17.4 Where to from here?

Draft strategies

The Walking and Cycling Strategy and Traffic Demand Management Strategy are both currently being drafted. The Regional Walking and Cycling Strategy sets out the regional actions that the agencies responsible (including the district councils and Transit NZ) can undertake to promote walking and cycling in Northland.

The Traffic Demand Management focuses on reducing demand for private vehicle use by using planning policy, land use, school and workplace travel plans. Funding will be increased for sustainable transport such as bus services, cycling and walking as part of these travel plans.

Proposed actions

Listed below are some of the actions that the Regional Council and other agencies in Northland will be taking in an effort to mitigate the adverse effects of transportation on the environment in Northland:

Reduce sediment run-off and dust nuisance

· Increase the road seal extension programme.

· Consider the effects of dust nuisance in land use planning and provision for subdivisions.

Reduce fuel consumption

· Promotion of alternative modes such as walking and cycling, and promotion of public transport.

· Reduced congestion and travel times.

Erosion management

· Provide designated dump sites and improved stormwater management to minimise slips and scours.

Environmental awareness

· Ensure that the construction, operation and maintenance effects of land transport projects on air, water and soil quality, noise levels and environmentally sensitive sites are considered.

Stock effluent disposal

· Support the adoption of the Code of Practice for the Minimisation of Stock Effluent on Roads by all members of the industry.

Roadside stormwater management

· Review the provisions in the Regional Water and Soil Plan for Northland (NRC 2007) for roads and car parks in relation to stormwater discharges. Improved storm water management to minimise slips and scours.

 

Roadside litter

· Provide refuse facilities for roadside litter management and increased education/enforcement (including management of roadside dumping of vehicles). Priority areas are key tourist routes.

Vehicle emissions

· Investigate the use of the Environmental Capacity Analysis process (as recommended in the Vehicle Fleet Emissions Control Strategy) as part of everyday management of the roading networks.

· Ensure the provision of low vehicle emissions on subsidised public passenger vehicles.

· Develop a strategy to address the results of air pollution monitoring procedures, particularly Whangarei's historical carbon monoxide exceedences and the contribution of traffic to urban PM10 concentrations.

· Encourage the reduction in vehicle emissions from private vehicle use by promoting alternative transport modes.

Campervan effluent disposal sites

· Investigate opportunities for increased campervan effluent disposal sites.

Urban severance management

· Support the implementation of measures to reduce and/or slow traffic throughout Northland towns and beach settlements, and where appropriate promote heavy traffic by-passes.

Landscape, heritage and urban design

· Make provision for the protection of landscape, historical and cultural values when undertaking the construction, maintenance and operation of the land transport network.

· Promote the urban design protocol.

Cultural sites

· Recognise the significance of cultural sites and the negative impact the construction, maintenance and operation of the land transport network can have on such sites and mitigate the effects.

Pest plant management in road corridors

· Support improvement of regional pest plants management alongside road corridors.

Promotion of rail

· Where appropriate, encourage increased use of rail as a relatively fuel-efficient and cleaner mode of freight and passenger transport.