimise adverse environmental and community impacts, at significant additional cost.

The amount of funding available for transport investment and operations is constrained. Limited growth in traffic and fuel consumption in recent years has had an impact on the amount of funding available for transport investment from the National Land Transport Fund, and the potential future funding from this source will be constrained if this trend continues. Council funding for transport is also constrained through signalled lower rates increases and controls on debt levels. Transport investment must compete with investment in water supply, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, which are also crucial to support Auckland's growth.

Once new infrastructure is built, it needs to be operated and maintained. Taking a whole-of-life approach, the costs of expanding and enhancing the transport system can be many times the initial capital investment. There is little benefit in investing in new assets if this means there is insufficient funding to operate, maintain and renew existing assets.

It is clear that expecting a high level of performance from the transport system for all modes in all locations at all times and for all types of trips is increasingly unaffordable and will not provide value for money. The level of service can appropriately be expected to vary according to location, time of day, type of trip and mode of travel.

4.2 Benefits

In addressing these problems, AT, Auckland Council and the Transport Agency have identified the following benefits:

• Increased access to a wider range of quality, affordable transport choices

• Auckland's transport system moves people and goods efficiently

• Better use of transport investment

• Auckland's transport system enables growth in a way that supports communities and a high quality urban form

• Reduce adverse effects from Auckland's transport system—including safety, environmental, health and cultural considerations.

Consistent with the business case approach, these have been aligned to a number of strategic responses.

4.3 Strategic responses

The strategic responses are statements of a strategic approach to deliver upon the problems and benefits identified. They do not prescribe a particular solution. Instead, strategic responses guide delivery of an integrated, One System approach. Collectively, this process of problem, benefit and strategic response underpins the investment programme and is represented in the following investment logic map.

Figure 7: Investment logic map

Investment Logic Map

Problem: Limited quality transport and network inefficiencies undermine resilience, liveability and economic prosperity 45%

• Benefit: Increased access to a wider range of quality affordable transport choices 25%
  Strategic response:

  • Improve walking and cycling access to public transport

  • Provide infrastructure in suitable locations to support uptake of public transport

  • Generate a transformational shift by moving to an outstanding public transport system

  • Increase investment in walking and cycling initiatives

• Benefit: Auckland's transport system moves people and goods efficiently 15%
  Strategic response:

  • Engage with the freight industry to improve efficiency

  • Prioritise investment which addresses freight and public transport congestion

  • Invest in travel demand management initiatives & travel planning

• Benefit: Auckland's transport system enables growth in a way that supports communities and a high quality urban form 30%
  Strategic response:

  • Provide infrastructure and public transport services that support priority growth areas

  • Provide infrastructure that facilitates a high quality urban form

  • Facilitate the achievement of Maori outcomes through transport planning & projects

Problem: The existing transport network won't adequately support growth in a way that achieves a quality compact city 25%

• Benefit: Auckland's transport system enables growth in a way that supports communities and a high quality urban form 30%
  Strategic response:

  • Provide infrastructure and public transport services that support priority growth areas

  • Provide infrastructure that facilitates a high quality urban form

  • Facilitate the achievement of Maori outcomes through transport planning & projects

Problem: The transport system creates adverse health, safety, cultural and environmental effects 15%

• Benefit: Reduce adverse effects from Auckland transport system 15%
  Strategic response:

  • Facilitate the achievement of Maori outcomes through transport planning & projects

  • Invest to improve the safety of the transport system and users

  • Encourage sustainability practices in construction, operations and maintenance

  • Invest to reduce reliance on private vehicles

Problem: Meeting all transport expectations is increasingly unaffordable and will deliver poor value-for-money 15%

• Benefit: Better use of transport investment 15%
  Strategic response:

  • Maintain and optimise the existing network before investing in new capacity

  • Develop a transport programme which is financially sustainable

  • Invest in intelligent transport systems to improve network performance

  • Prioritise investments where they provide wider network benefits

  • Develop travel demand initiatives that optimise the use of the system

  • Clearly define transport expectations

4.4 One System approach

It makes no sense to plan each network in isolation because people use them as one system. A single journey might start on a local road or cycleway, use the motorway network, a rail station park-and-ride, the train into the city, and then a footpath to a final destination. It might start at the port or the airport and use freight routes to deliver goods. One System treats all the networks as a whole or as a collection of places. The starting points for the One System are Auckland's current land use and the aspirations set in the Auckland Plan and the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP).

Figure 8: The One System approach

Looking at transport networks as layers of connections enables AT to identify opportunities to improve travel choices, make better use of existing transport networks, align transport provision with changing patterns of land use and demand, and improve resilience to unexpected events and future changes.

The One System approach is also about AT, the Transport Agency, KiwiRail and other transport providers working together to plan and manage the whole transport system, paying special attention to the old spatial and administrative boundaries where things might have fallen through the gaps in the past.

More detail on each of the layers of the One System approach is set out in the following chapters, along with details of how each component of the transport system can be improved to better contribute to the above outcomes.

4.5 Māori outcomes

Māori outcomes in the RLTP are guided by the key directions and transformational shifts identified in the Auckland Plan:

• The aspirational outcome "A Māori Identity is Auckland's point of difference in the world".

• The transformational shift of significantly lifting Māori social and economic wellbeing.

To meet these outcomes, Auckland Council and the Independent Māori Statutory Board have identified: post-treaty settlement opportunities with Mana Whenua, marae and papakainga development, and Māori urban design (including te reo Māori) as priorities for AT.

Part 2 of the Resource Management Act 1991 is of particular relevance for AT and its relationship with Māori in the building of infrastructure. The Act provides for the relationship of Māori with their ancestral lands, water, wāhi tapu sites and other taonga, the expression of kaitiakitanga and the Treaty of Waitangi relationship. The PAUP includes provisions relating to Māori cultural heritage and Māori values. These are also important considerations in decision-making.

Early engagement on the RLTP occurred in May 2014 with 14 iwi authorities represented. In February and March 2015, nine iwi authority representatives attended a hui on the draft RLTP. One of the key themes emerging from the engagement was the need to reflect Māori outcomes and Te Ao Māori/Māori values in the prioritisation process for the RLTP, through an overarching set of principles. These apply in particular to the environmental and cultural aspects of the RLTP's prioritisation process.

Amendments to the prioritisation system have been made following engagement with Mana Whenua. This has involved incorporating better criteria to assess whether projects have adverse impacts on the achievement of Māori values. Due to time frames, the criteria have not been used to rescore projects for the purpose of setting this RLTP. The criteria will however be used over the next three years to assess projects as they progress through their various stages. As this process involves identifying red flags, the criteria will be used as a "checkpoint" rather

than as scoring criteria for project prioritisation. Additional work with Mana Whenua over the 2015-18 period will seek to further embed the achievement of Māori values into the prioritisation system.

Another issue for engagement in the 2015-18 period is Māori roadways. Section 22 of the Land Transport Management Act provides for the funding of Māori roadways. AT is undertaking preparatory work to determine the extent of such roadways in the Tāmaki Makaurau region, and will work proactively with Mana Whenua on this issue.

4.6 Prioritisation and ranking

To deliver upon the strategic responses, a prioritisation process, led by AT, with input from Auckland Council and the Transport Agency, seeks to ensure the best value projects are the ones that are funded. The prioritisation process works like a sieve through which activities are reviewed and considered in increasing detail as they move down through the various "filters". This section outlines the prioritisation process (see figure 9 below) and sequencing steps that have occurred subsequent to the consultation process.

Figure 9: Auckland prioritisation process—overview

1. New Projects/Legacy Projects: 1000 Projects [forward to 2]

2. Filter 1 (Sanity check): 800 Projects (One Project List) [forward to 3]

3. Filter 2: 600 Projects (Rationalised List) [forward to 4 and 9a]

4. Filter 3: 500 Projects (Non Committed Project List) [forward to 5 and 8]

5. Filter 4: 400 Projects (Preliminary Project List) [forward to 6 and 9a]

6. Filter 5: - (Prioritised Project List) [forward to 7 and to 9a]

7. Filter 6: 20-30 Programmes (Strategic Themes Programmes (Timing and Dependencies)) [forward to 8 and 9a]

8. Filter 7: - (Funded Programme) [forward to 9a and 9b]

9a. Holding Pen [back to 1]

9b. Delivery [forward to 10]

10. Operation

4.7 Timing and sequencing

Following on from the draft RLTP consultation, a further filter was applied to ensure that, at any given level of funding, the projects with the highest level of benefits were included and that the timing and sequencing of projects was optimal in a context of funding shortage.

While generally higher priority projects would be expected to be implemented before lower priority projects, a number of critical dependencies between projects, as well as appropriately balancing investment between programmes and individual projects, require a transparent system to determine optimal timing and sequencing.

The following criteria are used to ensure the timing of projects is optimised:

Figure 10: Timing and sequencing of projects

Priority 1

• Project With Commitment: Evidence available which confirms project as a pre-existing commitment

Priority 2

• Minimum Annual Spend On A Key Regional Programme (e.g. safety): Investment establishes a minimum annual spend on a programme of work which has as direct link to a key strategic priority (e.g. safety)

Priority 3

• Critical Dependency—public transport New Network: Project identified as an essential requirement for a key aspect of the public transport New Network

• Critical Dependency—Special Housing Area: Project identified as an essential requirement for a Special Housing Area to develop

• Critical Dependency—larger regional initiative: Project proven to be essential for unlocking the benefits of a larger initiative (e.g. Western Ring Route or City Rail Link) included within the RLTP

Priority 4

• Significant Impact On A Key Performance Indicator (KPI): Evidence provided that the project/initiative has a significant, measurable impact on one of the following KPIs:

  • Public transport boardings

  • Asset condition

  • Fatal/serious injuries

  • Travel times along strategic freight routes (as defined in the Auckland Transport Statement of Intent)

• Significant Risk Of Project Cost Escalation: Deferring the project incurs significant risk of cost escalation over $10 million (excluding inflation)—e.g. the land required will almost certainly be developed in the interim or delay will result in significant duplication of current activity. Note—only funding required to reduce the risk of cost escalation should be brought forward (e.g. route protection).

Priority 5

• Special Funding: Project attracts additional targeted funding that amounts to at least 50 per cent of total capital

• Transport Agency Co-Investment Confirmed: Project has current approved NLTF funding (for design and/or construction)

Priority 6

• Very High Economic Efficiency: Project has very high economic benefits evidenced by a pre-existing BCR >=7.0

• Reduces Operating Costs: Capital investment in the project has been shown to reduce operating costs in the future (e.g. LED street lighting)

Priority 7

• Other Reason: Reason to be clearly specified in accompanying notes

The prioritised list is then used to develop a strategically aligned, optimised programme that is funded, deliverable and represents value for money. This forms the basis for Auckland Council and the Transport Agency to make funding decisions and for AT to prepare its final programme.

4.8 Other significant influences

4.9 Policies

5.1 Transport funding

Transport programmes are funded from a mix of:

• NZ Transport Agency co-investment from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF). Roughly a quarter of AT's funding comes from the NLTF. The NLTF is predominantly sourced from fuel excise duties, road user charges, registration and licensing fees. The government has committed to increasing fuel excise duties in the short term, to enable an increase in fund size to pay for essential improvements to the national transport system. NZ Transport Agency co-investment contributes to investment in local roads, public transport and other transport activities delivered by AT, as well as fully funding their own activities, which include the state highway network and traffic policing.

• Central Government also invests directly in transport activities in Auckland. An example of this is the electrification project delivered by KiwiRail.

• Auckland Council owns AT and contributes over half of its total funding. The council's revenue is from rates and debt. Rates generally fund on-going activities such as bus services, while debt funds new infrastructure such as railway stations. Details of funding sources for Auckland Council are set out in the Long-term Plan

• AT revenue including fares on many (but not all) public transport services, advertising, and income from land held for future transport needs, parking revenue and enforcement. There are limits to the extent to which revenue from these sources can be increased while maintaining the focus on providing better transport choices for Aucklanders.

5.2 Transport investment programme

The transport investment programme set out in this RLTP is constrained by the above funding allocations.

The RLTP provides the basis of a request for funding from the NLTF, which will be assessed by the Transport Agency using its Investment Assessment Framework. The agency's decisions on which transport projects to invest in is documented in the Auckland section of the 2015-18 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

The Transport Agency's programme of improvements is well funded and will deliver added capacity to the state highway network through a series of improvements. In addition, the agency will deliver several important links to the region's cycleways in the next three-year period, and continue to work with AT to extend the Northern Busway and help plan the North-western Busway.

The amount of funding for AT's services and improvements is significantly more than was proposed in the draft RLTP and Long-term Plan.

5.3 Outcomes

By 2025 there will be over 110 million annual public transport trips in the region. To support and encourage this growth in patronage there will be an increase in the number of park-and-rides and new infrastructure such as interchanges, train stations and new bus shelters.

These changes will impact on previously projected public transport boardings, as illustrated in Figure 12.

Figure 12: Annual public transport boardings

Auckland Transport will manage and maintain roads and footpaths to current levels of service for the coming three years. However, from 2018/19 renewals funding does not keep pace with need. Figure 13 shows the impact on asset condition based on the proposed renewals budgets.

Figure 13: Impact of renewals programme

6.1 State Highway Programme

As well as general improvements and enhancements to the state highway network, a series of major packages of work are at the heart of the State Highway Programme.

6.2 State highway costs

Like Auckland Transport's investment in local roads, the Transport Agency's investment in state highways has three components: maintenance and operations; renewals, and infrastructure improvements.

7.1 The road network

Local and collector roads make up 83 per cent of the road network in terms of length, but most of these roads serve their network function well, making them a lower priority for upgrades and traffic management than the arterials.

Auckland's primary and secondary arterial roads make up 16 per cent of the city's road network by length. The arterial network has been well maintained but not sufficiently developed and managed to meet growing travel demands. Although not as busy as Auckland's motorways, arterials carry much more traffic than local roads and are the location of most of the network's safety and congestion problems, particularly those arterials which directly connect with the motorway network. The One System approach is especially important here as some motorway improvements cannot realise their intended benefits because the capacity constraint is actually traffic entering and leaving via the arterials.

Arterial roads are often not able to cope with additional vehicle traffic. Widening roads and intersections is prohibitively expensive and can create problems for pedestrians and local residents as multi-lane roads are significant barriers to local trips, especially for the young and elderly. Auckland's arterial roads are also the location of most of the city's shops, schools and other important destinations. It becomes essential to set priorities that consider public transport, freight, walking, cycling, and general traffic. The order of priority of these different road users will vary depending on the road, and may vary by time of day.

Over the 10 years of this plan, AT's focus for road improvements will be the arterial network as shown in Figure 15 and the regional freight network shown in Figure 16. The highest priority arterial improvements include the completion of Albany Highway and the construction of Te Atatu Corridor, which feed traffic onto and accept traffic from SH16. The programme provides for these roads to be upgraded during the first three years. Te Atatu Corridor is essential to securing the benefits of the Western Ring Route.

In addition, the Department of Conservation (DOC) holds a road network across Auckland and New Zealand.

DOC has been working with the Transport Agency to strengthen their management of roads for the benefit of road users. Previously, DOC has received funding through the Transport Agency to manage and maintain Special Purpose Roads. However, as a Road Controlling Authority, co-funding through the NLTP will allow DOC to provide a more consistent level of service (where roads cross boundaries with AT or the Transport Agency) and to manage their road assets more effectively.

7.2 Moving people

Everyone in Auckland uses the transport system and almost everyone uses the arterials at peak times, whether driver or car passenger, pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist or bus passenger. Even people travelling by train, ferry or on the motorway network use arterials for part of their journey.

Figure 15: Auckland arterial road network

While the great majority of trips go smoothly, if a customer does experience delays or safety issues this is most likely to be on an arterial road, and most likely at peak times. Unlike the motorway network, which works best when traffic flows smoothly, the "best" arterial road is one where vehicle flow is balanced with other considerations including safety, the priority of different users, cross-movements, and the needs of retail and other land uses.

Widespread uptake of GPS tracking devices, the rollout of AT HOP cards on buses and advances in mapping and data analysis mean that AT has more information than ever about how the road network is performing.

This data shows some interesting results, including:

• Overall vehicle travel is growing slower than the population. Growth in traffic on some routes in Auckland is offset by declines on other routes.

• The peak is not well defined by a specific time (e.g. 7-9am and 4-6pm). The actual peak differs by place (Pukekohe residents travel earlier than Ponsonby), by purpose of travel (there is a clear "school peak" from 3-4pm), and by mode (bus travellers seem to be particularly late risers).

• On some links of the arterial network a bad run (defined as the worst 15 per cent of travel times, i.e. one trip in seven) takes twice as long as normal. However on the most congested arterials, travel times at peak are actually very consistent—that is, consistently slow.

• Public transport use is growing, especially in areas served by the Northern Busway and bus priority lanes. On some corridors including Fanshawe Street, Symonds Street and Dominion Road there are more people on buses than in cars at peak times.

To get the best performance out of the whole network, AT and the Transport Agency have established the Auckland Traffic Operations Centre (ATOC) which is the central hub for the network of traffic signals, sensors and CCTVs used to direct traffic flows, inform road users and respond to emergencies. The ATOC team works to improve the performance of each road and the resilience of the whole network. This includes managing traffic signals to optimise traffic flow, giving priority to buses and responding quickly to incidents. The team is constantly looking for ways to move more people along each corridor safely, while minimising the negative effects of traffic on neighbouring homes and businesses. This RLTP also provides for small infrastructure improvements to improve road productivity.

An arterial road is "optimised" when:

• The road is safe

• The number and/or speed of people movements are improving and approaching the standard of productivity defined for arterial roads by Austroads. On many arterials the best way to improve productivity is to give priority to buses and/or cars with passengers

• Reliability, defined as the ratio of the worst 15 per cent of travel times compared to the median travel time, is improving

• Provision for cycling is in line with the Auckland Cycle Network standards

• Pedestrians have a choice of places to cross the road safely, with minimal detours or delays

• There is enough access to side roads to serve the adjacent land uses.

7.3 Moving freight

The demand for the movement of freight in Auckland is substantial. For 2012 it was estimated that 65.45 million tonnes were moved within, to or from the Auckland region. This represents 26 per cent of the national and about 47 per cent of the total Upper North Island (UNI) freight flows (excluding pipelines). The volumes reflect:

• The presence of several major international gateways (Ports of Auckland, Auckland International Airport and MetroPort), for the movement of goods by air and sea

• A high level of manufacturing and transport and distribution activities

• The substantial population in the region.

The international gateways are estimated to handle 12 per cent of total freight in the region.

The road network is the dominant mode for moving goods, accounting for 87 per cent of tonnes carried, which represents 25 per cent of the total tonnage moved by road in NZ. Rail freight accounted for seven per cent of the total for the region but this again was important nationally, accounting for 27 per cent of all movements by rail. Coastal shipping has a relatively small share of regional freight traffic but again this represents about a quarter of

all movements nationally. Although not directly impacting on land transport movements, Auckland is also served by a pipeline that carries about 2.2 million tonnes of petroleum products between the refinery at Marsden Point and the oil terminal and distribution centre at Wiri.

The use of rail to carry freight has also been growing strongly in Auckland, driven in part by the development of inland ports at Wiri and Southdown.

Key freight movements

High heavy vehicle flows are experienced on both the state highway network and the regional arterials during the morning peak and inter-peak periods. The particular areas of high heavy commercial vehicle use on or around the strategic freight network include:-

• SH1 Southern Motorway—especially between Manukau and Greenlane

• SH1 Northern Motorway—North Shore down to Onewa Road

• SH20 between Manukau and the SH20A intersection

• SH16 from Westgate to Point Chevalier including access to the port along the Strand

• SH20A/SH20B airport access.

High flows experienced on the major arterials of the region include the Wairau Corridor between Albany and Takapuna, the Ti Rakau/SEART/Neilson Street corridor, Highbrook Drive, Great South Road in Mt Wellington, Mt Wellington Highway, Hunua Road and Beach Road in Papakura.

The freight network is forecast to come under increasing pressure (16). Key elements are general traffic growth across the city in various centres, in particular the logistics and distribution areas of Onehunga/Penrose, Highbrook/East Tamaki, and the airport business area.

Freight traffic is forecast to grow substantially in future years increasing by almost 75 per cent between 2012 and 2042, from 65.45 million tonnes to over 100 million tonnes. Although much of this growth is related to traffic growth within the region, freight movements between Auckland and the other UNI regions are also expected to increase by about 60 per cent. The relatively high increase for internal movements means the freight network within the region will be under the greatest pressure and not the strategic routes linking to other regions. This is consistent with the importance of the first mile—last mile part of the journey, which creates the biggest challenge to freight movement in the region.

Freight movement can often be assisted by good network management even without physical changes to the road. Optimising traffic signals on freight routes can potentially ensure that heavy commercial vehicles proceed steadily, avoiding the need for repeated stops and starts. Road works and planned disruptions can be communicated widely, with unplanned disruptions managed via contingency plans. Over the period from 20122014, transport agencies in the region have managed to hold inter-peak travel times and travel time reliability for freight roughly constant on those freight routes used for performance measurement, despite increases in freight and business travel volumes. This indicates that the types of measures introduced to improve routes for heavy commercial vehicle movements could also potentially benefit some types of business movements.

Figure 16 shows the Auckland regional freight network. It consists of three levels:

• All roads defined as level 1 are important for the strategic movement of inter- and intra-regional freight.

• Roads defined as level 2 are intended to serve primarily freight movements in areas such as industrial parks.

• Roads classified as level 3 where freight has no particular priority but requires active management.

The entire rail network is considered of strategic value for inter-regional freight.

Figure 16: Auckland regional freight network

7.4 Road costs

Auckland's rapid growth creates pressure to prioritise spending on new assets, but AT and the Transport Agency must ensure this is not at the expense of the central task of maintaining the value of existing assets and delivering the best performance from the network.

Auckland Transport applies a hierarchy of four transport interventions as shown below in order to derive the greatest benefit from transport investment.

Figure 17: The four stage intervention process

1. Look after what we have

2. Make better use of what we have

3. Encourage smarter travel choices

4. Build new assets

Auckland Transport is working with the Transport Agency to improve consistency in the way road assets are managed in the various elements of the state highway and local transport networks. The One Network Road Classification aims to improve value for money through a nationally consistent roading hierarchy, with evidence- based service levels that will meet stakeholder and customer requirements appropriate to the role of each road in the national network, and the optimal works associated with delivering these.

7.5 Value for money—roads

7.6 Arterial and local road outcomes

The table below shows the road improvement projects in the programme and the outcomes that these improvements will bring.

What gets delivered in this programme:

The first three years focuses on:

• The completion of committed projects, e.g. the Albany Highway Upgrade

• Local road initiatives that integrate and optimise state highway and other recent investments, e.g. Te Atatu Corridor delivered by 2017 to support the Western Ring Route

• Route optimisation/network operating plan initiatives including 30 minor network efficiency improvements by 2018 and implementation of other efficiency interventions such as dynamic traffic lanes.

Outcomes from investment:

• Reduced congestion and improved efficiency in moving people and goods on the roading network.

• Major arterial improvements delivered sooner to support growth, address urban congestion and safety concerns along existing corridors—e.g. Te Atatu Corridor, Mill Road (northern).

The proposed performance measures for roads reflect the great variety of roads and road users in Auckland. This is a very complex area; Aucklanders make millions of trips each day and every trip is different, so it is a challenge to develop measures that sum up how the network as a whole is performing for buses, freight, walking, cycling and general traffic.

Public transport, road safety and walking and cycling targets are in separate chapters of this RLTP but road projects can make important contributions to achieving these targets.

The proposed performance measures for roads, along with the targets achievable within proposed budgets, are set out below. Note these indicators are also influenced by external factors including fuel prices and population growth.

8.1 The New Network

In the first year of this plan, AT will complete the deployment of fast, reliable new electric trains.

The next step forward for public transport will be the rollout of a simpler, better-connected bus network which offers more frequent and reliable access to more destinations. The New Network will untangle the complex web of infrequent bus services and put in place a simpler network of frequent bus services as shown in Figure 19. With the New Network and the City Rail Link in place, even more Aucklanders will have the option of fast, frequent and reliable travel, without having to use a car.

To make the most of the New Network, people will need to make some changes to the way they travel, and be willing to transfer from one public transport service to another to complete their journey. The essential infrastructure needed to support the New Network includes interchanges at Manukau, Otahuhu and Pukekohe, where buses from local suburbs can turn around, offering better frequency, while fast electric train services mean that for most passengers their trip will take less time in total.

Consultation on the New Network is progressing, and is completed for South Auckland, Green Bay/Titirangi,

Hibiscus Coast, Warkworth, Pukekohe, Waiuku and Tuakau, and West Auckland. The New Network is due to be implemented from 2016 and is reliant on infrastructure being in place to achieve the anticipated benefits of the network changes.

In the draft RLTP, funding was limited for public transport infrastructure until 2021, however following consultation, additional funding has been identified in the first three years to enable key infrastructure (such as Otahuhu, Manukau, Te Atatu, Silverdale and Pukekohe interchanges, bus stop improvements, bus/transit lanes, bus priority and city centre bus improvements) to be delivered.

In addition to new services, AT is proposing to introduce integrated fares. Integrated fares build on the popularity of the AT HOP card, and offer the opportunity to make seamless journeys across public transport modes and services. While this will initially be across bus and train services, the inclusion of ferry services will be considered in consultation with ferry service providers. Public transport pricing will be simplified with the introduction of fewer zones. Additional cost will be incurred by crossing zone borders and not by changing services. So whether customers choose to travel by train or bus, and whether they catch one bus or transfer between bus services, a trip between the same two places will always cost the same.

Figure 19: Public transport New Network in 2022

8.2 Rail

The Auckland region contains over 185km of rail tracks (95 route kilometres). The vast majority is double-tracked allowing trains to move in both directions at the same time. At present 77 route kilometres are electrified and the lines served by the new electric trains. There are 42 stations in the Auckland region, the majority of which have been upgraded over the past decade. This RLTP will see the last few stations upgraded and the removal of the Newmarket level crossing.

The region contains 31 combined vehicle/pedestrian level crossings and 20 pedestrian level crossings, the majority being in the core network between Swanson and Papakura. More train movements will result in the level crossings being closed for longer a period which, in turn, leads to more congestion on the local road network. It will also increase the risk of accidents as road users (and pedestrians) may become frustrated at the delays and try and attempt to cross in front of oncoming trains.

8.3 Light rail

The Auckland city centre has the fastest population growth of any area in New Zealand, growing from 18,000 residents in 2006 to over 26,000 in 2013. Employment and tertiary numbers are also growing. The success of Auckland as a city will continue to cause congestion issues in and around the city centre. This is inevitable and to some extent a sign of a successful city and economy. However, the extraordinary growth in the city's population is creating the need for further innovative transport solutions.

The 2012 City Centre Future Access Study (CCFAS) showed that the CRL, together with surface bus improvement, provided the best regional solution. It also identified that the city centre is already facing access capacity issues across all road entry points which, if not addressed now, will steadily worsen. While the CCFAS was designed to address regional needs it also highlighted city centre access issues. These were particularly from the central and southern isthmus not served by the rail network including:

• Key arterials such as Dominion Road and Symonds Street where major bus routes will be significantly over capacity in the future, even with the CRL and surface bus improvements

• Area-specific problems, including the impact of a high number of buses on urban amenity. These include existing bus route terminations at Britomart and Wellesley Street.

To address these issues, work is under way to determine an effective public transport solution for those parts of inner Auckland and the city centre that cannot be served by the commuter rail network. The CRL will not address access from the north and the triangle from the central and southern isthmus. Critical locations such as university campuses and Wynyard Quarter cannot be served effectively by commuter rail.

Figure 23: Rapid Transit Network showing the "void" in the central isthmus

Analysis of the forecast demand on the public transport network compared to the expected capacity shows many bus routes in the inner city and central isthmus being over-capacity in the near future. Increasing the number of buses on these routes will lead to greater bus congestion.

The future solution must provide additional capacity, without degrading the quality of the city centre or surrounding neighbourhoods. AT is evaluating a number of options to address this including double-deckers, bus lane expansion and bus interchanges. While many of these bus improvements still need to happen, they will not

provide sufficient capacity in the longer term to provide for the increase in Aucklanders wishing to travel into the city centre.

Following assessment of options, a light rail network that progressively expands to serve the central isthmus has been identified as the best option to overcome these issues. Similar issues and constraints in successful cities such as Sydney, Canberra and the Gold Coast have reached the same conclusion; that light rail has the ability to provide the necessary public transport capacity and support the city's intended development. Recent projects in Australasia mean significant recent experience can be drawn on for analysis.

Modern light rail solutions avoid the visual pollution of overhead lines and generate significantly less carbon emissions than the equivalent movement of passengers by bus. Figure 24 below illustrates how different modes have different capacities and travel speeds.

Figure 24: Mode capacity—comparison of carrying capacity of buses, light rail and commuter rail

Studies of the most suitable routes for light rail have been assessed and the following routes are considered the most appropriate:

• Queen Street

• Symonds Street

• Dominion Road

• Sandringham Road

• Manukau Road

• Mt Eden Road.

It is perhaps unsurprising that these routes are similar to those which operated in Auckland until the mid 1950s, providing an effective means of moving large numbers of Aucklanders around before cars were in widespread use.

The development of a light rail network also opens up the potential for this mode to be considered for the long-term travel solutions to the airport, the North Shore and other possibilities.

The potential cost of light rail is significant. While expensive to implement, the on-going operating cost is lower than the equivalent bus fleet and the benefits of the initial investment extend over generations. The capital cost of this activity is not provided for in this RLTP or in the Long-term Plan. AT is undertaking further investigations within its operating budget. Funding options are being evaluated, including the potential to introduce private sector investment.

Next steps include further analysis and planning, including refinement of cost, funding and procurement.

8.4 Rail outcomes

The table below shows the rail projects in the programme and the outcomes that these improvements will bring.

What gets delivered in this programme:

The programme incorporates the following activities:

• City Rail Link

• Removal of Newmarket Level Crossing at Sarawia Street

• $90 million from 2020 to facilitate significant improvements to other rail level crossings

• $1.8 million pa throughout the programme period for public transport safety, security and amenity improvements, to be spread across the bus, rail and ferry networks

• Additional electric trains.

Outcomes from investment:

• City centre rail stations and Britomart as a through station, opening up the entire rail network for faster, more frequent services.

• Longer and more frequent trains reduce future overcrowding.

• Improved safety at rail level crossings and elsewhere on the network.

8.5 Bus, ferry and multi-modal public transport

The rollout of the public transport New Network will deliver the routes, frequencies and service levels set out in the Regional Public Transport Plan. These changes are underpinned by new contracts and a new way of working with service providers. A key aim of these new contracts is to give AT the tools it needs to untangle the "spaghetti" of bus routes and services that grew up over decades of operator-dominated service provision, and put in place a logical network of frequent, reliable, connected routes. The public transport New Network will provide more direct routes, and more frequent services; however more customers will need to transfer between services to reach their destination.

While the New Network and new Public Transport Operating Model each have significant impacts on budgets at a detailed level, overall operational budgets have been prepared on the basis that most of the proposed changes will be cost neutral. For example, it is assumed that the cost to AT is the same for net contracts (in which the operator keeps all revenue) and gross contracts (in which AT pays the full cost of running the service, and also keeps the revenue). What does change however is the risk. Under gross contracts, AT stands to lose money from any drop in patronage, and must ensure it has the staff and systems in place to continuously build customer satisfaction and patronage.

Ferry services continue to add patronage albeit at a rate slower than rail and bus. New contracted ferry services are proposed to increase frequency and provide greater capacity across the ferry network. Some of these services will support proposed growth in the Gulf Harbour and Hobsonville areas.

In addition, the quality of the service provided to public transport users will be enhanced by providing timetable and fare/ticketing information, promotion and marketing and maintaining our public transport facilities such as the Northern Busway stations and ferry wharves.

8.6 Public transport—value for money

8.7 Public transport outcomes

The table below shows the major projects in the programme and the outcomes that these improvements will bring.

What gets delivered in this programme:

The following items are included within the first three years of the programme:

• 45 additional km of bus lanes, including the airport route, Ellerslie-Panmure Highway, Pakuranga Road, Ti Rakau Drive, parts of Great South Road and Great North Road, Greenlane West, Mt Eden Road, Manukau Road and Remuera Road.

• Double deckers enabled on 42km of the frequent bus network.

• Essential New Network infrastructure completed—interchanges at Otahuhu, Manukau, Te Atatu, Pukekohe and Silverdale.

• Park-and-ride extensions at Silverdale and Papakura, replacement facilities at Glen Eden and Hob- sonville.

• 600 new bus stops.

Outcomes from investment:

• Increased public transport boardings.

• Substantial travel time savings for existing and new users.

• Successful rollout of the integrated public transport New Network—reducing duplication and increasing frequency across the network.

• Network efficiency and cost recovery improvements—from increased demand and peak vehicle savings due to faster and more reliable services.

• Increased capacity from double deckers reduces overcrowding and allows for patronage growth in high demand corridors.

• Improved safety and security from ongoing investment in CCTV and minor safety and security projects.

The proposed performance measures for public transport are set out below, along with the targets achievable within funding constraints.

9.1 Growth projects

10.1 Place

Roads are not just for travelling along; adjacent to roads are places where people live, work, study and gather. Our arterial roads tend to go through the region's historic town centres, as shown in Figure 26. Over time, more people are choosing to live in the Auckland city centre, metropolitan centres and in town centres, where it is easy to shop, work and socialise close to home. Consequently it is important to consider the places along the road as opposed to just the movement function.

AT's role in getting Auckland moving operates within important constraints which protect the places we value. On a purpose-built arterial road, buildings are set well back, access is restricted and the movement of vehicles takes priority. In a town centre, by contrast, the place values will be high and any changes to the road will need to put the highest priority on walking, cycling, safety and liveability.

Good planning for walking and cycling is inseparable from good land use planning—distances seem much shorter if the journey is safe and interesting. AT works with Auckland Council, local boards and other council-controlled organisations to maintain and improve streetscapes so more people will naturally walk and cycle for short trips.

There will always be a tension between providing attractive, walkable, bikeable streetscapes which support a local sense of place and community, and moving more vehicles along a constricted road corridor. There are no easy answers to this issue, but having clearly identified and prioritised place values enables the inevitable trade-offs to be made in a clear and transparent way.

Figure 26: Major centres (high place values) and major roads

10.2 Walking

In terms of trip numbers, walking comes a close second to driving, with over half a million walk-only trips each day on Auckland's 6,956km of footpaths. If trips on public transport and by car which begin and/or end with a walk are included, walking is the most common way to travel. Walking is great for communities, for health and for the environment, and frees up space on the transport network for people who need to travel longer distances.

Walking to school is a great start to a lifetime of walking. Most primary school children want to walk to school; it is their parents who choose to drive (18). AT's TravelWise Schools programme now works with 408 schools to make it easier and safer to walk, bike or bus to school. In the nine years that the TravelWise programme has been operating, Auckland's TravelWise Schools have achieved a 58 per cent reduction in injury crashes involving child pedestrians and cyclists in their local areas. There are also 12,736 fewer car trips each morning peak as a result of the programme. Taking these trips off the network makes a huge difference to traffic congestion, because so many of Auckland's schools are located on busy, congested roads.

The TravelWise schools programme is supported by the Safety around Schools capital project, which is included in Chapter 11—Safety.

10.3 Cycling

In the Auckland region cycling as a transport mode generates a small proportion of the total number of trips. About one percent of journeys to work are by cycle, however this does not represent cycling potential, for example in some European cities about a third of trips are by bicycle.

10.4 Travel demand management

Travel demand management (TDM) initiatives are delivered to commuters through travel planning with businesses, business associations and tertiary institutes and personalised journey planning programmes with individual commuters. Travel demand programmes are also linked to maximising the benefits of new infrastructure and services and improving accessibility to key employment destinations, town centres and public transport.

Auckland Transport manages the Commute programme, which supports Auckland businesses, business areas and tertiary institutes to encourage commuting and business travel by means other than the single occupant vehicle. Commute projects are cost effective, delivering over $8.60 in decongestion benefits for every dollar spent, and taking 3,800 cars off the road each morning peak.

Personalised journey planning (PJP) projects have been a recent innovation to the programme and have linked to public transport service and infrastructure improvements but also support walking, cycling and carpooling. Around half of participants who completed PJP have made a shift from single driver private car use to public transport, carpooling and active modes for their regular commute.

10.5 Walking, cycling and TDM costs

10.6 Walking and cycling outcomes

The table below shows the major projects in the programme and the outcomes that these improvements will bring.

What gets delivered in this programme:

The following items are included within the programme:

• 52.4km of the Auckland Cycle Network.

• A $4 million Auckland Transport contribution towards local board walking and cycling initiatives (including greenways).

• $4.5 million for new footpaths around the region.

Outcomes from investment:

• Increased level of cycling

• Safety benefits

• Auckland leverages the Urban Cycleway Fund

• Health and environmental benefits

• Improved links to public transport.

Key performance indicators for walking, cycling and travel demand management are set out below, along with the targets achievable for the level of funding proposed:

11.1 Roles and responsibilities

AT, the Transport Agency and NZ Police face a significant challenge to learn from recent trends and to take action to return to the long-term trend of reducing road trauma, especially for vulnerable road users.

The Ministry of Transport developed the Safer Journeys Strategy in 2010 and continues to guide and monitor progress towards its vision of a safe road system increasingly free from deaths and serious injuries, through:

• Safe roads and roadsides

• Safe speeds

• Safe road use

• Safe vehicles. (21)

The Safe System approach represents a significant shift away from the historical notion of "blaming the road user" towards a growing responsibility for planners, designers and engineers to design and operate a transport system that does not result in road users being killed or seriously injured if they make a mistake.

Auckland Transport's role in creating a more forgiving transport environment involves transport planning, infrastructure design, asset management, road corridor operations and maintenance and public transport activities. These business units work closely with the above partners and with road user groups and communities to deliver a safe system. Prominent safety engineering programmes include crash reduction studies, safer communities, regional safety projects (high-risk intersections and roads), minor safety improvements, speed management and road death investigations.

Auckland Transport convenes RoadSafe Auckland with partner agencies, which is responsible for developing Road Safety Action Plans for Auckland North, West, Central and South. It also provides an educational function through road safety promotion, targeting Safer Journeys high-risk themes such as alcohol, speed, intersections, young drivers and vulnerable road users (cycling, motorcycling and pedestrians). While this education supports some NZ Police activities region wide, AT's growing focus is on targeting high-risk communities in conjunction with other RoadSafe Auckland partners. Local road safety education is also offered through the Travelwise Safe School Travel Plan programme. By fostering student leadership and a whole-school approach, the programme increases community capacity for making safe and sustainable transport choices.

The NZ Transport Agency is represented on RoadSafe Auckland and has a similar role to AT, but in relation to state highways nationally.

The NZ Police are key partners in Road Safety Action Plans. Their role is unique as only the Police have an enforcement mandate. Police activity is targeted at Safer Journeys priorities including speed, alcohol and drug affected driving, motorcycle safety, young drivers, and high-risk drivers where enforcing the law saves lives.

The Auckland Transport Operations Centre (Smales Farm) involving AT, the Transport Agency and the NZ Police, is responsible for responding quickly to incidents on the road network and for improving personal safety through its network of CCTV monitors. The Auckland Transport Operations Centre (Central) has a similar role in relation to incident management and personal security on the public transport network.

11.2 Safety costs

Safety is integral to all of Auckland Transport's activities, however relatively few budgets are dedicated solely to safety. The costs set out below relate only to those investments where safety is the only or overriding factor. A significant component of other roads costs (maintenance, local road improvements) also relate to safety. Other AT activities directly depend on safety for their outcomes, such as increased walking and cycling activity, reduced congestion around schools and town centres, and increased public transport use.

11.3 Safety outcomes

The table below shows the major projects in the programme and the outcomes that these improvements will bring.

What gets delivered in this programme:

• Annually over the 2015/16 to 2017/18: 106 minor safety improvement projects, three high-risk intersection or high-risk road improvements, 30 fatal crash investigations, 35 speed management projects, eight crash reduction studies and 18 safer communities school projects.

Outcomes from investment:

• An annual 2.6 per cent reduction in local road Death and Serious Injuries (DSI) for the 2015-18 period, providing the progress necessary to achieve both the Auckland Plan 2020 (410 DSI) and 2014/2017 Statement of Intent (SOI) local road safety targets.

• The safer communities' initiative will contribute to increased safe walking and cycling trips in high-risk Urban Central and South areas, helping to achieve the 2014/17 SOI walking and cycling target.

• Progress will be made on Auckland's high-risk intersections and high-risk roads.

• Statutory obligations for fatal crash investigations will be met. Customer and NZ Police safety requests will also be met.

• Speed management changes will meet existing requirements and new national speed management regulations introduced from 2018/19 onwards.

12.1 Outcomes

The key performance indicator for parking is occupancy rates. For on-street paid car parks, a low occupancy (below 70%) could mean that the price is set too high, or that space has been allocated to parking that is not needed. A high occupancy rate (over 90%) means wasted time and traffic congestion as people drive around looking for a place to park.

12.2 Parking and enforcement costs and revenue

Parking and enforcement activities generate revenue in excess of their costs, as well as implementing policies to make travel around Auckland safer and more reliable.

Over the ten years of this plan, AT will invest in projects to improve the management of its parking assets, including new technology to help optimise the allocation of parking resources.

12.3 Park-and-ride provision

Park-and-ride facilities are integral to the public transport network and can be regarded as extensions to stations and terminals.

Park-and-ride facilities contribute to road network decongestion by intercepting commuter trips that would otherwise have been made by car. By relocating commuter parking from the city centre to more peripheral locations more people can access public transport from further away and reduce private vehicle trips.

Auckland has around 5,500 existing park-and-ride bays of which 80 per cent are at capacity by 8am. At least half of the park-and-ride sites have a significant overflow onto surrounding streets, affecting amenity and accessibility of town centres and residential areas. Where overspill onto surrounding streets becomes problematic AT will apply the on-street parking policies to manage demand.

Auckland Transport will apply the following principles to prioritise sites for park-and-ride provision in Auckland:

• Plan as an integral part of the public transport network, extends the customer base and encourages public transport patronage.

• Site in locations that have frequent and rapid services available and less effective feeder services, walking and cycling opportunities.

• Locate facilities to intercept commuter trips by being "on the way" from high potential catchment areas based on assessed demand.

• Locate to relieve congestion by intercepting commuter traffic, and ensure vehicles accessing the facilities would not worsen local traffic congestion.

• Provide in line with corresponding improvements to the public transport network such as station/ferry terminal upgrades to maximise investment.

• Enable a transition of land use that supports transit-oriented development in the right locations.

Over the next 10 years, AT aims to introduce a further 2,800 park-and-ride bays and will invest in three types of delivery modes for park-and-ride facilities. These include leasing opportunities, new builds (including commercial/alternative funding) and rationalising existing parking in on-street spaces adjacent to public transport stations. Pricing of AT's park-and-ride facilities will also be introduced during the period of this RLTP to manage demand.

The priority park-and-ride facilities that are proposed in the first three years are detailed in the table below.

13.1 Regional transport planning costs

The transport planning budgets for AT, the Transport Agency and Auckland Council are set out below.

The following table outlines the high-level planning, known as programme business cases that AT and the Transport Agency are proposing in the next three years.

Auckland Transport

• Improving transport choice and accessibility

• New Network gap and deficiency resolution

• North West Auckland public transport accessibility

• Northern Corridor transport choice improvements

• Responding to growth areas Warkworth, SMART—improving accessibility and transport choice

• Reducing adverse effects from rail crossings.

Auckland Transport/Transport Agency

• Responding to growth in the city centre and fringe, north Auckland, north west, south.

Transport Agency

• Auckland Network Operating Plan Implementation

• Automated optimisation, compliance and enforcement

• Improving cycling for clusters of schools

• Integrated freight transport requirements

• National LED lighting for state highways

• National business case for state highway operations

• National business case for state highway optimisation

• National business case for speed management implementation

• Resilience Auckland

• SH1 Wellsford to Warkworth (NRR2); SH16 Brigham Creek to Waimauku (NRR11); SH20B—Manukau Gardens to Airport (NRR38) and SH22—SH1 to Glenbrook Road (NRR37).

15.1 Transport funding

Auckland Transport's and the Transport Agency's programmes will address the most urgent transport needs in the short-term. However, in the longer term if Auckland's transport system is to cope with the population growth expected, alternative funding solutions will need to be considered, otherwise Auckland will also miss out on opportunities to achieve significant benefits from aligning investment with that made by the Transport Agency on the state highway network. Over time, the performance of the transport system will get progressively worse as Auckland's population grows.

Aucklanders want improved speed, frequency, affordability, reliability and attractiveness of the transport network so that more Aucklanders will choose to travel by public transport more often. The Auckland Plan envisages us doubling the number of public transport passenger trips to 140 million trips each year by 2025. An expanded public transport network would also improve connection with and allow development of outlying areas.

The main benefit of additional transport investment would be less congested roads (than would otherwise occur), as well as faster and more frequent public transport that becomes the preferred way of getting around for many more Aucklanders. Additional investment would give people much more choice to make more trips on buses, trains and ferries as well as by walking and cycling. This in turn would release capacity on the road network for freight and other road trips.

Additional transport funding (over and above the funding provided for in this 10-year budget) would enable:

• More frequent bus services, providing faster connections to more destinations

• Additional investment in bus and rail stations and interchanges, with increased park-and-ride capacity

• More new cycleways and shared cycling and walking paths

• Enhanced safety programmes and greater investment to address high priority rail level crossings

• More arterial and local road improvement projects to address growth pressures and existing congestion

• A more optimal and sustainable approach to managing our transport assets.

Transport modelling for the proposed Auckland Plan Transport Network indicated that businesses would see a large improvement in their ability to move goods around the region. By 2046 we would see improvements in key freight routes by 15 to 30 per cent, which will assist in region wide productivity improvements.

By 2046 trips across the city would be faster for both private vehicles and public transport. A trip from Westgate to the city centre would be 19 minutes faster. The proportion of jobs accessible by a public transport trip within 45 minutes would improve by five per cent and a 30-minute car ride by five to 10 per cent by 2046.

Moving commuters from private vehicle use to public transport, and reducing time spent in traffic congestion for the remaining road users, is one of the most significant contributions that can be made to improving the impact that the city has on the natural environment.

A Transport Accord for Auckland

Central Government has signalled its willingness to work with Auckland Council to develop an Accord that will address the long-term funding of transport in Auckland. Whatever the outcome, it is expected that Auckland will need to significantly revise its long-term transport plans as part of developing the 2018 RLTP, if not before.

16.1 Key to format and content of prioritised list

All projects have been evaluated for their strategic fit, effectiveness and efficiency using the process set out in Chapter 4. For projects in the outer years of this plan, information is currently incomplete and it is likely that the profile and therefore priority of the project will change.

The tables (and headings) below use the following abbreviations and terms:

Project name

Shaded projects are delivered by the Transport Agency Highway and Network Operations (state highways)—HNO

Some of the activities listed in the tables (for example, walking and cycling programme and safety programmes) provide for a single region-wide funding allocation that covers a large number of individual projects. Within each of these groups of projects, AT and/or the Transport Agency have agreed a methodology for bringing forward the highest priority projects for funding.

Cost ($)

This is the total cost of the identified activity for that particular year in the RLTP (which may be blank or zero, and may be the sum of multiple phases). Most activities are funded through a combination of local share and Transport Agency co-investment, but some activities have more complex funding arrangements.

Phase: refers to the stage of development:

I = Investigation; D = Design; P = Property purchase; C = Construction

Year 4-10 cost: The amount of money being requested for all phases in years four to 10 of the RLTP. The accumulation of the total costs in 2015/16, 2016/17 and the year four-10 costs equals the total 10-year cost.

Profile: The prioritisation profile assigned to the activity based on Auckland Transport's prioritisation process as set out in Appendix 2.

The first letter represents the project's strategic fit

The second letter represents the project's effectiveness

The third letter represents the project's efficiency

Together the three letters create the profile

High = H

Medium = M

Low = L

L* = Efficiency of the project has not been assessed yet.

Transport Agency work category:

This is AT's estimate of the likely work category (22) under which the Transport Agency may choose to fund the activity.

16.2 Details of projects and priorities

Transport programme

*Phase: I=Investigation, D=Design, P=Property, C=Construction

*Phase—I=Investigation, D=Design, P=Property, C=Construction

Projects with commitments:

• Core seal extensions

• Local board initiatives

• AT renewals

• LED streetlighting

• NZ Transport Agency renewals

• Estimate for seismic strengthening works (excluding Quay Street)

• Albany Highway Upgrade (North)

• Electric train (EMU) Procurement

• Improvements complementing developments

• Long Bay Glenvar Ridge Road

• North West Transformation (NORSGA PC 15 Massey North Town Centre)

• North West Transformation (NORSGA PC 13 Hobsonvillle Point Park and ride)

• North West Transformation (NORSGA PC 14 Hobsonville Village)

• Plan Change 32 Penihana North Transport Mitigation

• Penlink Toll Road Designation (Silverdale Transport Improvements)

• Wynyard Quarter Integrated Road Programme

• Newmarket Station access improvements

• Stockyard Falls light industrial and retail parks (Variation 158) (Warkworth Western Collector)

• Private Plan Change 12 Drury South Transport Implementation

• Local Road Improvements complementing HNO initiatives (previously known as Warkworth SH1 Intersection Improvements)

• Waterview shared path

AT ongoing operational requirements:

• AIFS system—extensions, enhancements and equipment replacement AIFS system—integrated fares

• Diesel refurbishment (alternative to electrification Papakura to Pukekohe)

• Digital technology

• Park and Ride—Glen Eden

• General AT asset replacement

• Operational asset replacement—paid parking technology

• Resolution of encroachments and legacy land purchase arrangements

Greenfield Growth Networks:

• Transport improvements in Strategic Housing Areas

• Local Residential Growth Fund

Transport programme

*Phase—I = Investigation, D = Design, P = Property, C = Construction