HuttCity_TeAwaKairangi_BLACK_AGENDA_COVER

KOMITI HANGANGA | Infrastructure and Regulatory Committee

13 July 2021

Order Paper for the meeting to be held in the

Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 30 Laings Road, Lower Hutt,

on:

Tuesday 20 July 2021 commencing at 2.00pm

Membership

Cr D Hislop (Chair)

Mayor C Barry	Cr K Brown
Cr B Dyer	Cr A Mitchell (Deputy Chair)
Cr N Shaw	Cr L Sutton

For the dates and times of Council Meetings please visit www.huttcity.govt.nz

Have your say

You can speak under public comment to items on the agenda to the Mayor and Councillors at this meeting. Please let us know by noon the working day before the meeting. You can do this by emailing DemocraticServicesTeam@huttcity.govt.nz or calling the Democratic Services Team on 04 570 6666 | 0800 HUTT CITY

OVERVIEW:

This is an operationally focused committee, overseeing Council’s above and below ground core infrastructure needs, and core regulatory functions.

The Committee is aligned with the Economy & Development, and Environment & Sustainability, Directorates.

Its areas of focus are:

§ Three waters infrastructure

§ Roading/transport

§ Infrastructure strategy

§ Integrated transport strategy

§ Wharves

§ Environmental consents

§ Regulatory functions including enforcement

PURPOSE:

To deliver quality infrastructure to support healthy and sustainable living, providing efficient and safe transport options, and promoting the city’s prosperity.

To consider matters relating to the regulatory and quasi-judicial responsibilities of the Council under Council’s bylaws and relevant legislation including the following:

§ Building Act 2004

§ Dog Control Act 1996

§ Fencing of Swimming Pools Act 1987

§ Local Government Act 1974

§ Local Government Act 2002

§ Public Works Act 1981

§ Reserves Act 1977

§ Resource Management Act 1991

§ Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012

DELEGATIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE’S AREAS OF FOCUS:

§ All powers necessary to perform the Committee’s responsibilities including the activities outlined below.

§ Develop required strategies and policies. Recommend draft and final versions to Council for adoption where they have a city-wide or strategic focus.

§ Implement, monitor and review strategies and policies.

§ Oversee the implementation of major projects provided for in the LTP or Annual Plan.

§ Oversee budgetary decisions provided for in the LTP or Annual Plan.

§ Oversee the development and implementation of plans and functions that promote economic wellbeing.

§ Maintain an overview of work programmes carried out by the Council’s Economy & Development Directorate.

§ Undertake the administration of all statutory functions, powers and duties other than those specifically delegated to any other committee or subcommittee, or retained by Council.

§ Conduct any consultation processes required on infrastructure issues before the Committee.

§ Approval and forwarding of submissions.

§ Any other matters delegated to the Committee by Council in accordance with approved policies and bylaws.

§ The committee has the powers to perform the responsibilities of another committee where it is necessary to make a decision prior to the next meeting of that other committee. When exercised, the report/minutes of the meeting require a resolution noting that the committee has performed the responsibilities of another committee and the reason/s.

§ If a policy or project relates primarily to the responsibilities of the Infrastructure & Regulatory Committee, but aspects require additional decisions by the Communities Committee and/or Climate Change & Sustainability Committee, then the Infrastructure & Regulatory Committee has the powers to make associated decisions on behalf of those other committees. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that matters do not need to be taken to more than one of those committees for decisions.

Additional Infrastructure Delegations:

§ Determine roading issues considered by the Mayor and Chief Executive to be strategic due to their significance on a city-wide basis, including links to the State Highway, or where their effects cross ward or community boundaries.

§ Hear objections to specified traffic matters where the community board wishes to take an advocacy role.

§ Make decisions under Clause 11(e) of the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974 and the Transport (Vehicular Traffic Road Closure) Regulations 1965 in respect of temporary road closures, including making decisions on any ancillary matters including, without limitation, approval of temporary “No Stopping” restrictions under Hutt City Council Traffic Bylaw 2017.

§ Undertake hearings on road stopping under the Local Government Act 1974.

§ Make recommendations to Council whether to proceed with a road stopping and the disposal of stopped road, including (where the proposal includes or involves a related acquisition, disposal or land exchange) a recommendation to Council on the acquisition, disposal or exchange.

§ Consider and recommend to Council any request to the Crown that a road is stopped under section 116 of the Public Works Act 1981, and the disposal of the stopped road.

§ Make any resolution required under section 319A of the Local Government Act 1974 regarding the naming of new roads and alterations to street names (other than those in the Harbour and Wainuiomata Wards, which are delegated to the community boards in those areas).

Additional Regulatory Delegations:

§ Develop any regulations required to achieve Council’s objectives.

§ Approve Council’s list of hearings commissioners under the Resource Management Act 1991, including councillors sitting as hearings commissioners and independent commissioners.

§ Conduct statutory hearings on regulatory matters and make decisions on those hearings2, excluding those conducted under the Resource Management Act 1991, which are delegated to the Hearings Subcommittee and District Plan Hearings Subcommittee.

§ Authorise the submission of appeals to the Environment Court on behalf of Council.

§ Make decisions on applications required under the Development Contributions Policy for remissions, postponements, reconsiderations and objections.

§ Recommend to Council the list of members approved to be members of the District Licensing Committee under section 192 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

Delegations to make Appointments:

§ The Chair of the Infrastructure & Regulatory Committee, in conjunction with the Chief Executive, is authorised to appoint a subcommittee of suitably qualified persons to conduct hearings on behalf of the Committee.

§ The Chair of the Infrastructure & Regulatory Committee, in conjunction with the Chief Executive, is authorised to appoint a Hearings Subcommittee of suitably qualified persons to conduct resource consent and related hearings on behalf of the Committee.

§ The Chair of the Infrastructure & Regulatory Committee is authorised to appoint three people from the list prepared under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 to specific meetings (Chair and two members).

NOTE:

The Ministry for the Environment advocates that Councils offer specialist RMA training in areas of law which are difficult to grasp or where mistakes are commonly made. This is to complement the Good Decision Making RMA training that they run (which is an overview and basic summary of decision making, rather than an in-depth training in specific areas of the RMA). Therefore in order to facilitate this, the RMA training run for councillors that wish to be hearings commissioners is mandatory.

Reasons for the importance of the training:

1. Hearings commissioners are kept abreast of developments in the legislation.

2. Legal and technical errors that have been made previously are avoided (many of which have resulted in Environment Court action which is costly, time consuming and often creates unrealistic expectations for the community).

3. The reputation of Council as good and fair decision makers or judges (rather than legislators) is upheld.

1 When acting in this capacity the committee has a quasi-judicial role.

HUTT CITY COUNCIL

Komiti Hanganga | Infrastructure and Regulatory Committee

Meeting to be held in the Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 30 Laings Road, Lower Hutt on

Tuesday 20 July 2021 commencing at 2.00pm.

ORDER PAPER

Public Business

1. APOLOGIES

An apology from Cr Hislop has been received.

2. PUBLIC COMMENT

Generally up to 30 minutes is set aside for public comment (three minutes per speaker on items appearing on the agenda). Speakers may be asked questions on the matters they raise.

3. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS

Members are reminded of the need to be vigilant to stand aside from decision making when a conflict arises between their role as a member and any private or other external interest they might have.

4. Recommendations to Council Te Kaunihera o Te Awa Kairangi
10 August 2021

a) Knights Road Connection Project: Post-Trial Recommendations (21/1014)

Report No. IARCC2021/3/164 by the Road Safety Coordinator 8

Chair’s Recommendation:

“That the recommendations contained in the report be endorsed.”

b) Waste and Recycling Controls for the Hutt City Council Solid Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw 2021 (21/648)

Report No. IARCC2021/3/162 by the Strategic Advisor 87

Chair’s Recommendation:

“That the recommendation contained in the report be endorsed.”

5. Three Waters Update (21/1040)

Report No. IARCC2021/3/163 by the Strategic Advisor 92

Chair’s Recommendation:

“That the recommendation contained in the report be endorsed.”

6. Regulatory Matters Report (21/1023)

Report No. IARCC2021/3/161 by the Head of Regulatory Services 102

Chair’s Recommendation:

“That the recommendation contained in the report be endorsed.”

7. Infrastructure and Regulatory Work Programme (21/1011)

Report No. IARCC2021/3/92 by the Democracy Advisor 130

Chair’s Recommendation:

“That the recommendation contained in the report be endorsed.”

8. QUESTIONS

With reference to section 32 of Standing Orders, before putting a question a member shall endeavour to obtain the information. Questions shall be concise and in writing and handed to the Chair prior to the commencement of the meeting.

Toi Lealofi

DEMOCRACY ADVISOR

15 20 July 2021

Infrastructure and Regulatory Committee

28 June 2021

File: (21/1014)

Report no: IARCC2021/3/164

Knights Road Connection Project: Post-Trial Recommendations

Purpose of Report

1. To enable the Committee to decide the next steps towards an interim and permanent layout on Knights Road that provides a safe connection for all modes of transport and incorporates information gathered during the trial process.

2. This report is informed by and presents a summary of the data, community feedback and safety audit information from both trials. It outlines the recommendations from the Project Control Group relating to the trial layout currently in place along Knights Road. Relevant reports are included for reference attached as Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 to the report.

Recommendations

That the Committee recommends that Council:

(1) notes and receives the report;

(2) agrees to the prioritisation of the programme of work associated with the connection of the Beltway Cycleway to Knights Road at Waterloo Station;

(3) agrees to formalising the changes to the layout in front of Waterloo Station and implementing the additional changes suggested in Beca’s Safety Review attached as Appendix 2 to the report;

(4) endorses the implementation of the repairs and safety improvements recommended by Beca as soon as practicable along Knights Road;

(5) agrees that the trial layout currently in place on the south side of Knights Road between Waterloo Station and Willoughby Street be extended to Bloomfield Terrace and made permanent when practicable and that the installation of buffer islands be investigated;

(6) notes that the permanent works should be aligned with any services work required in the near future especially by Wellington Water Limited; and

(7) approves in principle the investigation and draft design of a complementary Eastbound route.

Background

3. In June 2020, Council was awarded funding from Waka Kotahi’s Innovating Streets for People programme to work with the community to design a safer link from public and active transport facilities into Lower Hutt’s central city. Knights Road was selected for this trial because it is a key connecting route between Waterloo Station, the new Beltway Cycleway and the central city.

4. The Knights Road Connection Project team developed a trial layout with the community and tested it in March 2021. During this process the scope of the trial was extended to include the intersection in front of Waterloo Station. Following community feedback and data analysis, officers amended the trial road layout and tested it with the community in May 2021. The scope was extended further to include the full corridor from the end of the Beltway Cycleway.

5. The goal was to test a road layout that delivers safer outcomes for all modes of transport without compromising function. This means safer speeds on the footpath and the road and improved perception of safety.

Discussion

6. The new layout on Knights Road (May 2021) has no impact on journey time and has not impacted services (bus, police, ambulance, rubbish collection and street sweeping). It has reduced queuing and we have safer speeds for west-bound traffic with no change to the volume of traffic. Independent safety reviews have identified no major concerns with the trial layout, but do identify concerns with the quality of the current linking corridor, particularly at intersections with side-streets and the surface of the footpath and carriageway.

7. A significant amount of work is required to address these concerns.

8. It is clear from the data and feedback received across this project and through the Long Term Plan process that there is an increasing demand in Lower Hutt for a safe and connected network that accommodates bikes, e-scooters and other faster wheels separate from the footpath.

9. A high-quality link along the corridor from the current end of the Beltway Cycleway past Waterloo Station and along Knights Road is critical to achieving a safe and connected network that enables travel choice. Officers recommend investing in this corridor to bring all sections of it up to a consistent standard of high quality connection.

10. The Northern and Central sections of the new Beltway Cycleway are already being well used but the lack of a quality connection to Knights Road has been flagged as a critical concern. Currently, people reaching the end of the Beltway are required to make a choice between travelling on-road along the busy Oxford Terrace through the roundabout, going ‘off-road’ along the narrow grass berm, or travelling through the Park n Ride carpark.

11. This introduces potential conflict between people using the Beltway Cycleway and vehicles on Oxford Terrace, or in the carpark.

12. Options for an interim ‘boardwalk’ solution that would provide a separated, direct connection from the end of Beltway to Waterloo Station were investigated but this proved not to be feasible. Therefore due to a clear demand, existing concern and lack of interim solutions, we recommend prioritising the permanent link.

13. The area in front of Waterloo Station is complex with heavy pedestrian traffic during peak times, a major bus hub and multiple turning movements at Birch Street, Pohutukawa Street and the corner of Knights Road and Oxford Terrace. During consultation in 2020, the community perceived the intersection in front of Waterloo Station to be the most dangerous part of Knights Road due to congestion, vehicle speeds and conflicts with pedestrians. As a result, the trial was extended to include speed calming measures in this area.

14. Data collected during the trials demonstrated that the speed calming measures worked well. Vehicle traffic volumes were unchanged, speeds were lower, turning movements were easier, pedestrian safety improved dramatically, safety for all modes of transport improved and journey times were relatively unchanged.

15. Therefore officers recommend making these speed calming measures permanent and upgrading the current, damaged pedestrian crossing on Pohutukawa Street with a raised table. This would replace the speed cushion on Pohutukawa Street, improve safety and clearly define priority at this crossing which is a key link for people travelling into Lower Hutt’s City Centre.

16. The current level of service along the Knights Road corridor has been described as poor due to the condition of the road and footpath surface and the quality of intersections. The road layout at intersections encourages a high operating speed for turning vehicles. Repairs and upgrades to the surfaces, to the intersections and to the layouts were identified as necessary by Beca, outlined in the safety review and rough order costs have been prepared. The necessity for carrying out this significant work has been identified by independent safety reviews done in May and also raised by the public over the length of the project. This work includes;

(a) improvements at the intersection crossings to provide walk-offs with tactiles that are suitable for users with prams, wheelchairs and vision impairment;

(b) changes to intersection layouts to reduce operating speeds;

(d) safety improvements to pedestrian crossings;

(e) removal of all extraneous markings in the carriageway; and

(f) that in the interim, before these improvements can be made permanent, temporary solutions be implemented where possible, for example to narrow intersections using hit sticks.

Officers recommend that these repairs and upgrades should be programmed urgently whether or not the other recommendations in this report are approved.

17. From all of the collated information from the trials on Knights Road, the preferred solution would be an extended kerb layout, where there is defined space for pedestrians and for people on bikes and e-scooters. Unfortunately, rough order costs put that preferred solution out of range, at around $6.9M for the 1.1km. The total budget for the Cycling and Micro-mobility work programme over the next three years is $9.75million.

18. Therefore officers conclude that the next best option, that achieves safer speeds on the road and separation of modes without impacting on road function, is an extension of the current May 2021 layout in conjunction with the corridor and surface improvements outlined previously. A parallel facility for eastbound travel on a different street will be required to achieve the connected network needed to enable travel choice.

19. The data shows that the trial layout on Knights Road in May 2021 has achieved safer on-road speeds and improved mode separation for westbound traffic with no change to traffic volumes or journey times, and has not impacted on the function of the road for services.

20. During the March 2021 trial and the May 2021 trial officers collected community feedback through perception surveys. Officers received 209 surveys in May 2021 compared to 465 in March 2021. Officers also saw lower engagement on relevant social media pages and received fewer emails during the May 2021 trial.

21. Perception survey responses indicate that nearly half of the total respondents perceive the May 2021 layout has not improved safety for driving and overall the feedback on the perceptions of safety for people walking, biking or scootering is mixed. However, when looking at the perception of cyclists (those whose main mode of transport down Knights Road is biking) the picture differs: 59 percent agree safety has improved compared to the original layout.

22. Officers are seeing a continued increase in the number of cyclists for similar weather periods, from 500 in May 2018 to 1600 in May 2021. In March 2021, 2,480 riders were recorded by the Ecovisio counter.

23. Perception surveys are a useful way to gather data about a community’s views as opposed to expert or official views and to collect data about issues that are intangible and difficult to measure. It is important to triangulate data gathered from perception surveys with other data. Therefore when early safety concerns were raised at the implementation of the May 2021 trial an independent safety audit of the trial layout, and safety review of the full corridor was carried out by Beca.

24. This review did not identify any significant safety concerns with the trial layout, although it suggested minor amendments, but it did identify concerns with the quality of the current corridor, particularly at the intersections with side-streets and the surface of the footpath and carriageway.

25. Key community concerns relating to the layout on Knights Road and to the trial area that were also raised in the Beca safety audit included:

(a) that the facility only provides for safe travel in one direction by bike and other faster wheels,

(b) the speed environment,

(d) that there is not a clear, high-quality link between the end of the Beltway and Waterloo Station or Knights Road.

26. Community concerns from the perception surveys not shared by Beca were:

(a) difficulty for vehicles pulling out of driveways and side streets on the south side (Beca raised concerns about this on the northern side, where the pre-trial layout is in place, but had none about the south side),

(b) difficulty for parking a vehicle and accessing the footpath,

27. Concerns about visibility and safety for vehicles pulling out of side streets, the speed environment and the quality of the road and footpath surface would be mitigated in the permanent layout recommended.

28. The current layout provides a separated facility for westbound traffic only. This was of concern to the community and to Beca.

29. Through the trials we have learned that there is insufficient space to provide a separated pathway for ‘faster wheels’ (bikes and e-scooters) in both directions and retain the on-street parking on both sides of the road unless an extended kerb solution is used.

30. Therefore to achieve the connected network that provides travel choice and supports using micro-mobility modes for daily journeys there needs to be a parallel facility on a different street to provide for travel in the opposite direction.

Options

31. The five options considered by the Project Control Group for the next steps of a layout on Knights Road are listed below, with rough order costs (ROC) provided by Beca. These costings are indicative only. All options include the estimates for the safety improvements recommended along the corridor:

(a) An extended kerb layout - (ROC=$6,974,000);
Ideally the extended kerb would provide a two-way facility for people on bikes and e-scooters on the south side of Knights Road. This would link well to the Beltway, through to the RiverLink designs and on to the CBD. From the research and engagement done through the trials this is the design that would address many of the concerns with the current layout as well as with the road in general and that would provide the best separation of ‘faster wheels’ from both pedestrians and motor vehicles. It is also the option most likely to be perceived as safe and the treatments required at intersections are similar to that already required. However this would require significant engineering and rough order costings put this option at $6,974,000. This figure is indicative and contains a 30% contingency due to the scope and number of unknowns.

(b) Retain and extend the trial layout to Bloomfield Terrace (ROC=$384,000);
This would involve extending the layout using only the paint and materials currently in place. The parked cars and the one meter buffer zone would continue to provide 3.5m of separation between people on bikes and e-scooters and moving traffic on the carriageway but there would be no physical separation between the parked cars and shared pathway. This option would provide a one-way connection to the Beltway Cycleway and Waterloo Station while allocating road space to people on bikes and e-scooters.

(c) Retain and extend the trial layout to Bloomfield Terrace with the addition of physical buffers similar to those used in Dunedin and Rongotai between the shared path facility and the parked cars (ROC=$589,000);
As with option (b) above with the addition of concrete island buffers will help to delineate the car parking spaces and will provide an edge-line for vehicle parking. It would require a mini-sweeper to be purchased to enable road sweeping.

(d) Amend the trial layout to a one-way painted pathway on the south side outside of the parked cars as per the March 2021 trial northern side layout and implement the safety amendments (no formal ROC for this option, but likely to be between $390,000 and $500,000);
This option would provide a one-way connection to the Beltway Cycleway and Waterloo Station while allocating road space to people on bikes and e-scooters. It would return parking to be against the kerb and would allow the median to be widened slightly but it would not provide the separation of modes of transport identified as important to less confident riders. An eastbound facility on another road would still be required to complete the connection

(e) Remove the trial layout but implement the safety amendments. (ROC=$393,000)

This option would improve the quality of the road corridor but would not contribute to the goal of a safe, connected active mode network across Lower Hutt for access to schools, workplaces and leisure activities.

32. The Project Control Group support option C as the most cost-effective way to improve micro-mobility safety and connectivity within this section of Lower Hutt.

Climate Change Impact and Considerations

33. Significant investment is happening in Lower Hutt and the Wellington region in off-road cycleways and shared paths. Once in place, these will be used and perceived as safe. This is an important part of reducing congestion, improving health, and reducing the carbon impact of travel. However, for people to see these facilities as a viable alternative for making their daily journeys to school or work and for leisure, a connected network to the places people want to access is needed. This requires on-road connections that are perceived as safe.

34. Knights Road connects Waterloo Station and the Beltway Cycleway to Lower Hutt’s central city and passes several local schools. It is therefore one of the key routes in Lower Hutt requiring a safe on-road connection.

35. This aligns to the GPS 2021 for transport, to Wellington’s Regional Land Transport Plan and to Council’s climate emergency declaration, which identifies 56% of our city’s emissions as coming from transportation.

Consultation

36. The original decision to apply for funding to trial layouts on Knights Road was based on existing Council strategies and a previous micro mobility study undertaken with key stakeholders.

37. Throughout the trial process there has been extensive engagement online and face-to-face with residents, businesses, local schools, advocacy groups and commuters.

38. Officers dedicated a project team member to liaise with the many businesses located in and around the trial area. Officers also dedicated a team member to liaise with interested schools (about 2000 students attend schools on or adjacent to Knights Road).

39. Officers delivered project communications to residents in and around the trial area on a regular basis throughout the trials. This included advance notice of when the trials would be installed; information about how to provide feedback; and invitations to community and resident-specific events.

40. An e-newsletter kept subscribers up to date in real time about the trial, community events related to it, and how to provide feedback.

41. The main social media channel was Facebook. Officers used this channel to share information about the trial, invite feedback, and highlight any issues as they emerged (eg informing of delays in installation because of weather). Officers amplified their voice in this space by boosting posts and sharing them to Council’s Facebook page and other relevant community pages.

42. Officers utilised local print media, particularly during the amended trial, to amplify messages around the need and demand for connectivity for active modes of transport in Lower Hutt; the community participation in the trials; the themes of community feedback; and a call-to-action to the community to let us know their experiences of the trial.

Legal Considerations

43. Depending on the decision, the appropriate processes will be followed to comply with all legal requirements.

Financial Considerations

44. Waka Kotahi NZTA committed to funding 90% of this project which had a total budget of $558,325. However, they have since taken responsibility for all expenditure incurred on this project up until 30 June 2021. Consequently, Council has carried over the $55,833 that was our 10% contribution which will be used to action the decisions made for next steps.

45. Additional funding at 51% FAR is available from Waka Kotahi to action these decisions.

46. Officers hold budget in the Cycling and Micro-mobility work programme that could be used to action decisions.

Appendices

No.	Title	Page
1 ⇩	Appendix 1: Abridged version of report to Project Control Group, amended to include rough order costs	16
2 ⇩	Appendix 2: Beca Safety Review and Audit	41

Author: Aileen Campbell

Road Safety Coordinator

Reviewed By: Charles Agate

Traffic Engineer - Network Operations

Approved By: John Gloag

Head of Transport

1. Summary and conclusions

In June 2020, Hutt City Council was awarded funding from Waka Kotahi’s Innovating Streets for People programme, to work with the community to design a safer link from public and active transport facilities into Lower Hutt’s central city. Knights Road was selected for this trial because it is a key connecting route between Waterloo Station, the new Beltway cycle route and the central city.

We developed a trial layout with the community and tested it in March 2021. During this process the scope of the trial was extended to include the intersection in front of Waterloo Station. Following community feedback and data analysis, we amended the trial and tested it with the community in May 2021. The scope was extended further to include the full corridor from the end of the Beltway Cycleway. Beca Engineering conducted an independent safety audit of this amended trial after early concerns were raised by members of the local community, and Waka Kotahi’s Principal Multi-Modal Advisor also reviewed the trial layout.

This report presents a summary of the data, community feedback and safety audit information for both trials. It makes recommendations for addressing safety issues and presents options for next steps.

Conclusions: data and feedback on Knights Road layout (May 2021)

The goal was to test a road layout that delivers safer outcomes for all modes of transport without compromising function. This means safer speeds on the footpath and the road and improved perception of safety.

The layout changes at the intersection in front of Waterloo Station made in the March trial which remained in place during May continue to show improvements in safety for all users, especially pedestrians, no impact on road function for services and overall an improvement in journey efficiency.

The new layout on Knights Road (May 2021) has no impact on journey time and has not impacted services (bus, police, ambulance, rubbish collection, street sweeping). It has reduced queuing, and we have safer speeds on west-bound traffic. We are seeing a continued increase in the number of cyclists for similar weather periods, from 500 in May 2018 to 1600 in May 2021. Independent safety reviews have no major concerns about the trial layout.

For the May trial 209 surveys were returned by members of the community compared with 465 for the March trial. We also saw lower engagement on relevant social media pages and received fewer emails during the May trial.

The survey responses indicate that nearly half of the total respondents, residents and the general public perceive the May layout has not improved safety for driving. Overall the feedback on the perceptions of safety for people walking, biking or scootering is mixed, but most disagree that safety has been improved.

However, when looking at the perceptions of cyclists (those whose main mode of transport down Knights Road is biking) the picture differs slightly: 40 percent feel that the May layout has improved the safety for biking compared to the previous trial and 59 percent agree safety has improved compared to the original layout. Key community concerns about the layout on Knights Road are:

● visibility and safety for vehicles pulling out of driveways and side-streets on the south side

● the fact that the median is narrowed and the perception that the traffic lanes were narrowed^{^[1]}

● concern that the facility only provides for safe travel in one direction by bike and other faster wheels.

Key community concerns relating to the project corridor from the end of the Beltway to the intersection with Bloomfield Terrace in general are:

● the speed environment

● the quality of the road and footpath surface, and the intersections

● there isn’t a clear, high-quality link between the end of the Beltway and Waterloo Station or Knights Road. These concerns are also raised in Beca’s independent safety review and in other community engagement across this project.

The review by Beca in May and feedback from the community over the 12 months of the project is that the current level of service on Knights Road for people walking, using scooters, bikes and mobility scooters is poor due to surface conditions on the footpath and the road, and poor quality crossings at intersections with side streets which encourage high speeds. This contributes to overall safety concerns. A significant amount of work is required to address these concerns.

It is clear from the data and feedback received across this project that there is an increasing demand in Lower Hutt for a safe and connected network that enables bikes, e-scooters and other faster wheels separate from the footpath.

The layout trialed in May has achieved safer speeds and increased separation for people on bikes, e-scooters and other faster wheels. It is also seen by cyclists as being safer than the original layout. However, the litmus test question – does the new layout make it safe enough for my child/grandchild to ride/scoot to school? – is still a ‘no’ from the wider community.

Therefore we conclude that a high-quality link along the corridor from the current end of the Beltway Cycleway past Waterloo Station and along Knights Road is critical to achieving a safe and connected network that enables travel choice. We recommend investing in this corridor to bring all sections of it up to a consistent standard of high quality connection. Detailed recommendations about the work required at each section to achieve this are in sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of this report.

2. Introduction

This report provides an analysis and summary of feedback and data collected during March and May 2021 in relation to the Knights Road Connection Project while trial layouts were in place on Knights Road. The intent of the trials was to test a layout that could provide a safer connection from the Beltway cycleway and Waterloo station to Lower Hutt’s central city. A video of the connection in its current state can be seen here. This report also provides options for next steps now that the trials are completed.

Figure 1: Area of the Knights Road Connection Project

Background

In June 2020, Hutt City Council was awarded funding from Waka Kotahi’s Innovating Streets for People programme, to work with the community to design a safer link from public and active transport facilities into Lower Hutt’s central city. Knights Road was selected for the site of this trial because it is a key connecting route between Waterloo Station, the new Beltway cycle route and the central city, and was the selected route during a previous micromobility study done with the community in late 2018.

During initial engagement (June-September 2020), the scope extended to include the intersection in front of Waterloo Station because this was a major area of safety concern and needed to be addressed to provide a safe connection. In March 2021 we trialled a new road layout outside Waterloo Station and along Knights Road between Waterloo Station and Willoughby Street. We installed a pop-up park at Birch Street to provide a ‘home’ for the project as well as seating, art and native plants.

The outcomes of this trial were that an amended trial would be put in place with these features:

● the trial layout would stay in place at the Waterloo Station intersection

● the pop-up park would remain after the end of the project (June 2021)

● an amended layout would be trialled on the same section of Knights Road.

● the scope of the trial was extended to link to the end of the soon-to-be-opened Beltway Cycleway (area shown in figure 1).

We implemented this amended layout and it was in place during May 2021. Options for better connections to the Beltway were explored that same month.

This trial is part of a national programme supported by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. It helps councils and communities work together to rapidly design and test temporary changes that enable more people to choose active and public transport. The Knights Road Connection project is funded 90% by Waka Kotahi and 10% by Hutt City.

Purpose of the trial

The purpose of the trials were to test layouts intended to make the journey a safer, well-used and more attractive connection.

In New Zealand, there is a growing demand for ‘micromobility’ devices (‘faster wheels’ such as e-bikes, e-scooters and e-longboards, mobility scooters, push scooters etc), and a national commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of travel by increasing the proportion of journeys made by public and active modes of transport.

Significant investment is happening in Lower Hutt and the Wellington region in off-road cycleways and shared paths. Once in place, these are well used and seen as safe. However, for people to see these facilities as a viable alternative way to make some of their daily journeys to school or work and for leisure, they need to form a connected network that links to the places people need and want to go. This requires on-road connections that are seen to be safe.

Knights Road connects Waterloo Station and the Beltway cycleway into Lower Hutt’s central city and passes several local schools. It is therefore one of the key sites in Lower Hutt requiring an on-road connection that is seen to be safe. A layout that works here can be extended on this key route, and applied to other key connections in Lower Hutt to create a connected network of cycleways, shared paths, and on-road connections between them and people’s desired destinations.

Throughout the trial we worked with the community to find a safer layout for all modes of transport. Children on bikes, people on e-scooters and people walking on the footpath should feel safe using this key connecting route, while keeping the road functioning well for other users.

Within the trial context, we may only use temporary materials and we need to comply with the safety regulations for a 50 kilometres per hour speed environment. This meant that while layouts could be tested, we were not able to address some other safety issues raised such as uneven surfaces and were limited in what could be done on the footpath.

What outcomes did we want to achieve?

We wanted to achieve two outcomes from the trial:

The road layout is safer for all users

We wanted to see safer speeds on the footpath and on the road, more separation for people using different modes of transport and as a result improved perceptions of the safety of their journeys for all users of Knights Road.

The road layout continues to function efficiently

We wanted to make sure the safety improvements did not come at the cost of the road functioning well for all users including those travelling the route, local residents and services such as public transport, rubbish collection and street sweeping. The emphasis was on improving safety and reallocating space for active modes of transport without compromising function. A road layout that achieves these outcomes could then be applied on key routes to connect the network of cycleways and shared pathways in Lower Hutt to each other and to the places people need to go.

3. Independent safety audits

Independent safety audits conducted by Beca Engineering in May 2021 highlighted a range of issues with the Knights Road corridor in general, and some issues with intersections and pedestrian crossings in particular. They did not highlight any major concerns with the trial layout itself, but did flag areas of concern also raised by the community that were outside of the scope of the trials as they require permanent work to be done.

While only some of these matters relate directly to the trial area, all of them impact the general safety of road users particularly those using active modes of transport. An example is the quality of the road surface, particularly at intersections, along Knights Road.

The Beca safety audits have been sent as reference material supporting this report. Specific issues relating to intersections and pedestrian crossings are in sections 4, 5, 6 and 7 of this report.

General safety issues raised in Beca safety audit:

Speed is an issue in general, but particularly at the pedestrian crossings, eastern lane and wide side road approaches to Knights Road which encourage high approach speeds and increase the crossing distance for pedestrians.

Throughout Knights Road there are footpath ramps at intersections and at pedestrian crossings that are of a poor quality because of poor pavement condition and/or steep gradients along with a lack of tactile pavers. This creates a trip hazard to all users, and is particularly problematic for users in wheelchairs, mobility scooters or who are visually impaired.

Poor visibility at several of these intersections and the long crossing distances due to the wide roads compounds the risk of injuries or conflicts. The footpath and the road surface quality are poor, creating trip hazards. A site visit and walk-through with Living Streets Aotearoa and disability advocates also flagged these same concerns and the difficulties and dangers they present.

Recommendation 1: Safety improvements

That regardless of which layout option for Knights Road is chosen, the repairs and safety improvements recommended by Beca are implemented as soon as practicable to provide a safe and good-quality corridor connection for all users. These are improvements at the intersection crossings to provide a slope that is suitable for prams and wheelchairs, tactiles, and changes to intersection layouts to reduce speeds. Also repairs to the surface of both the footpath and the seal, and removal of all extraneous markings. This is significant work, but needs to be done and has been identified by safety reviews and the public. This should be aligned with any services work required in the near future, especially by Wellington Water.

Repairs and safety improvements from Beca safety audits:

The operating speed in Knights Road should be reduced to 40 kilometres an hour and speeds at side road intersections should be reduced through traffic calming measures such as narrowing intersections, improving sightlines and adding raised safety platforms.

The area from the Oxford Terrace roundabout through to the beginning of Knights Road past the busy Waterloo Station should be a slower operating speed area.

Footpaths connecting Waterloo Station to Lower Hutt’s CBD should be of a consistent good quality for all users. Tactile pavers should be provided where needed and pedestrian ramps at crossings should be smooth and gradual as in the image (right) from Colin Grove.

The current level of service is poor, and the road layout at intersections encourages a high operating speed for turning vehicles.

Intersections should be improved to a good standard of service for all users and safety improvements are needed to narrow crossing distances and improve protection for pedestrians.

Seal repairs to the road surface are needed, and safety improvements are needed at the pedestrian crossings of Pohutukawa St, Bloomfield Terrace, and by Chilton St James School.

4. Beltway to Waterloo intersection

The Beltway Cycleway is a new off-road cycleway that will become a key part of the network of off-road cycleways and shared paths which will provide transport choice to residents of Lower Hutt. The first section links the northern car park at Waterloo Station to the Hutt River Trail at Taita Drive. This is being formally opened at the end of June 2021 and is already being well-used by people who do not fit the category of existing and confident cyclists – e.g. families, people with mobility issues, people on scooters etc.

The next phase of the Beltway Cycleway will continue this high standard facility past Waterloo Station and further south, following the rail corridor. However, in the interim, people reaching the end of the Beltway are required to make a choice between travelling on-road along the busy Oxford Terrace through the roundabout, going ‘off-road’ along the narrow grass berm, or travelling through the Park n Ride carpark and then using the footpath outside Waterloo Station.

This introduces potential conflict between people using the Beltway Cycleway and vehicles on Oxford Terrace or in the carpark.

Linking the Beltway to Waterloo

Community feedback during the first trial in March 2021 called for better connectivity between the Beltway, Waterloo Station and onwards along Knights Road to the central city. Community feedback in May, with the Beltway so near completion, was even stronger on this point, flagging the current link as confusing, unclear, fragmented and unsafe.

The safety review completed by Beca during May also flagged this lack of connection as a key issue of concern, compounded by the layout of the Oxford Terrace roundabout which enables relatively high speeds, and the lack of dedicated pedestrian facilities to access the car park located on the west side of Oxford Terrace.

Beca stated that the footpath connection is not clear, which limits pedestrian accessibility in the area and encourages pedestrians to cross at locations where vehicles may not expect them.

We investigated options for an interim solution that would provide a separated, direct connection from the end of Beltway to Waterloo Station. The most practical option seemed to be a boardwalk connection, overlying the grass berm and narrowing the wide roads. Our investigations conclude this is not a feasible solution because:

● the cost would be prohibitive, at approximately $180,000 – too high for an 18-month interim solution covering just 80 metres

● site logistics would mean the temporary boardwalk would be too narrow to be two-way facility shared by people on foot, on scooters and on bikes and would not extend all the way from the Beltway to the station

● the components would not be able to be repurposed at the end of the trial.

Recommendation 2: Prioritise this link

Investigation of a temporary better link to the Beltway have shown the boardwalk solution to be not cost-effective. Therefore we recommend that the next phase of the Beltway be programmed as soon as possible. The interim link through the Park n Ride carpark or on Oxford Terrace is not viewed to be safe or clear by Beca or users, particularly the less confident and slower users the Beltway is otherwise ideal for. We also recommend adding additional wayfinding signage in the interim to improve clarity.

Recommendations

● when the next phase of the Beltway commences, programme this connection as early as possible in the construction

● as part of the next phase of Beltway, consider implementing the increased deflection at the Oxford Terrace Roundabout to slow left turning vehicles in order to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety or alternatively, consider signalising this intersection

● investigate whether temporary kerb build-outs would improve this in the short term

● in the interim, make long-term temporary (2 years life) wayfinding improvements from the end of the Beltway through Waterloo Station car park to Waterloo intersection (e.g. sharrows, more permanent signage and pavement decals)

5. Waterloo intersection

Relevance of the intersection to the key outcomes

During community consultation in 2020, the community perceived the intersections in front of Waterloo Station to be the most dangerous part of Knights Road. People were concerned about congestion, vehicle speeds and conflicts with pedestrians. As a result, the trial was extended to include changes to this area.

Changes that were implemented

For the first trial layout in March we installed speed cushions to reduce approach speeds, highlighted pedestrian crossings through red colouring, and installed green flexiposts to improve left turning movements. A pop-up park was installed at Birch Street to provide a ‘home’ for the project as well as seating, art and native plants.

Key results of community feedback and data analysis in first trial (March 2021)

Overall during the first trial period:

● vehicle traffic volumes were unchanged

● Speeds through this intersection were lower

● turning movements were easier

● pedestrian safety improved dramatically^{^[2]}

● safety for all modes improved^{^[3]}

● vehicle traffic volumes were unchanged

● journey times were relatively unchanged

● the pop-up park was popular, majority wanted it to stay in place beyond June 2021

The changes remained in place for the amended trial in May 2021, with minor alterations to the colour of flexiposts. We collected additional data and feedback during that time to see whether the results observed in March remained consistent over a longer period with the changing seasons.

Key results in amended trial (May 2021)

Overall during the second trial period:

● changes we saw during the March trial persisted (Mooven and Beca data)

● queuing on Oxford Terrace southbound was reduced compared to phase 1 trials

● there was little change across trials on average journey times on Pohutukawa Rd & Oxford Terrace

Note: During the May trial, a pedestrian was struck by a car at the Waterloo Station near the pedestrian crossing when they failed to see the oncoming vehicle. (Reportedly they were neither at the crossing nor looking for traffic). According to police, the traffic-calming measures put in place for the trial were likely a major factor in this incident not resulting in any injuries. This incident would likely have resulted in more serious injuries if it had occurred in the pre-trial layout because of the higher vehicle speeds at this intersection at that time.

Knights Road/Pohutukawa Street intersection

At the Pohutakawa pedestrian crossing there are damaged pavement surfaces (Pohutukawa St) and, as this is the key link for people travelling into Lower Hutt’s central city, changes could be made to improve safety and clearly define priority here.

Recommendation 3

The changes to the layout in front of Waterloo Station are made permanent, with the additional changes suggested in Beca’s safety review. This would involve:

● retain trial layout of reddened crossings and speed cushions on Oxford Terrace and Knights Road

● consider adding flexiposts at the corner of Knights and Oxford as some vehicles are now swerving to avoid the speed cushion

● combine the cyclist and pedestrian crossing of Pohutukawa Street on a raised table to slow vehicle speeds, and clearly define who has priority. This would provide a better link for people on bikes and e-scooters to/from the Beltway cycleway, and would meant that the speed cushion on Pohutukawa Street could be removed

● remove the redundant street furniture (island pictured above)on Knights Rd to discourage jay walking

● consider this section and the area through to the Oxford Terrace roundabout becoming a lower speed zone.

6. Trial layout on Knights Road

During community consultation in 2020, the community voiced concerns about speeding; high volumes of traffic; and perceptions that people on foot and bikes, scooters and e-scooters were unsafe travelling on Knights Road. We developed a trial layout for Knights Road aiming to provide a connection that addressed these concerns.

First trial (March 2021)

The first trial layout was in place on Knights Road, from Willoughby Street to Waterloo Station, from Friday 26 February until Monday 29 March 2021.

The layout included:

● speed cushions and signage to encourage slower speeds around the Waterloo intersection

● two temporary lanes for bikes and e-scooters marked with paint and delineators, different types of delineators on each side of the road

● reduced parking on the south side of Knights Road to create the space for these two temporary pathways

● median strip retained to allow for turning vehicles into streets and driveways.

During the trial, we gathered data and feedback to measure how the trial layout performed against the outcomes we wanted to achieve.

Key results of community feedback and data analysis: March trial

Overall during the trial period:

● vehicle traffic volumes were unchanged

● more people cycled

● extreme speeding decreased, and average speeds remained unchanged

● journey times improved, for most journeys

● most people did not perceive pedestrian and vehicle safety improved as a result of the trial

We also found that the functioning of Knights Road was compromised for residents’ parking, street sweeping and, on the north side initially, for rubbish collection - but not for public transport and emergency services.

The main themes of feedback from the community were:

● support for a separated pathway to provide a safe space for people on faster wheels such as bikes and e-scooters, away from the footpath and more separated from the traffic

● the level of parking loss was unacceptable

Amended Layout

The requirements of the above feedback and the national regulations meant there was only space for a one-way separated pathway for people on bikes and e-scooters and so the north side of the trial was returned to baseline. The purpose of the amended trial remained the same - to test a road layout that delivers safer outcomes for all modes of transport without compromising function. The learnings can then be applied to the network of key connections across Lower Hutt.

The trial layout was amended in May to:

● return parking to both sides of the road

● retain the median strip, though it was narrowed to 1.5m

● provide better separation between moving traffic and the pathway for bikes and e-scooters

Immediately post-implementation, community concerns were raised about safety of the layout in general and the visibility of parked vehicles and for vehicles exiting side-streets and driveways in particular, so an independent safety audit of the temporary layout was completed urgently by Beca, followed by a safety review of the corridor from the Beltway cycleway to Bloomfield Terrace.

Findings from Safety Audit and Review

The Beca safety audits identified no serious concerns with the layout of the separated pathway in the amended trial, although they did identify a number of possible improvements.

They identified concerns with the layout on the north side of the road, which had been returned to the pre-trial layout. Visibility at side streets and driveways on the northern side and there being no dedicated facility for people on bikes travelling to Waterloo Station were two of their main concerns, and part of the reason for their recommendation to lower the speed environment in Knights Road.

Finally, they identified the surface condition of the road, the footpaths and the intersections as being poor quality and recommended repairs and upgrades to provide a consistent standard of high quality connection along the length of Knights Road.

7. Data from the May Trial

Conclusions on data and feedback about Layout on Knights Road: May trial

The goal was to test a road layout that delivers safer outcomes for all modes of transport without compromising function. This means safer speeds on the footpath and the road, and improved perception of safety.

The new layout has no impact on journey time and has not impacted services (bus, police, ambulance, rubbish collection, street sweeping). It has improved queuing, and we have safer speeds on west-bound traffic. We are seeing a continued increase in the number of cyclists for similar weather periods, from 500 to 1,600 comparing May 2018 to May 2021. Independent safety reviews have no major concerns about the trial layout.

Just over 200 responses were received to the three surveys made available; residents, school and general public. There was also lower engagement on relevant social media pages and fewer emails received. The survey responses indicate that nearly half of the total respondents, residents and the general public perceive the May layout has not improved safety for driving. Overall the feedback on the perceptions of safety for people walking, biking or scootering is mixed, but most disagree that safety has been improved.

From the feedback responses received, key concerns are visibility and safety pulling out of driveways and side-streets (worth noting that Beca's review identifies this as being of concern on the north side (original layout, but not the south side), the fact that the median is narrowed and perception that the traffic lanes have been narrowed compared to the March layout, and concern that the facility only provides for safe travel in one direction by bike. Key concerns related to the road in general are the surface of the road and footpaths, and speed. The connection from the Beltway is poor and unclear.

It is clear from the data and feedback received across this project that there is an increasing demand in Lower Hutt for micromobility modes of transport and that riding on the road is seen to be too dangerous for people who are not existing and confident riders. Feedback on the Beltway facility and the Wainuiomata shared path, and data on usage, shows that there is latent demand to use these modes of transport, and for a safe and connected network.

Both the review by Beca and the feedback from the community is that the current level of service on Knights Road for people walking, using scooters, bikes, or mobility scooters is poor due to surface conditions on the footpath and the road, and to poor quality crossings at intersections with side streets. This contributes to the perception of safety as well. A significant amount of work is required to address these service concerns.

The second trial layout has achieved safer speeds and increased separation for people on bikes and e-scooters. However, the litmus test question – is it seen to be safe enough for my child/grandchild to ride/scoot to school? – is still a no from the wider community.

Therefore, we recommend that Hutt City Council and NZTA consider implementing as the permanent solution an extended kerb design that would provide a separated two-way facility for people on bikes, e-scooters and faster wheels on Knights Road for the 1.1km between Waterloo Station and Bloomfield Terrace.

This will eventually link the Beltway to the slower speed area proposed by the RiverLink development programme, and to the Melling to Petone and Ngauranga routes. This would be the design most acceptable to the community and most likely to get ‘faster wheels’ away from pedestrians and off the road, as well as providing a facility parents feel comfortable with their children using. It would provide a future-proofed, consistent, clear, quality connection. It would also avoid some complications with rubbish collection and road sweeping that would arise with a more permanent version of the current layout if buffer islands were added.

8. Options for a permanent connection

Recommendation 4: Investigate a best-practice extended kerb design

Hutt City Council and NZTA consider implementing as the permanent solution an extended kerb design on one side of Knights Road that would provide a separated two-way facility for people on bikes, e-scooters and faster wheels on Knights Road for the 1.1km between Waterloo Station and Bloomfield Terrace. We are suggesting a design similar to the left hand image below, but with a 2-way facility for bikes/e-scooters. This is because this would involve the kerb and channel on only one side of the road, for a total of 1.1km, rather than having a one-directional facility on two roads. It would also be a design that would work best for rubbish collection and street sweeping services. We do not believe there is enough space to have a 2-way facility on both sides of the road on Knights Road, and retain parking on both sides and the median strip.

A two-way facility on one side of Knights Road would mean that users could access the Beltway with the controlled crossing at Waterloo Station, and go north or south from there. If a parallel facility were developed on Waterloo, then it would need to be implemented over 2.2km rather than 1.1km, a solution would need to be found to cross Oxford Terrace at the slip road from Waterloo, and a connection between the two facilities would need to be addressed. We believe all of these requirements would multiply the cost involved, and would not add to the clarity of the connection.

Engineering investigation would be required to design the best extended-kerb solution, so we recommend that this be scoped with urgency and more detailed options be presented to the Regulatory and Infrastructure Committee in July. Ideally construction would be timed to coincide with any work to services required in the near future, in particular Wellington Water.

If an extended kerb option is chosen and can be implemented within one year, we recommend that in the interim, the trial layout between Waterloo Station and Willoughby Street, remain in place, with the temporary amendments to the layout suggested in the post-implementation audit that have been delayed due to contractor availability and to weather. If this option is not feasible, we recommend that an alternative, dedicated lane on the road be installed on both Knights and Waterloo to provide for bike and e-scooter traffic in both directions.

Suggested permanent layout: Extended kerb layout providing a two-way facility for people on bikes and e-scooters on the south side of Knights Rd. (RoC= $6,974,000)

Note: Vehicle lanes and median strip remain at the current, trial widths. Could be possible to increase width of the median to 2m as the Austroads recommendation for a shared facility is a minimum 4.5m

This solution would be on the south side with the five intersections. Four of these intersections are identified as needing significant work to the kerb build out facilities to bring them up to a quality standard, and we are recommending that this work be done regardless of whether or not this solution is implemented. Thus the consistent, high quality corridor would be on this side of the road. A higher proportion of existing riders travel on this side of the road, and the turn to reach four local schools is on this side of the road.

Alternative permanent layout 1: Extended kerb layout providing a two-way facility for people on bikes and e-scooters on the north side of current layout

Note: vehicle lanes are widened to their pre-trial widths, but the median strip is lost to provide space for the 2-way facility and parking on both sides of the road. This is because the northern footpath is 400mm narrower than the southern footpath, and so re-doing the kerb and channel on this side gains 400mm of street width, rather than 800mm.

This solution on the north side would cross only one intersection at Mahoe St, which has also been identified as requiring remedial work. The intersections on the south side of Knights Road would still need to be addressed. Chilton St James is on this side of Knights Road.

Alternative permanent layout 2: Extended kerb layout providing a one-way facility for people on bikes and e-scooters on the south side of current layout

Note: Vehicle lanes and parking are kept at their current width, but the median strip is widened 0.5m to improve the perception of space. In order to address the connected network, a parallel facility would be required on another road, likely Waterloo Road. As with option 1, this layout would cross five intersections, but would do so in the direction of travel.

Alternatives to an extended kerb solution

Option One: Retain and extend trial layout (RoC $384,000-$589,000)

Recommend to the Regulatory and Infrastructure Committee that the trial layout remain in place, with the plan to extend it and make the corridor improvements in the summer of 2020/21 as far as Bloomfield Terrace and to install a similar layout on the northern side of Waterloo for eastbound movements. As the permanent link, improve the surface of the trial area, and consider adding in the buffer islands as in Rongotai or Dunedin.

The buffer islands have the advantage of providing a clear guideline for parking, preventing vehicle encroachment across into the separated pathway and better delineating driveways. Both reviews done in May recommended adding these buffer islands.

Note that adding in these buffer islands would likely require the purchase of a small sweeping machine by contractors. It does add a level of complication for rubbish collection als, and when tested with the community in April there were some concerns raised about the islands.

Current trial layout pictured below

Option Two: Painted cycleway on south side outside of parked cars as per March trial northern side layout

(no formal ROC for this option, but likely to be between $390,000 and $500,000)

Recommend to the Regulatory and Infrastructure Committee that the trial layout be amended to a one-way painted pathway for bikes and e-scooters with the plan to extend it and make the corridor improvements in the summer of 2020/21 as far as Bloomfield Terrace and to install a similar layout on the northern side of Waterloo for eastbound movements. As the permanent link, implement the safety and surface improvements recommended by Beca.

Image of the recommended layout but suggest this is implemented on the southern side of Knights Road, as this sees the most cyclist traffic and is the turn to access four schools, and on the northern side of Waterloo, with the additional greening suggested by Beca.

If the extended kerb version is the preferred option, but construction is further out than the next 12 months, this layout would also be our suggested interim layout on both Knights Road and Waterloo Road. We do not believe that the current trial layout achieves enough of a level of benefit above this layout to justify the greater cost and disruption if it is only an interim measure.

Option Three: Return to baseline with safety improvements (RoC $393,000)

Recommend to the regulatory committee that the trial layout between Waterloo Station and Willoughby Street be returned to baseline with the safety improvements recommended by Beca. This would involve removing extraneous markings and re-marking the road.

Recommendation 5: Safety and quality improvements

Regardless of which option is chosen (extended kerb, separated pathway or painted lane), the repairs and safety improvements recommended by Beca and outlined in the sections above are implemented to provide a safe and good-quality corridor connection for all users. Removal of unneeded road-markings is also required, regardless of which option is chosen. This is significant work, but needs done and has been identified by safety reviews and been a consistent theme of public feedback throughout this trial. Therefore it is included in all of the above rough order costs.

102 20 July 2021

Infrastructure and Regulatory Committee

30 June 2021

File: (21/1023)

Report no: IARCC2021/3/161

Regulatory Matters Report

Purpose of Report

1. To provide the Committee with an update of regulatory matters arising from the work of the Environment and Sustainability Group.

Recommendation

That the Committee receives and notes the information.

Background

2. The report covers the regulatory activities associated with the teams in the Environment and Sustainability Group. In particular, the Regulatory Services and Resource Consents teams.

3. Relevant consents data is attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

4. The Regulatory Services team process applications under the Food Act, the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act and the Building Act (building consents, liquor and food licences and District Licensing reports), trade waste applications, bylaws, animal services, and parking services.

5. The Resource Consents team processes consent applications under the Resource Management Act.

6. Environmental Health services are provided for Upper Hutt as well as Lower Hutt.

7. Animal Services are provided for Wellington as well as Lower Hutt.

Resource Consents

8. The number of resource consent applications is very high at the moment as customers rush to get their applications in before the 30 June 2021 deadline to be assessed under the current Development Contributions Policy. As of 30 June we have received 120 resource consent applications. Due to the large number of multi-unit developments that were lodged in June, detailed site addresses have not been included in this report. A detailed list is published online and available here. The majority of these multi-unit resource consent applications are for developments in Wainuiomata.

9. There are significant resourcing capacity issues across the planning and subdivision engineering industry. The development contributions change has exacerbated this locally. We will not be able to meet the Long Term Plan key performance measures that aim to have 80% of non-notified resource consents issued in 18 working days and 100% within 20 working days. It is likely the statutory deadline for non-notified resource consents to be issued within 20 working days will also not be met.

10. Notable resource consent applications lodged:

· 143 Jackson Street, Petone – demolition and new mixed use building

· 221 Wise Street, Wainuiomata – seven houses

· 15 Awamutu Grove, Waiwhetu – 16 townhouses (Wolfbrook)

· 205 Jackson Street, Petone – Additions to building eight new apartments

· 6 Bertram Grove, Naenae – 15 townhouses (Wolfbrook)

· 182 Cambridge Terrace, Fairfield – 14 townhouses (Williams Corporation)

· 10 Biddle Crescent, Taita - 30 townhouses (Williams Corporation)

· 137 High Street, Hutt Central – addition to building – 12 apartments

· 31 Fitzherbert Road, Wainuiomata – 12 townhouses

· 25 Bush Street, Naenae – nine townhouses (Faisandier Group)

· 20 Korau Grove, Stokes Valley – five townhouses

· 3 Best Street, Wainuiomata – nine townhouses (Wolfbrook)

· 33 Sladden Street, Naenae – 19 townhouses (Faisandier)

Recently granted resource consents:

· 14 Birch Street, Hutt Central – six dwellings

· 65 Victoria Street, Alicetown – 10 dwellings

· 101 Hewer Crescent, Naenae - six dwellings

· 1 Stokes Valley Road, Stokes Valley – five dwellings

· 35 Rata Street, Naenae – 20 dwellings

· 11 Cressy Street, Waterloo – eight townhouses

· 34 Fitzherbert Street, Petone – new mixed use development

· 28 Fitzherbert Road, Wainuiomata – 12 townhouses

· 90 Oxford Terrace, Epuni – 15 townhouses

· 17 Pearce Crescent, Taita – 11 townhouses

· 3 Johnston Grove, Taita – 19 townhouses.

RMA appeals and Compliance updates

Wainuiomata Cleanfill

11. All the latest compliance related information is now available online here: http://www.huttcity.govt.nz/Services/Rubbish-and-recycling/cleanfill/

· The March Noise monitoring was peer-reviewed by Marshall Day and determined to have a 1db exceedance on one occasion. This is a technical breach and would not be loud enough to be perceptible to the human ear. It is within the tolerances of the enforcement discretion and would not be considered an exceedance in the courts.

· The next round of monitoring is being undertaken in early July by a new company engaged by the consent holder to ensure additional independence from the operator.

· No complaints have been received since last report. Random monitoring checks determined the site was complying with resource consent conditions at those times.

Building Consents

12. The high volume of building consent applications has continued into the fourth quarter. A total of 279 consents were received in the fourth quarter with the combined value of $75.6M. This compares to 211 building consent applications with a value of $47.1M, for the same period last year.

13. Building inspection numbers are following a similar trend. A total of 764 inspections were completed in May 2021, compared to 636 in April 2021. It is expected that inspections will continue to be busy for the coming months, given consents approvals remain high.

14. We are investigating alternative ways to carry out low risk inspections remotely which uses technology that is currently available. It is anticipated that this will assist with managing the high workloads.

15. We are on track to exceed 1,600 building consents in the fiscal year. At the end of May, 1,302 building consents were granted, the value of this work being $411M. These figures compare to 1,246 consents to a value of $280M for the same period last year.

16. The building team has gained accreditation as a Building Consent Authority via the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Housing. This accreditation allows Council to continue delivering building consent functions.

Tiny House

17. The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has now issued a second draft determination for the “Tiny house” at Molesworth Street, Taita.

18. The latest decision, like the first draft decision, confirms that the tiny house required a building consent and Council officers were correct to issue a notice to fix on 3 April 2019.

19. Both parties have an opportunity to make final submissions on the draft determination before the decision is finalised and published by MBIE.

20. Since this case came to light the building team has published guidance information about tiny houses and updated Council’s website with steps to consider when building a tiny house.

Notable building consents received

· 84 Woburn Road – Hutt Valley High School – 16 classrooms, four ablution blocks, four accessible toilets for a temporary period, $1.2M

· 638 High Street – Hutt Hospital – Internal fit-out of level 2 of the Clock Tower building, $3.45M

· 10 Knights Road – Hutt Valley District Court – extension to entrance and internal alterations, $2M

· 4 Johnston Grove, Taita – Residential – multi-unit development of five blocks containing 19 household units, $3.31M

· 1 Moores Valley Road, Wainuiomata – three buildings with four retail and seven residential units, $3.72M.

Earthquake Prone Building

21. We are continuing to receive a steady stream of building consents for seismic strengthening work. There have also been a number of completed seismic strengthening projects that has allowed us to withdraw earthquake prone building notices.

22. We are moving forward in planning the next steps of our profiling programme to identify potentially earthquake prone buildings. This needs to be completed by 1 July 2022.

Swimming Pools

23. We have carried out 47 pool inspections in the period 1 April to 30 June 2021 and 211 in the 2020/21 financial year. We are on target to complete inspection of pools in Lower Hutt within the three yearly cycle. We have a small number on non-compliant pools and are working with the property owners to resolve the issues that have been identified.

Eco Design Advice

24. Council’s Eco Design Advisor completed 87 home visits between January to June 2021 and continues to be busy with bookings during the winter months.

25. The Eco Design Advisor has been working closely with Urban Plus Limited to provide technical advice on using Homestar as a tool to benchmark improved energy efficiency and sustainable buildings.

LIMS

26. There have been more LIMs issued this financial year to date, than in any other years we have on record (1,194).

27. The demand for fast track LIMs (those issued in under five working days) is increasing (issued in under five working days).

Environmental Health Team

Alcohol

Compliance Visits/Controlled Purchase Operations (CPO)

28. Licensed premises compliance checks were undertaken during May and June 2021. A total of 18 checks were undertaken, with two premises requiring action to be fully compliant. New Zealand Police accompanied Council’s Licensing Inspectors in June 2021 in order to monitor premises’ compliance with level 2 Covid requirements.

29. Controlled purchase operations were undertaken in conjunction with the New Zealand Police during April and May 2021. These resulted in sales to minors by four premises. Applications to the Alcohol and Regulatory Licensing Authority (ARLA) for the suspension of manager’s certificates and possibly licences will be made by the New Zealand Police.

Contested Applications

30. A public hearing for an application for the renewal of an off licence for Waiwhetu Superette was held on 14 June 2021. The application was opposed by the Medical Officer of Health (MoH) and Council’s Licensing Inspector, who both had concerns that the premises did not meet the definition of a grocery store. The MOH also had concerns about existing levels of harm in the area.

31. The District Licensing Committee granted a truncated off-licence requiring a second duty manager to be employed by December 2021 and 12 months of fully compliant sales revenue figures to be provided at next renewal.

32. The application for a new on-licence for the Abandoned Brewery, Boulcott has not progressed any further. There are Building Act matters that need resolving before this application can proceed. In addition, there are public objections. It is likely this application may require a hearing.

33. An application was made to ARLA by Council’s Licensing Inspector, for the suspension of a manager’s certificate. This was due to various deceptions made by the manager to her employer and staff in relation to the status of the on-licence, which resulted in the unlawful sale of alcohol. ARLA determined that as no breach of the Act or licence conditions was made specifically by the manager, the application was declined.

Granting and Issuing of Licences

34. Due to Covid 19, the New Zealand Police and the Public Health Service have continued to focus resources on Covid and contact tracing. As previously reported on 16 April 2020 Parliament passed an immediate modification order, extending the time frames within which agencies must report on all applications.

35. That order was again amended on 21 March 2021, extending the timeframe for reporting by the agencies to 30 working days after 21 June 2021, being 30 July 2021.

36. This means that the District Licensing Committee is unable to issue new liquor licences, or renew existing licenses without reports from the New Zealand Police and the Medical Officer of Health.

37. There are currently eight renewal applications awaiting reports from the Ministry of Health. No new applications are affected.

Bylaws

38. Three Appearance Industry Bylaw workshops were held during May and June 2021, to outline how the bylaw and code of practice will affect industry operators.

39. This included specific industry sector guidance and materials for the benefit of operators. Five applications for registration have been received thus far and on-site inspections will commence in late July 2021.

40. The workshops were attended by 31 of the 95 people who were invited. A comprehensive communications plan was put in place using social media, mail drops and emails, as well as follow up phone calls with operators who were unable to attend.

Food

41. There are currently 15 verifications that are overdue, down from 32 since the last report.

42. Council verifiers have undergone specific training for a pilot scheme to provide healthy lunches for some schools within Hutt City.

43. A food illness outbreak occurred at a local school during May, and was linked to meals provided by a local community charity. Council’s food safety officers and verifiers worked with officers from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Regional Public Health (RPH) in investigating the outbreak. Further education and advice was also provided to the charitable organisation.

44. In cases of foodborne illness, MPI and RPH take the lead and Council’s role is to support the lead agencies with enforcement and verification where required.

45. The Environmental Health Quality Management System (food) was audited on 6 May 2021 by IANZ. Three non-conformances were raised, two of which have already been addressed. The third is ongoing and requires further recording of information before it can be closed out. This was a great result for the Environmental Health Team and Council.

Noise

46. Officers have been very busy reviewing and commenting on resource consents, construction noise and vibration management plans. These relate to new developments across Lower Hutt.

Litter

47. Illegal dumping complaints have continued to remain at lower numbers so far this calendar year. Illegal dumping at the Kelson recycling station has lessened in this quarter. The Wainuiomata recycling station activity has also remained relatively low. The Alicetown site has had a few occurrences but they are sporadic. The old Naenae recycling station remains clear.

48. Refuse issues at many Kainga Ora properties have been resolved. Tenancy managers have been receptive and collaborative in waste management. Officers will continue to manage this relationship moving forward.

49. Community groups are doing their routine clean-ups and there are a few larger events planned for the railway corridors and Petone beach. Along with Keep New Zealand Beautiful, the Environmental Investigations Officer is planning to gain high participation in this year’s clean up week from schools and the community.

Trade Waste

50. The Trade Waste Team now sits within Environmental Health as a result of the recent organisational redesign.

Parking Services

51. The Parking Services Team has had a busy few months, issuing 2,343 tickets in April and 2,570 in May 2021. The average value of these tickets was $106.

52. Monitoring of red marker lights on parked heavy trade flat deck vehicles has found pockets of non-compliance around Hutt City. The absence of such lights creates a major safety hazard for motorists during the night and officers are taking a safety first approach.

Animal Services

Animal Services - Lower Hutt

53. There were 10,369 dog registration letters and invoices were sent out on Friday 25 June 2021.

54. The metal One Dog Tag for Life has replaced plastic tags, which are much better for the environment. This has been widely publicised and is receiving positive feedback.

55. A part payment option has been offered to a group of 40 dog owners that struggled to pay their registration last year. Only 10 have responded so far to take up this option.

56. The Les Dalton Dog Park opening was a great success and was well attended. There has been an overwhelming positive response from dog owners. Their dogs are enjoying this park and there have been no aggressive dog incidents reported.

57. Animal Control officers were called out to a stag tangled in a fence in June 2021 on private property in Naenae. The stag was required to be euthanised.

58. The increase in deer and stags reported in urban areas is becoming a common issue with the population explosion of Red Deer. Animal Services have received regular reports of deer coming down into properties in Wainuiomata, Eastbourne and Naenae. There have also been reported sightings of deer on Eastern Hutt Road.

59. These instances are reported through to the Parks and Recreation Team who liaise with Wellington Regional Council (WRC) for managing deer population. A report is being prepared on the performance of these services and will be submitted through the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee.

Animal Services - Wellington

60. Wellington Animal Services is currently in the middle of the re-registration for the 2021-22 periods. There are 13,448 dogs and at the end of June 2021, 45% had completed registration which is a great response.

61. Wellington City Council Responsible Dog Owner (RDO) courses run by Wellington Animal Services had a great turn out for the four courses held between October 2020 to April 2021. There were 230 registered for the courses with 240 plus actually attending.

62. RDO applicants are required to attend training courses and gain a pass certificate for certain training classes. Animal Services is one of these providers. The course covers extensive information regarding dog ownership and responsibilities, dog control laws and bylaws. The courses are well received and a great customer service tool.

63. During the summer period (December 2020 – March 2021) patrols were conducted in Wellington area. Officers spent over 172 hours doing 431 proactive patrols in “at risk areas and or common problem areas”.

64. Officers identified 109 compliance breaches as well as at least 207 compliant dog owners during these patrols. Officers were able to take enforcement action on 93 on these incidents.

65. Moa Point upgrade to the kennels has been completed. The new kennels and runs are more practical for this environment and there is less chance of spreading disease. The runs are much brighter and easier to clean.

Climate Change Impact and Considerations

66. The decision for dog registration tags to move to one metal tag for the life of the dog, rather than an annual plastic tag was made largely with the environmental effects in mind.

67. Work is happening to ensure the next round of dog registration letters and invoices are sent to owners via email rather than on paper through the mail which has traditionally been the case.

68. As vehicles come up for renewal in the Regulatory Services team, preference for an electrically powered vehicle is always considered as a priority.

Consultation

69. There are no consultation considerations.

Legal Considerations

70. There are no legal considerations.

Financial Considerations

71. There are no financial considerations.

Appendices

No.	Title	Page
1 ⇩	Appendix 1: Regulatory Services graphs to June 2021	111

Author: Derek Kerite

Head of Regulatory Services

Approved By: Helen Oram

Director Environment and Sustainability

[1] The traffic lanes remained the same width in the May trial as they were in March, but feedback showed people perceived them to be narrower. The median was narrowed to 1.5 metres.

[2] Analysis of video footage taken by drone at the busy times of 8am-9am and 3pm-4pm showed that compared to baseline footage taken in October and November 2020 there was 75.3% reduction in near-miss incidents for pedestrians by volume and a 7.7% reduction in conflict speed. Fewer near-misses happened at lower speeds

[3] Analysis of video footage taken by drone at the busy times of 8am-9am and 3pm-4pm showed that compared to baseline footage taken in October and November 2020 there was 29.2% reduction in near-miss incidents for all road users by volume and a 23.7% reduction in intersection approach speed. Fewer near-misses happened at lower speeds

No.	Title	Page
1 ⇩	Appendix 1: Very High Criticality Inspection Programme	95
2 ⇩	Appendix 2: Knowing Your Pipes Programme Update	96