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Regional summary

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Overview of the Tasman regional transport system

Table 1: Key statistics on the Tasman region (June 2007 - July 2008)

	Tasman region	New Zealand	Region as % of NZ
Population	46,500	4,268,500	1
Land area (km2)	9800	275,400	4
Imports (gross tonne)1, 2	1.4 million	79.2 million	2
Exports (gross tonne)1, 2	1.3 million	73.4 million	2
Gross domestic product (GDP) ($)	1700 million	155,400 million	1
Vehicle kilometres travelled	500 million	40,200 million	1
Fatalities3	8	366	2
Serious injuries3	41	2553	2
Local roads - urban all (km)	169	17,298	1
Local roads - urban sealed (km)	165	16,956	1
Local roads - rural all (km)	1524	65,601	2
Local roads - rural sealed (km)	764	33,698	2
State highways - all (km)	645	10,906	6
State highways - sealed (km)	645	10,850	6
State highways - motorway (km)	-	172	-

Notes:

1. Indicative only - based on a ratio determined from a 2002 report on international and inter-regional freight movements.
2. Includes both international and inter-regional freight movements.
3. Safety data is for the year ending 2008.

Investment priorities

Given the GPS's requirement that the NZTA focus on activities that make the greatest contribution to New Zealand's economic growth and productivity, this NLTP prioritises activities that make the most significant contribution to one or more of:

• roads of national significance (RoNS) and local roads critical to RoNS
• key freight and tourism routes
• key urban arterials
• public transport initiatives to ease severe congestion
• 'model' urban walking and cycling communities¹
• making better use of the existing transport infrastructure
• optimising the existing capacity of, and service levels on, highly trafficked roads.

In all its investments, the NZTA maintains its longstanding focus on activities that make a significant contribution to one or more of:

• improving safety
• relieving severe urban congestion
• improving journey reliability and/or capacity on key routes
• network security and resilience on key routes
• completing key walking and cycling links to reduce congestion
• providing transport choice in large urban areas
• better public transport network and interchange capacity in large urban areas
• managing adverse environmental impacts from land transport
• public health outcomes
• long-term, integrated and coordinated planning.

It's important to note that safety, particularly reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries as a result of road crashes, has always been and remains a core NZTA priority.

For more information on NZTA investment priorities and assessment criteria refer to the national NLTP document.

¹ Model communities aim to reduce congestion by providing user-friendly environments for walking and cycling.

Expected expenditure in Tasman

Table 2: Expected expenditure in Tasman

Tasman	2009/12	% of total
Walking and cycling	0.7	0.8%
Transport planning	1.1	1.0%
Public transport improvements	-	0.0%
New &mproved infrastructure for state highways	29.8	33.2%
New & improved infrastructure for local roads	1.7	1.9%
Public transport services	-	0.0%
Maintenance of state highways	24.9	27.7%
Renewal of state highways	13.5	15.1%
Maintenance of local roads	7.3	8.1%
Renewal of local roads	10.3	11.4%
Demand management & community programmes	0.5	0.6%
	89.7	100%

Note: includes R funds of $15m

State highway and local road operations, maintenance and renewal

The demands of the Tasman's primary and tourism sectors, together with localised population growth and safety concerns, place a heavy reliance on the region's state highway and local roading network. Maintenance, operations and renewal activities are therefore critical to ensure the network remains safe, resilient and secure. NZTA has approved a three-year allocation and expects organisations to manage the required maintenance, operations and renewal programmes including any changes in costs within that allocation.

Approximately $38 million of Tasman's forecast expenditure in 2009-2012 has been allocated to the maintenance and reneal of region's state highway network, with a further $18 million allocated to maintenance and renewal activities on the local roading network. Key activities will include:

• using asphalt surfaces along SH60 Motueka and SH6 Hope Straight, which will help to manage noise in residential areas
• installing electronic variable messaging signs to ensure road users get timely information on road conditions
• continuing minor improvement works and safety retrofits to improve safety and reduce the severity of crashes across the network.

State highway and local road improvements

Tasman's state highway and local roading networks play a vital role in connecting the region's primary production areas and tourist destinations to key internal and external markets.

In the next three years approximately $30 million will be allocated to state highway improvements, with a further $2 million allocated to local road improvements. These improvements are likely to focus on projects that improve route reliability and safety and deliver journey time savings.

Key improvements on the state highway network are likely to include:

• completing the Ruby Bay bypass, which will provide a new inland section of SH60 away from the coast and improve the connection between Nelson and Motueka/Tasman
• bridge replacements and realignments, including the Pipers to Tunnicliff realignment and Doctors Creek Bridge, to improve network safety and resilience
• widening Arnold Bridge on SH6 to improve overtaking opportunities.

Key local road improvements are likely to include:

• completing the 'Richmond Ring Route' group of projects to improve traffic flows around the Richmond town centre and provide a more pedestrian-friendly environment on Queen and Croucher Streets
• replacing the Yellow Pine Creek, McCallum Road and Polglase Road bridges, which are nearing the end of their design lives.

Road Policing Programme

The NLTP allocates approximately $5 million for New Zealand Police road policing activities in Tasman and Nelson during 2009/10. This includes:

• approximately $4 million for strategic policing of the 'fatal five' road safety issues: speeding, drink driving, restraints, dangerous or careless driving and high-risk drivers
• approximately $680,000 for incident and emergency management. including crash attendance and investigation, and traffic management
• $27,000 for road policing resolutions, which include sanctions, prosecutions and court orders
• $210,000 for community engagement in road policing, which includes police community services and school road safety education.

The detailed 2009/10 Road Policing Programme can be viewed on the New Zealand Police website at www.police.govt.nz/service/road/(external link), and the programmes for 2010/11 and 2011/12 will be published annually on the site once approved by the Minister of Transport.

Other activity classes

The NLTP allocates funding to a range of other activity classes, including:

• transport planning activities, such as a forestry harvesting impact study, crash reduction studies, and traffic management studies in Richmond and Motueka
• several demand management and community programmes.

Construction is of the SH6 Ruby Bay Bypass is under way.

Last updated: 6 October 2009