Development and review of regional land transport plans

Under the Land Transport Management Act(external link), Waka Kotahi sets the form in which RLTPs are to be submitted for consideration for the NLTP. This, in turn, prescribes the form in which approved organisations and Waka Kotahi(state highways) need to submit their proposals for inclusion in an RLTP. Waka Kotahi sets these requirements and provides the tool to submit transport programmes through Transport Investment Online(external link).

The criteria that apply to activities proposed for inclusion in an RLTP and the NLTP are less stringent than those that apply to activities for which funding approval is sought. This means that activities may be proposed for inclusion in an RLTP or the NLTP at an early stage of their development, when limited information is available. Activities proposed for funding approval need to be developed sufficiently to enable the approval under s.20 of the Land Transport Management Act(external link).

Achieving road safety outcomes is a priority and focus for the police, who make a significant contribution to the land transport system across the four elements of the safe system – speeds, road use, vehicles and roads and roadsides. For the safe system to be successful, partners, including approved organisations, Waka Kotahi and the police, should work together to understand all of the risk factors.

It is essential to involve the police in land transport planning and investment decision making. Inviting police to take part in the early phases of the business case approach is a practical way to influence and improve investment decisions and the delivery of responses integrated at regional and local government levels.

Some of the ways approved organisations and RTCs can invite the police involvement are through:

• the business case approach to project development
• regional and technical advisory groups
• the one network journey approach
• road safety action planning.

In assessing the relationship of police activities to the RLTP, RTCs should work with the police to identify the two most significant issues of risk in the regions. 

It is expected these key priorities will be:

• evidence based
• aligned with any business case development
• agreed across the region.

You can visit the Waka Kotahs Road Policing Programme(external link) page to find out more. 

The process steps are as follows:

1. Prior to the release of the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS), Waka Kotahi reviews its evidence on regional transport issues, develops a national picture of the issues and develops planning and investment signals.
2. Again prior to release of the GPS, Waka Kotahi communicates national and regional planning and investment signals based on the current GPS and emerging government priorities. The deadline for RLTP delivery is set at this time.
3. The regional transport committee (RTC)/Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi meet to identify regional priorities and discuss their alignment to the current GPS. The RTC/Auckland Transport also establishes the processes and timelines for development of the RLTP, including the development of approved organisation and Waka Kotahi (state highways) programmes.
4. On release of the draft GPS and development of its draft Investment Assessment Framework, Waka Kotahi strengthens its investment signals and ensures that RLTP development processes and timelines are in place to meet its NLTP deadlines.
5. Approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (state highways) develop their transport programmes of activities for input to the RLTP.
6. The RTC/Auckland Transport, approved organisations and Waka Kotahi discuss the proposed programmes of activities and consider their contribution to the outcomes/results sought under the draft GPS. This, and any prioritisation of the activities, will involve a degree of moderation amongst the parties, although it is the RTCs which have the final say on regional prioritisation of activities in an RLTP. The affordability of proposed programmes should be considered and reflected in the strategic part of the RLTP document, as should value for money.
7. On release of the final GPS and Investment Assessment Framework, Waka Kotahi confirms its investment signals and RLTP deadlines.
8. Approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (state highways) complete the information requirements for their programmes of activities and submit these to the RTC for inclusion in the RLTP through Transport Investment Online (TIO).
9. The RTC/Auckland Transport reviews the activities in the programmes submitted to it for completeness and eligibility. It then decides whether to include the activities in the RLTP.
10. Regional Waka Kotahi staff will also review the activities submitted for inclusion in the RLTP and will assist the RTC as required.
11. If the RTC decides not to include an activity, it should inform the organisation that submitted it along with its reasons for not including it. Auckland Transport must provide reasons to Waka Kotahi and Auckland Council for any decision it makes not to include their activities in the RLTP.
12. The owner of the activity not included in the RLTP then decides to modify and resubmit it (back to step 5) or withdraw it.
13. If the decision is made to withdraw the activity, the owner can either leave it in TIO with a "submitted to RTC" status or request Waka Kotahi to revert its status to "draft", which enables the owner to delete it from TIO.
14. The RTC/Auckland Transport continues to develop its draft RLTP by completing the strategic front end and including and prioritising activities in the programme back end and submitting these through TIO. The RTC/Auckland Transport should also provide an assessment of its draft RLTP as part of the draft RLTP document.
15. The RTC/Auckland Transport publically consults on its draft RLTP following the requirements set out in s.18 of the LTMA(external link). It considers submissions and discusses these as relevant with approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (state highways).
16. Approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (state highways) consider the submissions and feedback from consultation. They finalise negotiations on programmes with Waka Kotahi and make their final inputs to TIO and submit these to the RTC/Auckland Transport for RLTP inclusion.
17. The RTC finalises its RLTP and sends it to the relevant regional council for approval. (Auckland Transport is not required to send its RLTP to Auckland Council for approval.)
18. The regional council approves the RLTP and submits it to Waka Kotahi via TIO to enable its activities to be considered for inclusion in the NLTP. The process for progressing RLTPs that are not approved by the regional council is set out in s.18B of the LTMA(external link). Auckland Transport submits its final RLTP to Waka Kotahi directly.
19. The regional council/Auckland Transport publishes its RLTP by the date set by Waka Kotahi.

The timelines are:

• In most cases Waka Kotahi aims to adopt the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) by 30 June of the year immediately preceding the start of the NLTP.
• This means that the final RLTPs are required to be submitted to Waka Kotahi by 30 April of that year.
• The date by which the final RLTP must be published is usually set at 31 July of the start year of the RLTP.
• Where development of the NLTP is delayed, eg due to late release of the GPS, Waka Kotahi has until 31 August of the first year of the NLTP to adopt the NLTP.
• As a consequence of such a delay Waka Kotahi may adjust the deadlines for RLTP submission and publishing.

All other timelines and deadlines for RLTP development are set by the RTC/Auckland Transport. These should be set in consultation with relevant approved organisations and Waka Kotahi, recognising the time required for these organisations to develop their programmes of activities.

Updates of approved organisation and Waka Kotahi (state highway) programmes of activities that need to be considered for RLTP inclusion are:

• the next three year road maintenance, public transport services, road safety promotion and minor improvements programmes
• new and reprogrammed improvement activities that are now required to be programmed for the next NLTP, developed in response to emerging government policies crystallised as national priorities in the new GPS
• new and reprogrammed improvements developed in response to emerging regional and local issues, perhaps resulting from the region's own review of its RLTP priorities.

RTCs have considerably more flexibility in the RLTP review process in deciding whether reviewed RLTPs require consultation or need to be approved by regional councils, as there are fewer legislative requirements set out in the LTMA for RLTP reviews than there are for RLTP development. Such decisions are covered to a large extent by the s.18D of the LTMA (external link)covering RLTP variation and need to take the RTC's significance policy into consideration.

The Transport Agency has developed guidance around the Business Case Approach for mid-term RLTP reviews which can be found on the Transport Agency's website.

The process steps are as follows:

1. Prior to the release of the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS), Waka Kotahi reviews its evidence on regional transport issues, develops a national picture of the issues and develops planning and investment signals.
2. Again prior to release of the GPS, Waka Kotahi communicates national and regional planning and investment signals based on the current GPS and emerging government priorities. The deadline for RLTP delivery is set at this time.
3. The RTC/Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi meet to review regional priorities and discuss their alignment to the current GPS and emerging government policies. The RTC/Auckland Transport also establishes the processes and timelines for review of the RLTP, including the updating of approved organisation and Waka Kotahi (state highway) programmes.
4. On release of the draft GPS and development of its draft Investment Assessment Framework, Waka Kotahi strengthens its investment signals and ensures that RLTP review processes and timelines are in place to meet its NLTP deadlines.
5. Approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (state highways) update their transport programmes of activities for input to the RLTP.
6. The RTC/Auckland Transport, approved organisations and Waka Kotahi discuss the proposed programmes of activities and consider their contribution to the outcomes/results sought under the draft GPS. This, and any prioritisation of the activities, will involve a degree of moderation amongst the parties, although it is the RTCs which have the final say on regional prioritisation of activities in an RLTP. The affordability of proposed programmes should be considered and reflected in the strategic part of the RLTP document, as should value for money.
7. On release of the final GPS and Investment Assessment Framework, Waka Kotahi confirms its investment signals and RLTP deadlines.
8. Approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (state highways) complete the information requirements for updating their programmes of activities and submit these to the RTC for inclusion in the RLTP through Transport Investment Online (TIO).
9. The RTC/Auckland Transport reviews the activities in the programmes submitted to it for completeness and eligibility. It then decides whether to include the activities in the RLTP.
10. Regional Waka Kotahi staff will also review the activities submitted for inclusion in the RLTP and will assist the RTC as required.
11. If the RTC decides not to include an activity, it should inform the organisation that submitted it along with its reasons for not including it. Auckland Transport must provide reasons to Waka Kotahi and Auckland Council for any decision it makes not to include their activities in the RLTP.
12. The owner of the activity not included in the RLTP then decides to modify and resubmit it (back to step 5) or withdraw it.
13. If the decision is made to withdraw the activity, the owner can either leave it in TIO with a "submitted to RTC" status or request Waka Kotahi to revert its status to "draft", which enables the owner to delete it from TIO.
14. The RTC/Auckland Transport continues to review its RLTP by updating the strategic front end and including and prioritising activities in the programme back end and submitting these through TIO.
15. The RTC/Auckland Transport decides whether to publically consult on its updated RLTP based on its significance policy. It considers submissions and discusses these as relevant with approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (state highways).
16. Approved organisations and Waka Kotahi (state highways) consider the submissions and feedback from consultation. They finalise negotiations on programmes with Waka Kotahi and make their final inputs to TIO and submit these to the RTC/Auckland Transport for RLTP inclusion.
17. The RTC finalises its review of the RLTP and decides whether it needs to send it to the relevant regional council for approval (Auckland Transport is not required to send its RLTP to Auckland Council for approval.)
18. The regional council approves the reviewed RLTP and submits it to Waka Kotahi via TIO to enable its activities to be considered for inclusion in the NLTP. Auckland Transport submits its updated RLTP to Waka Kotahi directly as would any RTC that decides that the regional council does not need to approve the reviewed RLTP.
19. The regional council/Auckland Transport decides whether to publish its updated RLTP.

While there are fewer requirements under the LTMA for the reviewed RLTPs to be consulted publically, approved by regional councils or published, the requirements of s.18D around RLTP variation (external link)apply to RLTP reviews. The decisions to consult, seek regional council approval and to publish reviewed RLTPs need to be made by RTCs and Auckland Transport, having regard for their significance policies and the views of representative groups of land transport users and providers(external link), to timelines set by the RTCs and Auckland Transport.

The timelines are:

• The LTMA requires RLTPs to be reviewed within six months of the end of their third year.
• Waka Kotahi aims to adopt the NLTP by 30 June of the year immediately preceding the start of the NLTP.
• This means that it needs to receive the reviewed RLTPs by 30 April of that year in order to:

1. 1. incorporate activities added to or updated in the RLTPs into the NLTP
   2. consider regional prioritisation and priorities when it develops the NLTP.

• Where development of the NLTP is delayed, eg due to late release of the GPS, Waka Kotahi has until 31 August of the first year of the NLTP to adopt the NLTP.
• As a consequence of such a delay Waka Kotahi may adjust its deadlines for  submission of the reviewed RLTPs.

All other timelines and deadlines for RLTP review are set by the RTC/Auckland Transport. These should be set in consultation with relevant approved organisations and Waka Kotahi, recognising the time required for these organisations to develop their programmes of activities.