Regional Land Transport Plan 2024-34

Submitters were generally supportive of the draft plan, see table above for more details.

Objectives and priorities

A high proportion of submitters supported the proposed objectives and priorities (82% and 89%, respectively). With most submitters considering the current objectives and priorities outlined in the plan as important or very important.

Headline targets

The draft had revised headline targets for reducing road deaths and serious injuries, greenhouse gas emission and increasing freight movement by rail and these were supported by just over half of the submitters.

Some submitters raised concerns about whether headline targets should be changed, with some of the following points raised:

• higher headline targets eg could encourage faster change
• lower headline targets eg could save money
• insufficient investment to achieve the headlines targets, particularly for greenhouse gas emissions.

The Committee supported retaining the targets – to keep the plan affordable and feasible – as the main targets which submitters sought changed were set nationally and required coordination with national efforts outside of the plan.

Investment priorities

Our revised investment priorities and their weightings were well supported. These are used when ranking the specific transport activities proposed by the each of the region’s councils, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and the Department of Conservation.

New investment priorities and the weightings are listed below:

• Create a well-maintained network *top priority
• Manage risk of exposure to extreme events (35% weighting)
• Support and develop connected public transport and active transport networks (30% weighting)
• Implementing safer systems (Road to Zero) (25% weighting)
• Support and develop freight systems connecting to air, rail and sea (10% weighting).

Investing in connected public and active transport networks had the highest level of support of all the priorities. Submitters comments on this priority, had common themes including bus services improvements, bus priority lanes, park-and-ride facilities, dedicated cycle lanes and connected cycling networks, pedestrian infrastructure in Greater Christchurch.

Light passenger rail was also raised by a few submitters. With comments in support of developing ‘turn up and go’ services to connect smaller towns with central Christchurch, and rail services that connect areas within Canterbury and with other regions.

The plan compiles regional transport activities proposed for funding by councils in Canterbury, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and the Department of Conservation. These are developed into a programme that aligns with the strategic framework.

Road maintenance, operations and renewals represent at least 40% of planned land transport investment by local and central government in the Canterbury region over the next 10 years. This is the top priority for investment ahead of improvement projects.

Top-ranked transport projects

The plan ranks improvement projects, by using criteria for regional significance, investment priority weightings and a scoring system that considered impact and achievability [add link to above]. Nearly thirty regionally significant improvements were identified which include, but are not limited to:

1. A second Ashburton urban bridge, Ashburton District
2. Improving public transport, Greater Christchurch
3. Northern link, including Woodend State Highway 1 bypass, Waimakariri District
4. Includes: Pages Road Bridge Renewal, Christchurch *re-ranked; Updating Conway Bridge, Hurunui District; Updating the Heaton Hayes Rail Crossing to Timaru Port, Timaru District; State Highway resilience improvements, regionwide.

Submissions also supported consideration of the Christchurch to Timaru corridor, including the bridges over Rakaia and Rangitata as significant investments on the horizon.

Funding sources

There is still some uncertainty about the amount of transport funding available, while we await decisions from central government. Increased government funding or more equitable distribution of funding to the South Island were raised by a few submitters on the plan

The majority of submitters (90%) who responded to a question about how we might mitigate the risk of lack of funding, were in favour of investigating new funding sources.

Suggestions for alternative funding sources provided by submitters included: tolls, private public partnerships, increased government funding, regional fuel levies, congestion pricing, user pays, fuel tax or tax on vehicle travel.

While these changes are outside the control of the plan, the Regional Transport Committee has agreed to advocate for these on behalf of Canterbury.

Monitoring indicator framework

Most submissions (64%) were supportive of the monitoring indicator framework, but there were concerns about including additional indicators and clearer targets.

The committee have agreed to investigate the development of new indicators for:

• maintenance (including cycleways)
• deaths and serious injuries by user group
• mode shift
• environmental impacts.