4 September 2019

Nelson City Council has released its Annual Monitoring Report for the year to June 2019 on the Regional Land Transport Plan. The report shows how Nelson is tracking towards achieving targets and higher-level objectives.

The report highlighted several positive outcomes. These included an increase in walking and cycling on the principal routes of Rocks Road, the Railway Reserve, and Waimea Road. The number of people choosing to walk or cycle each day has risen from 868 in 2014 to 1216 in 2018.

There was a 5.1% increase in the use of public transport, with the new, streamlined Stoke loop service proving to be a fit-for-purpose addition to Nelson’s public transport network and making a strong contribution to this improved result. Patronage across all other routes was up 3.5%.

However, there are some areas where more work is needed to achieve our objectives. There has been no increase in occupancy rates of vehicles travelling along Waimea Road with most commuters still choosing to travel in single-occupancy vehicles. Reflecting national trends, the number of crashes on our network has increased. Travel times on key arterial routes are increasing and often sit outside our target levels of service. We see unacceptable numbers ‘rat-running’ through residential streets as frustrated motorists look to avoid clogged arterial routes.

Chair of the Regional Transport Committee, Councillor Mike Rutledge, reiterated the need to focus on the entire network to address the areas where objectives have not been met.

“We are all well aware that we have challenges with our roading network. Our transport network is not delivering to the needs of our growing city. We have made some good progress in some areas, and there have been some excellent projects delivered. However, this annual monitoring report further highlights the need for a clear direction, backed by the necessary investment to improve our transport network.

"The solution must deliver reduced congestion, give genuine mode choice, align with Council’s environmental ambition and create a safer transport network for all users. This is why the Nelson Future Access (NFA) project is critical to giving investment-ready solutions to Nelson’s traffic problems.

“The status quo is not acceptable. We look forward to working with the New Zealand Transport Agency over the coming months as they progress the NFA project. I encourage Nelsonians to take up opportunities to engage in the development of this project".

(https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/nelson-future-access-project).

"By taking a holistic approach to our transport network and bringing our community with us on the journey, I have confidence Nelson’s requirements for a safe, fit-for-purpose transport network will be met.”

Ends

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