Section 6: Council Activities

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Roads

Responsibility

Max Aves (Manager Roading Assets)

Description of service

The Roads activity involves the maintenance and development of roads, kerbs and channels, bridges, street lighting, footpaths and traffic management for all roads (except state highways) in the district. State highways fall under the jurisdiction of the New Zealand Transport Agency. The district is reliant on road transport to move people, goods and services around and the Council maintains its roads in accordance with the Roading Asset Management Plan.

Scale of service

This describes the size and scope of the activity.

1,272km of roads:
1,093km sealed roads.
179km unsealed roads.
256 bridges (nine pedestrian, 247 road).
89 tunnels/underpasses (82 stock underpasses, five tunnels, two pedestrian underpasses).
$1,270 million network replacement value (land included).
100 per cent of population reached.

Rationale for activity

The Council is responsible for the maintenance, renewal and improvement of a network of roads, footpaths and cycleways in the district. Roads are essential to the community’s economic and social well-being.

The land that roads are on (the road reserve) is kept in public ownership so that all can move around the district freely. This also allows for the ready movement of goods and services on roads, and for the location of electricity, gas, water, wastewater, stormwater and telecommunications networks within road reserves.

The forming, surfacing, sealing and/or grading of road surfaces, along with traffic management and control systems, allow for safe and efficient travel by motor vehicles and cyclists. Footpaths are provided for safe and comfortable passage of pedestrians around the district’s urban areas. Streetlights are provided for the safety of all road users during night-time hours including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Contribution to Community Outcomes

The Roads activity contributes primarily towards the Connected Community Outcome by providing a transport network that enables cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles to travel throughout the district. Roads also contributes to the Sustainable Community Outcome by providing environmental management of roading effects including dust, noise, vibration, pest plants and stormwater runoff. The provision of these networks also contributes to the Secure and Healthy and Sustainable Community Outcomes.

Connected

A district that delivers accessible and integrated infrastructure, transport and communication systems which meet the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.

C1 Effective, efficient, safe and reliable infrastructure is provided and maintained.

C3 The land transport system is safe and responsive.

C4 The strategic value of the region’s state highways is recognised and provided for and local roading networks are maintained and enhanced where appropriate.Return to top

Negative impacts on community well-being

Road transport is almost entirely reliant on engines burning either petrol or diesel. These are significant sources of greenhouse gases, which are believed to contribute to global warming, which in turn is believed to be the foremost threat to the environment. It has been argued that improving roads generates more traffic, and therefore more greenhouse gas emissions. Motor vehicles also produce other pollutants, e.g. benzenes and brake pad dust which are harmful to life. Appropriate design and traffic management for roads usually results in reduced travel distances and times, thus reducing environmental effects.

The provision of roads even in accordance with best practice can still result in negative impacts on sections of the community. Safety, health and reduction of road crashes will be achieved through the implementation of a new safety management system, continued crash reduction studies and regular liaison with other agencies such as the New Zealand Transport Agency and New Zealand Police.

Congestion occurs on some local roads at peak times. Normal weekday congestion is generally of short duration, although other peak period congestion (e.g. pre-Christmas) can be for longer periods. For these latter periods, additional traffic control measures are put in place for the New Plymouth CBD.

The discharge of stormwater run-off from roads to natural watercourses via stormwater systems can lead to contaminants originating from motor vehicles entering natural waterways. The effects of run-off from roads are managed to reduce potential damage to the environment and the roading network.

Facing the challenges – assumptions and risks

Assumptions

Increasing vehicle ownership, steadily increasing commercial and industrial growth together with moderate increases in population growth will generate increased usage of the district’s roading assets. Increases in fuel prices and encouraging people to use other transport modes (such as cycling and walking) will help to manage this demand.
Increases in subdivisions will increase demand for extending the roading network.
Community efforts to reduce injuries and road fatalities will continue.
Customers’ expectations for quality parking and traffic management services will continue.
There will be an increased demand for cycleways and footpaths as a result of modal shift brought about by fuel price increases and a greater emphasis on sustainable transport options.
Climate change will impact on storm events; this in turn will result in the increased likelihood of road damage particularly in rural areas.
Roading costs will continue to increase over time and are likely to be in excess of indexed (e.g. CPI) inflation rates.
External funding, mainly through the New Zealand Transport Agency, will remain at similar levels to those currently received.
Central government will place increasing emphasis on transport sector reform, through such mechanisms as the NZ Transport Strategy 2008 and the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding 2009-19.

Risks

The most significant risks to roading assets centre around roading infrastructure impacts caused by extreme weather events.
Changing capacity and level of service criteria for strategic bridges, rural roads and tunnels may require significantly more expenditure to implement.
Reduction in central government funding while government agencies insist on increased local roading standards.

Managing risks

Incident response plans have been developed to prepare the council for events of varying severity.
Detailed project scopes are developed which take into account changing transport needs. Project budgets are managed accordingly.
Reductions in central government funding and changes in local roading standards are considered in the context of the Roading Asset Management Plan and particularly the risk matrix contained within that plan. Return to top

Levels of service and performance measures

The following levels of service and performance measures outline the objectives we will set and how we will measure our progress.

Levels of service and performance measures

Asset information

Assets required

The assets that comprise the district roading network are as follows:

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Managing improved and/or expanded services

Improved and expanded services are managed through a series of external contracts, along with the rest of the roading network. Levels of service for various network components are defined and the objective is to achieve these levels in the most cost-effective way through the operation, renewal, creation and disposal of roading assets to provide for existing and future customers.

Additional asset capacity will be required in three main areas:

Local roads that have been identified as a result of the Strategic Transportation Study.
Local roads that have been impacted on by developments.
Cyclist provisions, generally on-road, that have been identified from the adopted Cycle Strategy.

The affordable costs associated with these areas have been provided for in the capital improvement budget provisions.

The additional capacity costs will be funded by loan monies although development contributions will also be used where developments within the district have generated growth and thereby a need for additional asset capacity.

Funding

Roads are funded approximately 60 per cent from the general rate and 40 per cent from road user revenue collected and distributed by New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). The eligibility for NZTA funding depends on work category, with most maintenance and renewals being subsidised automatically and improvements subsidised if they meet certain project criteria such as benefit/cost ratio.

New or improved physical assets are normally funded by loans which spread the costs over the asset’s life although some of these projects can attract NZTA subsidy. This means that different people using the asset in different time periods all make a contribution to its costs.

Funds for the renewal and replacement of assets come from the activity’s operating revenue and are accumulated to pay for these expenses as needed to maintain the assets ability to continue providing the agreed level of service.

Managing change

Some new subdivisions are required to provide roads. These must meet Council standards as a consent condition. These assets are then vested in the Council and maintained and renewed by the Council thereafter.

Subdivisions and other developments also impact on the existing roading network through increased traffic volumes and or movements. These additional impacts are managed through network improvements and/or expansion.

The Council charges targeted rates in the form of uniform (flat rate) annual charges. These are currently for the recovery of the cost of providing water, wastewater and refuse collection/disposal/recycling charges for households in serviced areas and some other property uses. As part of this Community Plan the Council is introducing a targeted roading rate for the roading activity to increase the transparency between the benefit the service delivers and the allocation of costs.

Maintenance, renewal and replacement of assets

Roading assets are maintained and renewed in accordance with the whole-of-life-asset management process as described in the Roading Asset Management Plan.

Maintenance costs are funded by a combination of general rates and the NZTA subsidies, while asset renewals are funded from depreciation reserves.

Management of the roading network is undertaken via a contract with an external consultant, while physical works are contracted out periodically to external contractors.

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