That will also contribute to achievement of a number of objectives and policies in the Regional Policy Statement.

Transcription

1 Board of Inquiry MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway Proposal Submitters Evidence Public Transport Voice 5 October 2012 Executive Summary Increasing modal share for public transport is a key outcome in the Regional Land Transport Strategy. That will also contribute to achievement of a number of objectives and policies in the Regional Policy Statement. New roading will affect public transport provision and therefore the ability to achieve these outcomes, objectives and policies in a number of ways: 1. By affecting physical access to public transport. 2. Through direct effects on public transport operations. 3. By causing modal shift (induced traffic), which in turn may affect affordability of the public transport system and service provision. 4. Effects on the public transport environment. 5. Effects on walking and cycling modal share, and therefore the safety of walking and cycling to and from public transport nodes. 1

2 Induced traffic is not a benefit to the regional community, as asserted in the AEE. The levels predicted in the AEE could have significant effects on public transport, but these are not adequately assessed. An inland port is needed to reduce effects of car traffic on freight movements. Why public transport matters The Regional Land Transport Strategy has a number of outcomes that relate to increasing the modal share for public transport, walking and cycling, while reducing private (single occupancy) car use. Key outcome: 1.1 Increased peak period public transport mode share Related outcomes: 1.2 Increased off-peak public transport use and community connectedness 1.3 Improved public transport accessibility for all, including the transport disadvantaged 1.4 Reduced public transport journey times compared to travel by private car 1.5 Increased public transport reliability Key outcome: 2.1 Increased mode share for pedestrians and cyclists Related Outcomes: 2.2 Improved level of service for pedestrians and cyclists 2.3 Increased safety for pedestrians and cyclists Implementation of those outcomes, and increasing the use of electric rail, is a key means for achieving a number of Regional Policy Statement policies, including: Reduced public transport use is also likely to reduce walking and cycling, as many public transport users will use those modes to access public transport. Regular public transport 2

3 users are also likely to have fewer cars in their household, and therefore be more likely to use active modes for short local trips (e.g. shopping). Improved pedestrian and cycling facilities will also help encourage people to use public transport, by reducing the effect on patronage of distance to stops and stations (i.e. making public transport penetration less critical). The following provisions from the Regional Policy Statement are relevant to modal choice effects of the proposed expressway. Energy Objective 1 Energy demand is moderated and energy that is needed is produced, distributed and used efficiently so as to reduce impacts on the environment and to make effective use of limited energy resources. Objective 2 An increasing proportion of energy is provided by sources that are renewable. Objective 3 Adverse local and global environmental effects of energy production, transportation, transmission, conversion and end use are avoided, remedied or mitigated. Policy 2 To promote a moderation in energy demand and efficient energy use: In production processes and activities (including production and transmission of energy); In the operation of equipment and appliances; and Through the development of energy efficient products and services. Policy 3 To promote the consideration and the application of energy efficiency and a moderation in energy demand: In building design and site layout; In the use of construction materials; In the design and operation of transport vehicles and transportation systems; and In plans, policies and proposals that influence urban form and the distribution of land uses and activities. 3

4 Policy 5 To promote a movement away from the use of non-renewable fossil fuels as the primary source of motive power for transport in the Region. Method 4 The Wellington Regional Council, through its Regional Land Transport Strategy, will: (1) Promote existing modes of sustainable transport and their associated infrastructure; (2) Promote, in the short-term, more efficient use of fossil fuels in transport; and (3) Promote, where appropriate, in the medium to longerterm, the progressive development and use of cost effective transport modes that are propelled by motive power derived from renewable energy sources. The Built Environment and Transportation Objective 1 Urban areas, the built environment and transportation systems are developed so that they, and their associated activities, use resources efficiently and demand for the use of finite resources is moderated. Policy 3 To promote the development of transportation systems in the Region that: (1) Meet community needs for accessibility; (2) Use modes of transport that are powered by renewable energy fuels; (3) Help moderate demand for energy and use energy efficiently; (4) Discourage dispersed development; and (5) Avoid or reduce adverse effects on human health, public amenity and water, soil, air and ecosystems Method 3 The Wellington Regional Council will prepare and review the Regional Land Transport Strategy and through the Strategy and its other transport responsibilities: (1) Promote public awareness about the full social, economic and environmental costs of using different modes of transport; (2) Promote the use of urban transport modes which use renewable energy resources and that are efficient in the use of energy generally; 4

5 (3) Promote policies that encourage the provision and use of alternatives to individual vehicles as a means of meeting needs for accessibility; (4) Promote fuel efficient driving practices; and (5) Provide, where appropriate, funding for the investigation, planning and provision of public transport services. Potential effects of new roading on public transport There are a number of key potential effects of a new road on public transport provision: 6. The road may enhance or inhibit physical access to public transport. Key issues will be a. the effect of the road on walking routes between public transport nodes (e.g. railway stations) and destinations of public transport users b. the effect of the changed roading network on road access to public transport nodes, for example making it more or less difficult for cars to enter a park and ride. 7. The changed roading network or road construction may have direct effects on public transport operations. 8. Changes in the roading network may cause modal shift from public transport to car use, and that may reduce the affordability of the public transport system, and therefore indirectly lead to loss of service quality or inability to increase services. 9. Modal shifts as a result of the road may also affect the public transport environment, for example by making railway stations more or less attractive places. 10. Modal shifts as a result of the road may also affect walking and cycling modal share, and therefore the safety of walking and cycling to and from public transport nodes. 5

6 Induced traffic The AEE states that The Project will result in a number of changes in travel behaviour, arising from reductions in the costs of road travel, improved trip reliability, and improved accessibility. Trip movements which are currently suppressed due to the effects of congestion and lengthy journey times are likely to be released (forecast at 12% of the predicted traffic volumes for the Project), leading to an overall increase in road traffic activity. These are called induced trips and can be viewed as a benefit through individuals valuing the improved accessibility, time savings and / or trip reliability provided by the Project. Technical Report 32 (Volume 3) discusses this in more detail. The forecast volumes of major travel movements in the corridor for 2026 (summarised in Technical Report 34, Volume 3) indicates that there would be some increase both in the total volume of travel in the corridor and also in the proportion of the travel which is undertaken by road, as a result of the Project. It is important to note that the effects above would occur because the improved accessibility provided by the Project allows people to travel to the destinations they wish, at the times and using the mode of transport which is most convenient to them. All of these responses have an associated benefit to the travellers concerned and in aggregate, to the region as a whole. 1 The assertion at the end (that induced traffic is a regional benefit) is not supported by any evidence in the document that we have found, and contrary to the position in land transport legislation and the regional strategy. There is a clear nationally accepted requirement for travel demand management (TDM) to be a core part of all transport work. Every regional land transport strategy must be accompanied by a TDM strategy. Personal travel by car is not a cost-less exercise. This expressway proposal shows clearly the potential size of the cumulative effect of such choices. If all those locals who could reasonably use public transport for their travel did so, no expressway would ever have been proposed. The cumulative effect of those personal choices is therefore the direct costs of the expressway (monetary, land used), the effects on urban form and the environment from that land use, and the effects on the local residents whose homes are being taken or whose property values and life styles are being negatively affected by the proposal. These are not trivial costs, and it is disturbing that the AEE appears to have no interest in weighing those up when considering the benefits of unsuppressing travel demand. 1 Page 353 6

7 In contrast, use of existing public transport and walking infrastructure will have significant benefits to the region. It will not impose material additional costs (possibly minor increases in fuel use of public transport vehicles as weight is added to their load or the dwell time and number of stops of a bus is increased), will generally increase fare revenue, and will improve the safety of other users (pedestrian safety increases as numbers increase, and passengers on fuller public transport vehicles generally feel safety). That is why TDM is such a central part of transport planning. The purpose of TDM is to seek to have the most efficient mode used (not just the one that suits the individual) and to minimise the overall costs of the transport system for the local, regional and national community. A range of tools are used in TDM, including journey planning assistance, fare packages, improved service levels, education, social encouragement, and financial incentives (e.g. car parking charges). These are often combined (for example walking school buses include both service level and social elements). Any project that includes a negative modal shift effect should include a TDM measure to counteract that. We can find no such TDM measure proposed in the application, and the applicant actively opposed proposals for such measures for the Transmission Gully Motorway application. In contrast, they have proposed measures in relation to local roading: Proposed Expressway induced demands will require the provision of mitigation works on the local network in the immediate vicinity of Project interchanges and these mitigation works form part of the Project. 2 The effects of induced traffic on PT services The AEE and technical report 34 do not adequately cover this issue. They provide some figures for possible losses of patronage, but do not relate these to the affected services. Which service is affected matters. A well patronised service that loses 10% of its patronage may not be at risk of closure or frequency reductions. But a service with low patronage will. And that will have major effects on the remaining users, many of whom will have no other choices. It will also reduce the overall size of the PT network, reducing its utility to all users. 2 AEE, page 333 7

8 Closing a minor bus service is like removing a minor road a major impact on penetration and overall network value. The applicants need to produce that fine scale assessment before any detailed assessment can be made of these effects. This should be standard information in any proposal of this type, and it is disappointing that it is absent. Inland port The effect of congestion on commuter traffic is not a true economic cost when a reliable alternative mode is available to those users of the road. However the effect of those road users on business traffic is a significant economic issue. One of the solutions used in Auckland to resolve that problem for some freight operators is an inland port at Wiri. A similar facility would be desirable in Wellington, allowing freight going to the port or ferry to be deposited at an inland port north of the city, marshalled there, and then sent by rail to the port at the right time to connect with the relevant ship. That would significantly reduce the costs for freight companies of coping with city peak traffic Gregory Bodnar 8