Strategic Transport Study

Today marked the release of the strategic transport study, a joint NPDC and Tranzit study to for the development of New Plymouth's transportation network.

While more details can be found in the PDF documents contained here (http://www.newplymouthnz.com/HaveYourSay/Consultation/StrategicTransportStudy.htm), I've included the summary of the findings below, along with some diagrams in further posts.

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Together with the implementation of travel demand measures, the two main conclusions to emerge from the New Plymouth Strategic Study are:

• Northgate should be widened to four lanes with an additional auxiliary lane westbound between Mangorei Road and Leach Street, a right-turn lane into Hobson Street, and
additional lanes for turning traffic at the Northgate/Mangorei Road intersection

• Devon Road, including the Waiwhakaiho River Bridge, should be widened to six lanes with additional lanes for turning traffic at the Smart Road and Vickers Road intersections.

Other conclusions include:

• most of the existing road network will cater for future traffic volumes for the next 25 years, and even up to 40 years

• some adjustments should be made to the classification of local urban roads, and the rural road network should be classified

• provision should be made to ultimately improve the alignment of District Route 1 as a Minor Arterial Road

• based on projections of future traffic volumes and the provision of cycle lanes on alL Arterial and Collector Roads, where necessary in preference to on-street parking, provision should be made for the need to widen some sections of the carriageway, but generally without the need to widen the road reserve, on the following Arterial and ollector Roads:
- Eliot Street-Coronation Avenue
- Devon Street East
- Devon Street West
- South Road
- Tukapa Street
- Carrington Street
- Frankley Road

• the Morley Street-Vivian Street intersection should be signalised

• the one-way pair on Leach Street-Vivian Street and Powderham Street-Courtenay Street should be retained with improvements to the Central City Area road network including:
- three through lanes on Leach Street between Eliot Street and Liardet Street
- some additional approach lanes at intersections
- some additional parking restrictions
- addition of signals at the Leach Street intersection with Gover Street

• a new link between SH3 (South) and the Port is not economically justified

• a second crossing of the Waiwhakaiho River may be required but until traffic growth on SH3 (East) along Northgate and Devon Road, and across the Waiwhakaiho River are confirmed, any further investigations which will require the development of a detailed transportation model of New Plymouth should be deferred

• measures should be taken to minimise the growth of traffic in the SH3 (East) corridor including:
- increasing the self-sufficiency of Bell Block
- improving public transport services between New Plymouth and Bell Block, and encouraging industries to develop travel plans and other measures, in order to minimise dependency of private car travel
- integrating future commercial development at Waiwhakaiho and residential development up Smart Road with improvements to the Northgate - Devon Road corridor and possibly a second crossing of the Waiwhakaiho River

• future development of the Waiwhakaiho commercial area and the Smart Road residential area should be integrated and coordinated with the development of the SH3 (East) corridor on Northgate and Devon Road and, in particular, the Devon Road/Smart Road intersection

• bypasses of the rural townships of Inglewood, Urenui, Oakura and Okato are not economic and, generally, the existing arrangements for managing through traffic, local traffic And local community activities in the ‘main streets’ are appropriate.


The report has also proposed a number of short term traffic management improvements including:

• reconfiguration of the St Aubyn Street/Breakwater Road/Lawry Street/South Road intersection to provide a half roundabout, with associated removal of the slip lane and shortening of the pedestrian crossing

• closure of the Watson Street and Ngaio Street intersections on Northgate and the Constance Street intersection on Devon Road

This is a summary of the documentation. Appologies in advance for any mistakes! :ohno:

Northgate - Hobson Street

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/Northgate-Hobson.jpg

Note:

New intersection allowing West-bound vehicles to turn north into Hobson Street.
Expansion from one lane on Northgate East-bound to three-lanes.
Expansion from one lane on Northgate West-bound to three lanes.
Expansion from two lanes East-bound on Leach St to three-lanes.


Northgate - Mangorei Rd

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/Northgate-Mangorei.jpg

Note:

Expansion from one lane East-bound to two lanes East-bound.
Expansion from two lanes West-bound to three lanes West-bound
Expansion from two lane Te Henui-Northgate bridge to five lanes.
Major expansion of Northgate - Mangorei Road intersection to five lanes West bound and five lanes East-bound on Northgate.
Major expansion of Mangorei Road - Northgate intersection to five lanes North-bound, and four lanes South-bound.


Northgate - Strandon section

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/Northgate-Strandon.jpg

Note:

Expansion from one lane East bound to two lanes.
Expansion from one lane West-bound to two lanes.


Northgate-Fitzroy-Waiwhakaiho

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/Northgate-Fitzroy-Waiwhakaiho.jpg

Note:

Expansion from one lane East-bound to three lanes East-bound.
Expansion from two lanes West-bound to three lanes West-bound, moving to two lanes West-bound.
Expand Waiwhakaiho bridge from one lane East-bound and two lanes West-bound to three lanes East-bound and three-lanes West-bound.
Minor intersection improvement at Devon St East (Fitzroy entrance).
Expansion of short section of Devon St East from two lanes to four lanes.



Devon Road (Northgate)-Waiwikahio-Vickers Rd

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/Northgate-Waiwhakaiho.jpg


Expansion from two lanes East-bound to three lanes.
Expansion from two lanes West-bound to three lanes.
Addition of Express-way median barrier the entire length of the new system.
Closure of Katere Road exit/entrance East-bound.
Expansion from two lanes West-bound to Vickers Rd to four lanes.
Expansion from two lanes South-bound on Vickers Rd to four lanes.
Joins new Bell Block Express-way (yet to be formally designated).

Not pictured but under consideration:

New Airport Rd interchange (same as Bell Block interchange currently under construction) and De Havilland Drive over-pass.


Not pictured but currently under construction:

Bell Block bypass (Expressway) further East.

Same Routes, Different Buses

23 June 2008

Same Routes, Different Buses

Public bus services in New Plymouth will take on a different look from the end of June as a new Taranaki Regional Council contract takes effect.

Tranzit Coachlines will operate bus services in New Plymouth, Oakura, Bell Block and Waitara under the City Link banner from 1 July. Routes and fares will remain unchanged and timetables will initially be the same. The only difference will be Tranzit’s white and blue City Link buses.

The contract was awarded after a two-year trial of expanded bus services during which much was learned, says the Council’s Director-Operations, Rob Phillips.

As a result of feedback during the trial, new early morning and late afternoon commuter services will be introduced later in the year.

“In setting up the new commuter services, we’ll be guided by comments passengers made during the trial and also by suggestions we received during a public survey in April this year. And given the way fuel prices are rising, we’re sure there’ll be a great deal of interest.

“Convenient new fare-paying technology involving the use of smart cards is also being investigated.”

Tranzit Coachlines is also taking over eight school bus services. Again, routes, fares and timetables will remain unchanged. http://www.newplymouthnz.com/NR/rdonlyres/37244107-82E2-4503-A39C-FD05F230C378/0/Bus.jpg

From 1 July, Tranzit’s school bus runs will include:

• Route 2 (Waitara-NP-Waitara)
• Route 8 (NP-Bell Block)
• Route 9 (Oakura-NP-Oakura)
• Route 10 (Omata-NP-Omata)
• Route 11 (Westown-Spotswood)
• Route 12 (Bell Block-NP-Bell Block)
• Route 21 (Bell Block-NP-Bell Block)
• Route 23 (Waitara-NP-Waitara)


Mr Phillips says the contract was awarded after a competitive tendering process that weighed up quality of service as well as cost.

“We needed a contract that would let us maintain or improve existing services, hold fares and keep ratepayer cost to a minimum. Our contract with Tranzit not only lets us do this, but gives us budgetary leeway to introduce the new commuter services.”

City Link will be supported from 1 July by a new websitehttp://www.taranakibus.info.

This is a picture of what Okato Bus Lines Used to have on New Plymouth City Bus routes, which is to cease operation at the 1st of July. But the bus they used was 2 door and the same make.
http://www.kiwibus.co.nz/uploadImages/thumb1129666490VDL%20.jpg

SIZE="5"]Procession marks end of the line for Okato buses [/SIZE]

A procession of buses up New Plymouth's main street brought the Okato Bus Lines era to an end in Taranaki yesterday.

From today, their services will be run by Tranzit Coachlines and to mark their farewell a convoy of 16 buses revved and tooted their way along Devon St.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/735225.jpg
A convoy of buses along Devon St gave the Taranaki public one last glimpse of the Okato Bus Lines fleet. Its Taranaki services will be taken over by Tranzit Coachlines from today.

Tranzit was awarded the tender for New Plymouth's city services by the Taranaki Regional Council in April and yesterday Okato Bus Lines director Heather Oxley confirmed the company had now sold the whole business - including 38 buses, rural and urban school bus runs and commercial urban runs - to Tranzit.

Tranzit will also rent Okato Bus Lines' Sunley St bus depot.

All of Okato Bus Lines' drivers were offered jobs with Tranzit and while the majority accepted, for some yesterday's drive-by was the last hurrah.

"Very sad," Mrs Oxley said. "We've been through the grieving process, to be honest."

Okato Bus Lines had run the New Plymouth city service since 1992 when the New Plymouth District Council scrapped its services.

Mrs Oxley said the support the company had received from the Taranaki public since losing the tender was overwhelming, with dozens of messages, flowers and even baking.

"We've just been blown away by the feeling out there to be honest," she said.

"They've told us they were very disappointed the contract was given to an out-of-town company."

Tranzit managing director Paul Snelgrove said the company was excited about moving in and viewed New Plymouth as a natural addition to its bus services in Wairarapa, Manawatu, Wanganui and Auckland.

He said Tranzit wanted to dispel rumours the takeover was a case of a corporate company muscling out the locals, saying Tranzit was a privately-owned family business running since 1924.

Tranzit plans to keep about 15 of the buses bought off Okato Bus Lines and the others would be sold. A further 22 vehicles will be brought in, including four super-low-floor, wheelchair equipped, twin doored and air-conditioned buses for the city runs.

TRC director operations Rob Phillips said it would be business as usual when Tranzit took over today.

"We're pretty excited about going forward," Mr Phillips said.

He said the TRC would look to introduce new schedules, services and fare-payment technology a couple of months down the track.

"Let's make the change with as little difference as possible," he said.

"Same time, same service, different operator. New services a few months down the track." The TRC has launched a new public transport website www.taranakibus.info with links to route, fare and timetable information for all Taranaki bus services.

Thanks for the info nz1 and kwl.
Those are huge improvements on the northern gateway. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasnt the route completed in the mid 70s in an already downgraded fashion due to the oil crisis at the time?

Plea to dig into nest egg

One of Taranaki's prominent businessmen is urging the district council to dig into its investment fund to quickly overcome New Plymouth's biggest roading problem - the bottleneck at Waiwhakaiho.

He is John Matthews, owner of Technix Group Ltd which is head-quartered in the industrial area in the Waiwhakaiho Valley.

He is one of a large number of individuals and organisations to file submissions on the strategic transport plan released by the New Plymouth District Council and Transit New Zealand in May.

This report identified traffic congestion along the city's northern outlet as the most critical transport problem in the district, requiring urgent attention to cater for future economic and traffic growth.

Yesterday all these submissions were tabled at a meeting of the council's policy committee, and they included some from high-powered organisations such as the Road Transport Association and the Automobile Association.

Several of the authors of the submissions turned up to speak to the meeting - Mr Matthews included.

"We need to kick-start the construction process to overcome the Waiwhakaiho pinch-point," he told the meeting.

"There is real urgency here. And if Transit decides there isn't a sense of urgency, then I suggest New Plymouth becomes proactive - take money from the council's perpetual investment fund and lend it to Transit so it can get on with the job.

"That would be a very good investment for the city," he said.

Some of the submissions accuse officials of sitting on their hands over the issue of traffic congestion along the northern outlet.

The submission from the Road Transport Association's western central district points out that the need for a second bridge over the Waiwhakaiho River had been identified in a special study 40 years ago, and that if it had been built, New Plymouth would not be in the traffic congestion situation it is now.

New Plymouth man Alister Imrie told the meeting that over the past few years ratepayers had repeatedly voiced their concerns about the congestion, particularly the bottleneck on the bridge crossing the Waiwhakaiho River.

"The council, Land Transport and central government must all accept responsibility for their prevarication. Between them they have allowed a potentially hazardous and dangerous situation to develop, and the council has done little to plan for another bridge," he said.

"Only a few weeks ago we were informed there were two or three sites where a bridge could go. What an incredible admission from council officers. A serious problem has frustrated and plagued its citizens for more than 20 years, and the authorities of this city are only thinking about where a second bridge should go."

Mr Imrie said it was imperative that New Plymouth built another access over the river as soon as possible.

"Perhaps Len Lye should have been asked to design a kinetic bridge, then we would have plenty of finance from the art budget, all the motorists of the community would be satisfied - and we would have a second bridge."

Yesterday's meeting decided to forward the submissions to Transit and its consultant for consideration in its final reports on the New Plymouth strategic transport plan.

Port wants access road


Port Taranaki's future is in jeopardy if long-term plans aren't put in place for new road access.


This warning is issued by Port Taranaki Ltd chief executive Roy Weaver, who says roading authorities should be planning a new ring route around the hinterland of urban New Plymouth.

And he is backed by several Taranaki organisations including Venture Taranaki, Automobile Association, and the Road Transport Association.

In a submission on the recently-released draft strategic transport plan for New Plymouth, he warns of potentially disastrous consequences if the plan sticks to its opinion that new road access to the port can not be economically justified.

"It is likely that the current access route to the port through the city will be untenable and will lead to slow strangulation of this vital community asset," he says of the port. Mr Weaver points out that a recent economic report says more than a third of regional GDP and jobs are directly linked to Port Taranaki.

"Imagine New Plymouth district with its population reduced by one-third to 35,000-40,000 because poor planning of road access to the port stifled its growth," he says.

"On the other hand, imagine the potential for the city brought about by a vibrant port with easy and efficient access to the South Island, Australia and other world ports.

"For this reason it is imperative that a longer-term view be adopted and an alternative route be identified and protected during the city's development."

The strategic plan, produced by Transit New Zealand and the New Plymouth District Council, considers the possibility of developing a new route connecting State Highway 3 and the port that would cut behind New Plymouth from Junction Rd to the Frankley Rd-Tukapa St intersection.

But it says although this would provide a shorter and faster route than now, the cost would be as much as $40 million.

"The benefits to port traffic and other local traffic would be quite minimal. Even with the prospects of developing a number of new trades through the port, the travel time and travel distances savings for road traffic to and from the port would be quite minimal," it says, adding that this means such a route would not be economic in the foreseeable future.

But Mr Weaver says this should not be the end of the matter.

At a meeting of the district council's policy committee this week, he urged authorities to designate an alternative route to the port.

"We might not be able to afford to build it today, but if we don't designate the route now, we may not be able to build it when we do need it.

"This is a potential problem we need to find a solution to. Otherwise, Port Taranaki faces the danger of being strangled to death by road access issues over the next 25 years."

The AA supports the port's stance, arguing in its submission that a ring road road should be planned now. This planning could then earmark properties needed before urban sprawl makes them unavailable at a later date. And Venture Taranaki says this is an issue of when, rather than if, an alternative route is required. "Strategic consideration needs to be taken now, so that the potential to develop an alternate corridor at any time in the future is retained."

Controversial intersection doesn't match crash statistics
New Plymouth's most feared intersection doesn't rate anywhere near the most dangerous in the district, according to latest crash statistics.

That honour goes to the Eliot St-Courtenay St intersection in the central city, which has recorded 30 crashes in the past five years.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/736610.jpg
The Eliot St-Courtenay St intersection, the most dangerous in New Plymouth.
And right behind it is the Northgate-Mangorei Rd intersection with a recorded crash count of 29.

Meanwhile, the notorious Brois St-Waimea St-Frankley Rd intersection has recorded just one crash in that time - something which underlines the New Plymouth District Council opinion that the intersection might be unsatisfactory, but it is not unsafe.

That statistic actually means there are 186 intersections in the district with worse crash records. The council's general manager of community assets, Anthony Wilson, says the statistics show that where there's more traffic, there's the greater opportunity for crashes.

"And where there are intersections with lights, then there seems to be the greater risk that motorists will move into a sort of autopilot mode and not think about what they are doing," he says.

"That's the irony. When you get to a very difficult intersection, such as the one that has been the subject of all the debate, then people don't approach it with a closed mind.

"Instead they take real care - and the recorded crash statistics are usually far lower."

Mr Wilson says it is a real concern in transport engineering circles that good engineering solutions for problem intersections often don't make for safer roads. "Education and driver behaviour also come into it. For example, New Plymouth has a bad record for people running red lights - and that helps explain why there are bad crash records on many controlled intersections."

But while regular users of the Brois-Waimea-Frankley intersection say they understand the reasoning behind the intersection's very low crash record, they continue to demand that improvements be made.

"It's a terrible intersection," says Rex Shields, who lives in Frankleigh Park.

"I can understand the crash statistics, but there are so many things that make that intersection dangerous and which need to be sorted out."

While the Eliot-Courtenay and Northgate-Mangorei intersections are clearly the most dangerous in New Plymouth, there are another 21 that have double-figure crash statistics. They include another intersection on Brois St - the crossing with Govett Ave which recorded 10 crashes in the past five years.

Expanding the Mangaone Hill to four lanes.

Note: Bridge over stream being extended at right.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/IMG_1061.jpg

Henwood Road BBK Flyover construction.
(Entry/exit ramps from diamond interchange to left and right of photo)

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/IMG_1039.jpg

Criticism prompts fresh look Intense public scrutiny has forced a New Plymouth District Council "turnaround" on a notorious city intersection.

Proposals for a roundabout on the infamous Brois St-Waimea St-Frankley Rd intersection were scrapped in June, but NPDC chief executive Barbara McKerrow has now confirmed council officers are investigating other options for making the intersection safer.

"It's an obvious one," Mrs McKerrow told the Taranaki Daily News.

"A number of people are expressing their concerns.

"Because of the concern, I'm sure council will want to look at their other options."

A report was being prepared and should be ready in time for the council's next monitoring committee meeting on August 12.

NPDC manager roading assets Max Aves, who is preparing the report, said it would look into a range of options for improving the intersection.

These would include installing traffic signals and lowering the hill the intersection crosses.

The report would look at the safety risks involved with each option as well as some rough order costs.

But he said it was only an interim report.

Nearby resident Peter Bishop, who had criticised the decision to abandon a roundabout, said he was pleased the council had decided to continue looking at options for the intersection.

"That's got to be good for everybody concerned," he said.

"It is a dangerous intersection. It's not going to be an easy fix, but it can't be left like it is.

"I'm glad they haven't shelved it and I hope they keep on trying to find a remedy."

Last week, the NPDC released crash statistics showing the intersection had recorded just one crash in the past five years.

The statistics showed there were 186 worse intersections in the New Plymouth District in terms of crashes.

i noticed that ever since tranzit took over okato bus lines they have taken the bendy buses off the school routes:ohno:http://busstopsales.com/images/Photos/Adelaide%20Artics/img110%20%20low%20res.jpg

I've seen a couple of them on school runs since Transit took over the operation, but they're definately not using them as much as before.

Looks like they are still using drivers from Palmerston North for the city runs. Must be costing them a fortune! :bash:

r u sure tranzit is still using the bendy buses, cause i found 1 on trade me.

They had three artic's in service, a Volvo and two MAN's (all ex-Australia). The one on trademe is the oldest of the bunch.

you were rite about tranzit still using the bendys, i saw the two volvo's, but they were using them for charter i think.

WOW I was in New Plymouth yesterday and got stuck in a traffic jam heading North at rush hour. I had no idea it was that busy! :ohno:

That express way is going to be pretty impressive :banana:

todays traffic was really congested. it took me ages to get into the city. wheres the public transport when we need it:ohno:

There has been some discussion recently around providing additional PT services in the Eastern suburbs of the city, and given the lack of central government funding for roading schemes,I think this is going to be the only way in which congestion can be alleviated long-term.

This does however still leave the issue of route security, with only one exit point for traffic heading North.

I can vouch for this. Packed into a articulated bus with people squashed up against the doors! And that was just one of several in service on that route :nuts:

Rugby Bus Shuttles a Huge Success

Thu 04 Sep 2008

All Blacks fans took to the free shuttle bus service last night (Wednesday) in numbers that exceeded expectations.

About 5,000 people chose to travel from the central city to Yarrow Stadium for last night’s rugby test match.

“That means a good 20 per cent of the total crowd at Yarrow Stadium travelled there by shuttle bus,” says Manager Recreation and Events Paul Nisbet.

“That’s a huge percentage, and completely beyond our expectations.

“We’re stoked the service ran so well and that the public took to it in such numbers.”

Ten buses ran in a continual loop from 5.30pm until the start of the game, and also returned fans to the central city after fulltime.

Tranzit Coachlines Taranaki Operations Manager Michelle Durdle says the last bus came off the road at 10.30pm.

“This service was a first for such a big event in Taranaki, but we knew that a lot of people would use it if they knew about it – and that’s how it turned out,” she says.

As well as the shuttle buses, the test match attracted about 45 chartered coaches – resulting in nearly one-third of the crowd arriving by some sort of bus transport.

“I’ve been in event management for 20 years in New Zealand and Australia and I’ve never seen such a large take-up of bus transport before,” says Mr Nisbet.

Here's a mock up of the BBK bypass express-way currently under construction. Despite repeated attempts, I still cannot find a decent map online of it :ohno:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/BBKBypassroute.jpg

And here's the proposed Airport Dr interchange.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/AirportDrInt.jpg


:cheers:

Manganone Hill 4-laning coming along well.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/IMG_1121.jpg

Some progress on the BBK end of the expressway. Looks like they're starting to build the interchange bridge. Finally, a chance to take some more exciting photo's!

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/IMG_1129a.jpg

:cheers:

Wall puts gas line on solid ground

http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/757588.jpg
Construction foreman Jason Aim and Josh Craigie have been working with sub-contractor Craig McEwen on the Mangaone retaining wall in New Plymouth for the past six weeks. Their job is almost done.
The secret behind the "great wall of Waiwhakaiho" is out.
The impressive wood and steel retaining wall on the Mangaone hill leading into New Plymouth has gradually taken shape during the past two months.

It will ensure the stability of an eight inch (20cm) gas line on top of the hill should an earthquake strike.

A large part of the hill was recently carved away to make room for an extra road lane and cycle track as part of the Bell Block bypass project.

Construction foreman Jason Aim yesterday said such a retaining wall was not usually necessary but the gas line meant extra precautions had to be taken.

This would seem to scotch rumours it was being built to protect a Maori cemetery.

The wall has so far taken six weeks to build with many work days lost because of bad weather.

Mr Aim said the wall would be completed once more steel beams arrived.

Anchoring the wall to the hill are 6m steel rods drilled into the side.

The small gap between the wall and the hill is being filled with gravel and the top of the hill will be soon be carved back to a 45-degree angle for stability.

I can vouch for this. Packed into a articulated bus with people squashed up against the doors! And that was just one of several in service on that route :nuts:

Rugby Bus Shuttles a Huge Success

Thu 04 Sep 2008

All Blacks fans took to the free shuttle bus service last night (Wednesday) in numbers that exceeded expectations.

About 5,000 people chose to travel from the central city to Yarrow Stadium for last night’s rugby test match.

“That means a good 20 per cent of the total crowd at Yarrow Stadium travelled there by shuttle bus,” says Manager Recreation and Events Paul Nisbet.

“That’s a huge percentage, and completely beyond our expectations.

“We’re stoked the service ran so well and that the public took to it in such numbers.”

Ten buses ran in a continual loop from 5.30pm until the start of the game, and also returned fans to the central city after fulltime.

Tranzit Coachlines Taranaki Operations Manager Michelle Durdle says the last bus came off the road at 10.30pm.

“This service was a first for such a big event in Taranaki, but we knew that a lot of people would use it if they knew about it – and that’s how it turned out,” she says.

As well as the shuttle buses, the test match attracted about 45 chartered coaches – resulting in nearly one-third of the crowd arriving by some sort of bus transport.

“I’ve been in event management for 20 years in New Zealand and Australia and I’ve never seen such a large take-up of bus transport before,” says Mr Nisbet.

This is great to hear finally people are using public transport. To bad they dont use the weekly service. Does anyone nknow when the new times will be put in?

This is great to hear finally people are using public transport. To bad they dont use the weekly service. Does anyone nknow when the new times will be put in?

October.

There'll be some route changes and increased services on most routes. :cheers:

And new buses :banana:

November the Super Gold month in Taranaki
29 September 2008


Free off-peak bus travel for Super Gold Card holders will begin in Taranaki in November, coinciding with the introduction of new fare-paying technology.

The free travel scheme begins in larger centres on 1 October, with Taranaki among the areas where it will be rolled out later in the year.

“We’re also bringing in new electronic fare-paying technology for our City Link bus services in New Plymouth, Waitara and Oakura, so it makes sense to make these changes all at once, ensuring the systems are well-organised and aligned,” says the Taranaki Regional Council’s Director-Operations, Rob Phillips.

“We’ll announce more details closer to the launch date – Super Gold Card holders should watch out for the publicity.”

Free off-peak bus travel for Super Gold Card holders will apply to City Link services in New Plymouth, Waitara and Oakura, South Link services in Waverley, Hawera and Opunake, and the Inglewood-New Plymouth service.

The Super Gold Card is available to all eligible New Zealanders aged 65 or over and those under this age who receive the New Zealand Superannuation or the Veterans Pension. The card was launched in August 2007, providing access to business discounts, government and local authority services, entitlements and concessions.

National rules out toll roads for Taranaki


http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/763100.jpg
Port Taranaki business development manager Jon Hacon, left, with National Party candidate for New Plymouth Jonathan Young and National transport spokesman Maurice Williamson at the port yesterday morning.



Funding big ticket national roading projects through public-private partnerships will have positive spinoffs for regional roads, National transport spokesman Maurice Williamson says.


In New Plymouth yesterday, Mr Williamson said National would increase public (government) spending on roads by $500 million a year, despite the sorry state of the country's coffers, and he also ruled out toll roads in Taranaki.

He said the extra money would be borrowed and would take the pool of public money available for the National Land Transport Fund to $1.5 billion a year.

But he also says National will use debt and public-private partnerships to pay for big roading infrastructure such as Wellington's Transmission Gully, meaning more of that $1.5 billion will be left over to develop and maintain regional roads.

"When you have got $1.5 billion to play with you soak that money up so quickly," he said.

"If you can take those biggies off the books and fund them through debt or public-private partnerships ... it frees up the public money.

"Taranaki will benefit.

"You've got a lot of projects that need to be done here."

And Mr Williamson says there is nothing unusual about going into debt to fund big capital projects.

"There's good debt and there's bad debt," he said.

"If you borrow for straight consumption that's bad debt. "But if you borrow for an investment that is going to grow and establish more return than servicing that debt will cost you, that's good debt.

"Ask any business you know here in New Plymouth did they build their last big capital investment with cash and they will say `no we went to the debt market'."

Mr Williamson says he cannot see any places in New Zealand outside of Auckland, Waikato and Wellington as having enough traffic volume to justify toll roads and there would be none for Taranaki.

"I can promise you your people wouldn't see toll roads unless they drive to Auckland," he said.

Yesterday, National leader John Key included investment in national infrastructure such as roads in a five-point economic recovery plan.

Candidates drive home credentials

The Waiwhakaiho traffic bottleneck was the top local issue on the agenda at a Meet the Candidates evening in New Plymouth last night.


Four candidates for the New Plymouth seat gathered for the meeting and spoke before a small crowd on local and national issues.

Labour candidate and current MP Harry Duynhoven told the meeting he was delighted to say the job at Waiwhakaiho was already half done.

He said with the Bell Block bypass now under way along with a host of other roading projects such as the Rugby Rd re-alignment, the Tangahoe Bridge widening and planning for a new Normanby overbridge, he was happy with the job he had done for the region's roading network.

National candidate Jonathan Young told the meeting a six-lane bridge was needed fast because of New Plymouth's projected future growth. Mr Young said under a National government the work would be more likely to happen quickly because of private/public partnership toll roads in Auckland and Wellington freeing up public roading funds.

Act's Chris Albers said the bridge needed to be at least six lanes and he would also like to see a second bridge put in somewhere else. He said Act would work to ensure funding was made available for roading projects.

And independent candidate Rusty Kane said as well as improvements at the Waiwhakaiho bridge, New Plymouth also needed a ring road. He said council investment funds could be used to invest in New Plymouth roads.

Mr Kane said he was standing as an independent candidate promoting New Plymouth's interests. "I put New Plymouth issues first, not a party's. The other parties, they put their party interests first and then New Plymouth."

Mr Duynhoven largely focused on the achievements of the Labour Government over the past nine years in areas like apprenticeships and training schemes, employment rates and investment in schools and infrastructure.

"We have done a huge job in picking New Zealand up by the belt straps," he said. He also pointed out his loyalty to New Plymouth. "I'm born and bred in New Plymouth. I haven't left, it's my home. I want the very best for our city," he said.

Mr Young said while it was true he had left Taranaki as a young man, he returned with skills and experiences.

In response to a specific question from the audience, Mr Young later said he was trying to make arrangements to stay in New Plymouth regardless of who won the election.

"I'm a Taranakian, I was born and bred here," Mr Young said. "Part of that is to find a job and perhaps that's something both Harry and I are thinking about."

Mr Albers didn't pretend to expect to push Mr Duynhoven or Mr Young in the race for the New Plymouth seat.

The Act candidate said he was after people's party votes.

"We're not greedy, give your electorate vote to anyone you please but give your party vote to Act," he said.

"If you want to see a change of government vote National but if you would like to see New Zealand move in a new direction vote Act and we will hold their feet to the fire."

Duynhoven is right - The jobs nearly half done... after 35 years. Good stuff.

I especially like how he 'rolled over' on the issue when the project was put on indefinite hold for the Tauranga Harbour Bridge expansion (read appease a coalition partner , stating that "unfortunately the money just isn't there" and that there was "nothing he could do about it", but now takes credit for the BBK Bypass. LOL! :ohno:

Good things come in threes on bus services
30 October 2008
Taranaki Regional Council media release

Next month will bring major enhancements to public bus services in and around New Plymouth.

Introduced by the Taranaki Regional Council which contracts operators to provide local bus services in the region, the changes include:

*New fare-paying technology for urban New Plymouth and Waitara routes, based on smart cards.

*6pm commuter services on the four urban New Plymouth weekday routes.

*Free off-peak travel on all Taranaki local bus services for people who hold Super Gold Cards. This includes City Link off-peak services, Inglewood-New Plymouth services and all South Link services.

The new smart cards, and free off-peak travel for Super Gold Card holders, will be introduced from Saturday, 1 November. The new 6pm services will operate from Monday, 3 November, on Routes 333 (Marfell/Spotswood), 444 (Westown/Hospital), 555 (Vogeltown/Frankleigh) and 777 (Merrilands/Fitzroy).

Good things come in threes on bus services
30 October 2008
Taranaki Regional Council media release

Next month will bring major enhancements to public bus services in and around New Plymouth.

Introduced by the Taranaki Regional Council which contracts operators to provide local bus services in the region, the changes include:

*New fare-paying technology for urban New Plymouth and Waitara routes, based on smart cards.

*6pm commuter services on the four urban New Plymouth weekday routes.

*Free off-peak travel on all Taranaki local bus services for people who hold Super Gold Cards. This includes City Link off-peak services, Inglewood-New Plymouth services and all South Link services.

The new smart cards, and free off-peak travel for Super Gold Card holders, will be introduced from Saturday, 1 November. The new 6pm services will operate from Monday, 3 November, on Routes 333 (Marfell/Spotswood), 444 (Westown/Hospital), 555 (Vogeltown/Frankleigh) and 777 (Merrilands/Fitzroy).

I don't really think this is good enough for our public transport system. They should be putting in more buses in peak hour traffic rather than just having later buses after most of the traffic is gone. What i also don't like is that we got the old Palmerston North buses and they got brand new ones????:ohno:

Yes, they are ex-Palmy, ex-Masterton, ex-Brisbane Ansair's. New ones are coming apparently.

I would have like to have seen:

*Fitzroy-Bell Block being combined into a single route and extending out into the industrial areas in the East,
*Extension of Merrilands into Highlands Park/Mangorei (with separation from Fitzroy)
*General route changes to allow 30 min service intervals during peak and 1hour off peak with services running from 7AM to 6.30PM

But I guess it's a case of gradually building up the services so as not to incur large costs on the rate-payers.

In the early 1990's most of the city was serviced at 15 min intervals but mind you, patronage was at 1.1M passenger journeys PA in 1991. Today New Plymouth is scraping 350,000 PA, despite the population having grown.

This adds to the topics on the threads above ^^

Smart cards available on buses

City Link smart card.

Drivers of the Tranzit Coachlines City Link buses on the four weekday urban services, the weekday Route 888 Waitara service, and the two weekend services, Routes 222 (NP West) and 999 (NP East), will both sell and recharge the new plastic “smart cards” that store fare money.

The fare is debited when the user simply waves the card over an electronic reader. Travel is automatically at the 10-trip discount rate, and the old 10-trip ticket cards will continue to be available.

The cards will cost an initial $15 to buy, which includes $10 worth of discounted bus travel. The minimum recharge will be $10.

Their benefits include flexibility – they can be used for one-off journeys as well as regular commuter trips – and convenience, with passengers no longer having to worry about having cash on them.

6pm services just the beginning

The introduction of 6pm services on the four urban New Plymouth routes follows a commuter survey earlier this year when passengers and potential users indicated that later buses were needed.

“This is just the beginning and obviously we are wanting to introduce new morning services as well,” says the Taranaki Regional Council’s Director-Operations, Rob Phillips.

“We are working through some issues regarding availability of buses for school runs and aim to have concrete proposals in the New Year.

“We’re also looking hard at how we can enhance the Waitara and Oakura services.”

Super Gold trips free for thousands in Taranaki

Super Gold card. Super Gold Card for Veterans.

More than 15,000 Taranaki people stand to benefit from the Government’s move to provide free off-peak bus travel to Super Gold Card holders, Mr Phillips says.

“The 2006 Census recorded that nearly 15,500 people in this region were 65 or over, and the Super Gold Card is also available to younger people who receive New Zealand Superannuation or the Veterans Pension.”

All South Link services (Waverley-Hawera, Opunake-Hawera and Opunake-New Plymouth) and the Inglewood-New Plymouth service fall within the 9am-3pm offpeak period, so they will be free to Super Gold Card holders.

In New Plymouth, City Link services between 9am and 3pm, and all City Link weekend services, will be free to Super Gold Card holders.

For more information, see www.taranakibus.info.

Top

Card holders strike gold on southern and coastal buses
30 October 2008
Taranaki Regional Council media release

Super Gold Card. Super Gold Card for Veterans.

Local bus trips in South and Coastal Taranaki will be free for Super Gold Card holders from the beginning of November – and thousands of people stand to benefit.

New Zealanders aged 65 and over are eligible for the card, along with younger people who are receiving NZ Superannuation or the Veterans Pension.

After 1 November, card holders will pay nothing to ride on the weekly South Link bus services linking Waverley and Hawera, Opunake and Hawera, and Opunake and New Plymouth. That’s because all these services fall within the 9am-3pm definition of “off-peak services” to which the Super Gold Card concession applies nationally.

Also free will be the weekly Inglewood-New Plymouth service, along with 9am-3pm weekday services and all Saturday services on the City Link routes in New Plymouth and its surrounds.

South Link, Inglewood-New Plymouth and City Link bus services are provided under contract to the Taranaki Regional Council, which expects strong interest in the new Super Gold Card concession.

“Census figures from 2006 show there are nearly 15,500 people aged 65-plus in the region, and anywhere up to a third of these are in the smaller centres or rural areas,” says the Council’s Director-Operations, Rob Phillips.

“We’re sure they’ll appreciate being able to catch a free bus to and from Hawera or New Plymouth, or perhaps taking advantage of the service while in New Plymouth. It not only saves money but also saves the hassle of getting around busier urban areas by car.”

The move coincides with the introduction in New Plymouth of smart-card fare-paying technology and extra evening commuter services on some routes. For more information, see www.taranakibus.info.

Fitzroy traffic change tipped
A right-hand turn for traffic off Northgate into Fitzroy at the Waiwhakaiho Bridge could be blocked under a proposal being considered by the New Plymouth District Council.

Access from Northgate to Devon St East would be replaced by a new on-ramp that would direct west-bound traffic to Paynters Ave.

This would then require Fitzroy-bound traffic to get to the suburb via the Paynters Ave-Devon St inter-section, where a roundabout or lights would need to be installed.

And the council is warning that if this change became a reality, it could dramatically change the nature of the Fitzroy shopping centre, making it more of a destination and less of a through route.

Retailers contacted by the Taranaki Daily News yesterday saw positives and negatives in this.

Shoe retailer John Brbich said the change would be great.

"It wouldn't worry us, because we're a destination shop," he said.

"We could do without all that traffic that continually pours through the Fitzroy shopping area with stopping. It would make it a lot more pleasant."

But Mr Brbich agreed that other retailers, including food outlets and the local bakery, might object to such a change because they rely more on trade from through traffic.

Pharmacy owner Geoff Allen said the change would unnecessarily make it more difficult to get to Fitzroy, which might have an impact on retail trade.

"But then again, there's an awful lot of traffic that goes through the shopping area without stopping.

"And that includes a lot of very large trucks. So there would be good and bad," he said.

This proposal has emerged as the council refines future plans to ease critical traffic congestion on New Plymouth's northern outlet.

A strategic plan, jointly prepared by the council and Transit New Zealand, was released in May this year, and project feasibility reports on individual parts of the plans have now been prepared to establish whether more detailed investigation is justified.

A report now doing the rounds of council committee meetings says that apart from potentially changing the nature of the Fitzroy shopping centre, this new proposal could also seriously impact on traffic flows along Paynters Ave.

"Increased traffic on Paynters Ave could also adversely impact on traffic (including pedestrian and cycle traffic) in the vicinity of Sacred Heart Girls' College," it says.

"The model also showed that if an off-ramp were provided from Northgate on to Paynters Ave, a significant number of vehicles would use Paynters Ave and either Rimu or Lismore streets to avoid the Northgate/Mangorei Rd inter-section.

"This is highly undesirable - and extra modelling work has been commissioned to test the effect if such a manoeuvre were effectively banned."

This does seem the most logical choice and I don't think large trucks will use the Paynters Avenue off-ramp much if they redesign the Courtenay St/Leech St/Hobston St/Northgate intersection so that traffic can turn right into Hobson St,.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/Northgate-Hobson.jpg

Another more expensive option would be to build a full interchange at Devon Rd/Northgate with flyovers inbound to and outbound from Fitzroy, from the Waiwhakaiho Bridge. But the strategic roading study (below) shows six lanes heading to a set of traffic lights! :ohno:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q276/nzsl202/Northgate-Fitzroy-Waiwhakaiho.jpg

WOW Goo NP.

I have family who live here. It is such a beautiful place.

Waiwhakaiho rush-hour gridlock rears its ugly head again

http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/772960.jpg
Traffic heading in and out of New Plymouth through Fitzroy and across the Waiwhakaiho Bridge came to a stop yesterday.

A broken-down car near New Plymouth's Waiwhakaiho Bridge caused gridlock during rush hour traffic yesterday and once again highlighted the perils of having only one main northern route out of the city.

Traffic was backed up along Northgate to the Waiwhakaiho Hill after the car broke down about 9am.

Devon St East also looked like a parking lot with vehicles backed up to the bridge crossing the Te Henui Stream.

A trip from New Plymouth's CBD to Fitzroy took more than 20 minutes with traffic moving at a crawl.

The stretch of road is a notorious bottleneck for traffic heading into and leaving the city.

Emergency services and transport operators have expressed concerns at only having one main route north.

Yesterday's situation was not helped by motorists who insisted on leaving large spaces between vehicles, despite only moving at 30km/h.

New Plymouth Fire Brigade chief fire officer Pat Fitzell said submissions had been made to the New Plymouth District Council about the bridge.

Mr Fitzell said it was fortunate traffic jams had not prevented firefighters from reaching callouts on the other side of the bridge but warned it could happen one day.

Delays could result in the loss of life or property.

"If a decent fire gets hold of a house it doesn't take that long to become fully involved," Mr Fitzell said.

He would like to see an alternative route built as soon as possible.

"The wider the better."

Constable Graeme Jones said the car stopped while attempting to turn right into Fitzroy from SH3, just over the Waiwhakaiho Bridge.

Police were able to keep traffic moving although progress was slow.

Mr Jones congratulated drivers for their patience. A mechanic was called to get the broken down car going again.

Long road to second river crossing

By ROB MAETZIG rob.maetzig@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 21 November 2008


Planners look to have settled on a preferred location for New Plymouth's new bridge over the Waiwhakaiho River.

If built, the bridge will connect William St in Highlands Park with Smart Rd at its intersection with Dorset Rd.

But it won't happen for at least 40 years - with growing east-west traffic congestion along New Plymouth's main transport corridor being eased in the interim via a doubling of the size of the existing Waiwhakaiho bridge at Fitzroy.

Confirmation of the preferred location for the new river crossing is contained in a progress report on a study designed to forecast New Plymouth's future transport needs.

District councillors were briefed on the progress last week.

NPDC general manager of community assets Anthony Wilson said the route for the new bridge and associated roading was now likely to be confirmed within 12 months.

"It will need appropriate protection in the District Plan, with the longer-term future in mind," he said.

A total of seven river crossing options were tested during the latest modelling, and the Highlands Park-Smart Rd option came out tops because it offers the most potential to spread out New Plymouth's east-west traffic flows.

The modelling shows that during morning peak traffic the new crossing had the potential to reduce vehicle journey times by more than 9%, and during the afternoon peak the reduction in times could be as much as 26%. This modelling also shows traffic using the bridge would then get to central New Plymouth by taking a southern route along Branch Rd and on to Coronation Ave.


It took 30 years to get the BBK express-way, now what 40 to get another bridge? :bash:

maybe this should have been an Election issue , why don't they just do it properly in the first Place :ohno:

Too right!

The river separates roughly half the population of the city, with the Eastern side experiencing the most growth, and there is only one bridge across the river anywhere near the city limits. The issue is not only about traffic reduction on Northgate, but route security should that bridge be rendered impassable for whatever reason.

The council have never really listen to the public, which is a real shame.:ohno:
if they build this bridge now it would be a good idea to get the trucks to use it and get most of the trucks out of the city streets. It may cost alot for a new route for trucks through that area but it's worth it IMO.

The intent is to allow heavy vehicles to use Hobson St on a Northbound connection by altering the Courtenay St/Hobston St/Leech St intersection, rather than exiting Northgate via Devon Rd (Fitzroy) or Watson St (Strandon).

A ring-road system would be great, however it will cost $70M+ which is probably better spent on upgrading the main arterial route or pumping it into public transport.

Really the only way that people will start to use public transport here, is that it was alot faster to travel by bus. Maby it's a good idea if the council was to ask the public on the streets if they would use the bus if it was alot more frequent, some routes changed and bus lanes where their are high levels of traffic.

Fuck our councils and government can barely commit to a project planned in a ten year timeframe without having to do more "reviews, surveys, proposals, studies, investigations, committee meetings, analysis, traffic modelling, public hearings" - let alone something envisaged in 40 years time.

Remember how in the late 90's when Auckland had its famed "CBD Power Outage?" - Note that how quick they managed to pass urgent consents etc to string up a high voltage power line from Otahuhu to the CBD? - I bet this was the cheapest power line that has ever been built in NZ - Right through the country's largest urban area and done so in a matter of a couple of weeks. Ten years later, has anyone complained about the power line? No.

So why is the power line planned across Waikato such a big problem - after all it affects a small percentage of the people that would have been affected by the line mentioned above...

Let alone a bridge they are openly saying isn't likely to be built for 40 years - why bother spending the thousands on the study in the first place if they know it is going to be so far off.

Sorry - I know it is a little off topic but sometimes the govt and other authorities really do my head in on these sorts of issues.

^^ I agree. It's actually amazing we've lasted so long with this re-active attitude.

The Bell Block express way and the Mangaone Hill 4-laning has been on the cards for over 30 years now, and should have been completed some 15 years ago if it was to be used as a pro-active measure to reduce future congestion.

Northgate, which leads onto the new express way, was itself was originally planned for be four lanes from the dual carriageway one-way systems, however when Northgate was built in the late 1980's Transit (the name of the former department eludes me) cut back on the cost to create a system with a mixture of 4, 2 and 3 lanes with only one bridge across the Waiwhakaiho. Not only has this created a traffic nightmare, but it has also created a route security nightmare as if the Waiwhakaiho bridge is closed there is no easy wait to access the Eastern suburbs or travel North at all.

Another problem is that New Plymouth's main arterial routes (South approach, Northgate and both pairs of dual-lane one way systems) are designated to be state highways. The council have been trying to address the issue for some time but have been stymied by Transit stating that they did not have the resources to even undertake a study.

Finally, one was commissioned, with Transit admitted that they were not aware of the magnitude of the congestion problem in New Plymouth and have agreed to see what can be done under existing budgets.

This unfortunately, seems to be quite a common problem throughout NZ. The exception at the moment seems to be Tauranga which is receiving a lot of pro-active attention. It'd be great to see everyone else enjoy this too.

Really the only way that people will start to use public transport here, is that it was alot faster to travel by bus. Maby it's a good idea if the council was to ask the public on the streets if they would use the bus if it was alot more frequent, some routes changed and bus lanes where their are high levels of traffic.

Hopefully they'll press-ahead with the 6-laneing of The Valley & Northgate, with and East-bound and West-bound bus priority lane. I'm not getting my hopes up though, as I suspect Transit will weasel out of this by placing it back on the 30 year never-never again.

Pic's of the new proposed pedestrian/bike bridge across the Waiwhakaiho river.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/Waiwhakaihopedbridge1.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/Waiwhakaihopedbridge2.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/Waiwhakaihopedbridge3.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/Waiwhakaihopedbridge4.jpg

This will remove cyclists from the Northgate/Waiwhakaiho/Bell Block main arterial route, assisting with safety and the four-laneing of the road :)

Plus it will open up a huge new section of beaches that were previously inaccessible.

For a main road into a reasonable sized city, it amazes me that there is only a single "two lane" bridge crossing this relatively narrow river.

I would have thought that a second bridge across here would be far more beneficial than some of the large and expensive projects going on in Tauranga for example.

Oh, but obviously there aren't enough politicians in power coming from Taranaki - unlike Tauranga which of course had ol' Winnie Peters.

Yes KaneD , Its just about getting embarrassing for Tauranga ........I wouldn't imagine those living there would think so though :cheers:

KaneD - Yes, I completely agree. While Tauranga does have some significant traffic problems, it would be nice for the rest of country outside of AKL-WLG to get some attention. Even CHC seems to be on the back burner :ohno:

What worries me is that either Tauranga will continue to receive the bulk of transport-related development focus, or that it will swing to another centre and cause Tauranga to end up having the problem.

I cannot believe that Transit quote "did not realise the magnitude of the problem" in New Plymouth. I really have to question their competence when they make statements like that and then publish figures showing 40,000+ vmpd through an area with two lanes.

I know it's a joke. The public say that the roads are too congested and they ignor them. It wasn't until that big accident on the bridge they said that there is an issue:ohno: Some one better check some of the people at transits head, man what are they thinking :lol:

There's been a couple recently, one caused the Jam to build North past the Airport (some 6.5Km) and back downtown about the same distance.

Christmas traffic was just nuts :nuts:

I just remebered when i went to the transport meeing at the council building, the tranzit nz guy said there was no need for bus lanes:ohno: Which pritty much says the council agreed with not puting any bus lanes in. Thinking I could of said something then makes me laugh:lol:

I just remebered when i went to the transport meeing at the council building, the tranzit nz guy said there was no need for bus lanes:ohno: Which pritty much says the council agreed with not puting any bus lanes in. Thinking I could of said something then makes me laugh:lol:

I guess they can always retro-fit them like Tauranga did, once demand justifies it, although it would be nice to see some decent forward planning from Transit & the council.

The TRC have some plans in the new year to add additional services on the Eastern city routes, so hopefully this will boost patronage .

I guess they can always retro-fit them like Tauranga did, once demand justifies it, although it would be nice to see some decent forward planning from Transit & the council.

The TRC have some plans in the new year to add additional services on the Eastern city routes, so hopefully this will boost patronage .

They did say that the TRC were adding services to the industrial area which was good to hear. But they need to make the route stop at the Valley Mega Centre because when Countdown is completed, I would gess the traffic would increase.

They did say that the TRC were adding services to the industrial area which was good to hear. But they need to make the route stop at the Valley Mega Centre because when Countdown is completed, I would gess the traffic would increase.

We'll know more after February. Having the route stop at the mega-centre makes good sense; hopefully they'll also route the bus through the industrial areas in "The Valley" as well, rather than just via Devon Road and the Express-way.

Oil prices are climbing once again, so I hope it puts people back on public transport.

KaneD - Yes, I completely agree. While Tauranga does have some significant traffic problems, it would be nice for the rest of country outside of AKL-WLG to get some attention. Even CHC seems to be on the back burner :ohno:

What worries me is that either Tauranga will continue to receive the bulk of transport-related development focus, or that it will swing to another centre and cause Tauranga to end up having the problem.

I cannot believe that Transit quote "did not realise the magnitude of the problem" in New Plymouth. I really have to question their competence when they make statements like that and then publish figures showing 40,000+ vmpd through an area with two lanes.

Sounds Terrible ........no where in the country should a City be subject to a 2 lane Road taking 40,000 vehicles a day .........We never experienced any bad Jams in Tauranga before or during Xmas , however the News reported several , maybe we were just lucky .....the Day after we left for Auckland though , there were 10 Car accidents in Four Hours which brought Tauranga to a grinding Halt ....with one Jam 20 Klms Long ......Sounds like a similar situation exists in New Plymouth .........we have had several Friends visit NZ in recent Months for the first time from OZ , they were all saying the same thing , there is just not enough roading for the Traffic ......whether it was in Auckland or Regional Cities ......My Partner was amazed ......crawling down from Auckland to Tauranga at 60 - 80 Klm all the way , no where to pass the endless Trucks and Caravans etc , and then you get to a Town the Size of Katikati and you are in a Traffic Jam :ohno: sorry Im raving on ....... but it just shows how NZ through years of Roading nelect has fallen so far behind , and now is struggling with getting the Country up to date .......I think just as well migration etc has slowed to NZ .....the roading could't cope with more Cars :bash:

It does seem to be quite a common problem through-out the country at the moment. But what is unbelievable are some of the comments from Transit such as (the one I've mentioned before) "we didn't realise the magnitude of the [traffic] problem".

While I suspect Transit are concentrating on playing catch-up in Auckland and building some preventative measures in Tauranga (such as the Eastern motorway), I do not understand why that has to be to the almost complete detriment of the rest of the country.

There are roads in Auckland near where I lived, with less traffic and lower rates of traffic growth than in regional centres like New Plymouth, Tauranga, Hamilton, Napier/Hastings etc., but which are being completely rebuilt and turned into multi-laned high-capacity roads.

I really don't understand how they prioritise projects :bash:

And I should point out two things, firstly that the current "solution" is for the major engineering and manufacturing companies (yes, we still have a couple left in NZ) to stager their quitting times. If they didn't, that route would be even more of a shambles.

Secondly, the route changes from 4 lanes to 2 lanes to 4 lanes to 2 lanes to 3 lanes to 4 lanes. Strangely enough, the 2 and 3 lanes section is in the busiest part of the route.

It'll be about 10 years before transit will say when they plan any dates for Northgate, the one-way system and Devon Road:ohno: By 2020 Taranaki population may grow up to around the 150,000 mark and most likely the growth will be in New Plymouth (hopefuly):lol: In the report it shows that alot of the side roads will be cut off. Its not much of a good thing considering that alot of buses use these streets (mainly school buses) to get on and off the highway.

Who knows! :ohno: From what I have heard, the council are working closely with Transit to come up with an solution and obtain funding despite the budget having been finalised by Transit for the next 10 years.

One of the big problem we have is that statistics NZ predicted a drop in population between 2001 and 2006, but an increase occurred. Unperturbed, Stats NZ has again predicted a drop in population and these predictions are at least in taken into account when central Government infrastructure funding is allocated.

Would Locals hate Tolls ? :cheers:

I wouldn't think that the locals who use the road every day would want tolls. They might even try to avoid the road where the toll is put into place:lol:
But the thing is, it may be one of the only ways to get construction underway, even though National did rule out toll roads.

I wouldn't think that the locals who use the road every day would want tolls. They might even try to avoid the road where the toll is put into place:lol:
But the thing is, it may be one of the only ways to get construction underway, even though National did rule out toll roads.

Several Large projects around TGA including the original Harbour Bridge were Tolls .........alot of people avoid Tolls in every City ........but most projects pay for themselves quickly :)

If there was a viable alternative non-tolled route, then I would say, however the alternative is via Egmont Village which would add an additional 20KM to the trip.

A second bridge is planned further South in the suburbs, but it lacks large-scale connectors and the ability to scale to a multi-lane road.


I see Hamilton is about to get further funding for four-laning the Pukete bridge. That area get's less traffic than the valley too. Time to start lobbying! :)

The Waihwakiho bridge would be the best place to put tolls, as you say the alternative is via Egmont Village which is about 20km. Plus once the council have issused new eastern bus routes and better times it'll be cheaper to catch the bus rather than pay for tolls and parking in the CBD.

IMO, forcing people onto a toll road isn't going to work - just look at the backlash in Sydney. There needs to be a viable "non optimal" alternative route before tolls are introduced on that section of the roading network.

The planned changes for the PT network in New Plymouth will hopefully encourage drivers back out of their cars and onto PT, and the price of oil will surely rise again.

Ironically, it looks like we are returning to the same PT system we had immediately post 1991 deregulation!

Progress on road works on schedule

Major road works around Taranaki are benefiting from the balmy summer weather, the New Zealand Transport Agency says.


The realignment of Tariki's Rugby Rd underpass, a notorious stretch of State Highway 3, is on track while the Bell Block bypass is ahead of schedule, regional manager Errol Christiansen said yesterday.

Work on the underpass, one of Taranaki's accident black spots, began in May 2008 and is expected to be completed by the middle of 2010.

"We are making the most of the good weather and making very good progress.

"Jobs like this are weather dependant and we are making sure that every opportunity is taken," Mr Christiansen said.

Replacing the Waitepuke Stream bridge on the northern approach was well under way. It is a new bridge on a new alignment, to the west of the highway and will not create any traffic disruption.

While widening of the two bridges at the southern approach (Mangamawhete and Waipukuiti) had been completed, he said the widening of the carriageway was ongoing.

Work on the new 5.9m high underpass will start later, Mr Christiansen said.

He was pleased work on the stretch of road truckies had dubbed the "killing fields", along with the Normanby overbridge, was under way.

"It has been a real win for Taranaki.

"It is certainly something that we in the region have been promoting and we are delighted that we have been able to get on with it." The upgrade would be a vast improvement for safety of motorists using it, Mr Christiansen said.

Bell Block's bypass could be finished sooner than expected, in 2011, after exceptional progress had been made in recent months.

"The benefit will come to the people of New Plymouth sooner rather than later," Mr Christiansen said.

IMO, forcing people onto a toll road isn't going to work - just look at the backlash in Sydney. There needs to be a viable "non optimal" alternative route before tolls are introduced on that section of the roading network.

The planned changes for the PT network in New Plymouth will hopefully encourage drivers back out of their cars and onto PT, and the price of oil will surely rise again.

Ironically, it looks like we are returning to the same PT system we had immediately post 1991 deregulation!

I gess tolls are not for New Plymouth.

It would be a dream to have the same or near PT system we had before 1991:banana: I wish the TRC would try harder into getting people out of there cars and onto the bus. What about a NPTA:lol:

A toll road would be fine on the planned outer industrial ring-road, but there's a lot of water to pass under that bridge yet unfortunately.

The plans for the bus route changes appear to mainly involve route-splits and some extensions. This will improve coverage and (for the most part) frequency too. The problem for New Plymouth is that it has not had a subsidised system since NPCT was divested by the council in 1991, so it has been "off the funding radar" for many years and hence it has been difficult to gain the funding back.

I think the TRC are actually doing a really good job given the resources available.

Smoother landings on the way
By RYAN EVANS ryan.evans@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 30 January 2009

BRADLEY AMBROSE/Taranaki Daily News
No more gaps: New Plymouth Airport manager Kevin Hill in front of a large milling machine used to grind off the old tarmac as part of a complete reseal of the airport's runway.


Advertisement
AdvertisementA $3 million reseal of New Plymouth Airport's runway is now under way with the job on schedule to be finished by the end of February.


The work is taking place at night, after the last scheduled flight of the day and before the next morning's first flight.

Stage one of the reseal, the runway's first since the airport opened 40 years ago, is already finished with contractors repairing severe cracks along the tarmac discovered during an inspection last year.

Now they are resealing the entire 1310m runway at a rate of about 200 sq m every night.

Almost one third of the tarmac has now been resealed.

A milling machine is used to grind off the old tarmac before the new tarmac is laid.

Airport manager Kevin Hill said the new tarmac was expected to last between 15 and 20 years.

New Plymouth Airport is now the 11th busiest airport in New Zealand, just behind Rotorua and ahead of Invercargill and Tauranga.

It recorded a 15 per cent increase in flights in and out between 2007 and 2008.

Last year, 293,935 passengers passed through New Plymouth Airport on 46,506 flights.:cheers:

New Plymouth Airport is now the 11th busiest airport in New Zealand, just behind Rotorua and ahead of Invercargill and Tauranga.


I can vouch that it's a pretty busy Airport. Even after the extention, when the AKL WLG and CHC flights arrive there's basically no where to sit!

Apparently further extensions and the development of another gate on the Eastern site are in the planning stages.

The planned changes for the PT network in New Plymouth will hopefully encourage drivers back out of their cars and onto PT, and the price of oil will surely rise again.

Ironically, it looks like we are returning to the same PT system we had immediately post 1991 deregulation!

Are there any other providers of public transport in New Plymouth other than City Link? The timetables for City Link look rather shocking I have to say with the most "frequent" services being the 333, 444, 555 and 777 (they run at very odd intervals though). There are only two saturday bus routes and those run twice a day.

I don't think you'll ever entice car users out of their cars with timetables like that! However, I'd be very interested to know what improvements are underway!

CityLink are the only operator at the moment and those timetables (aside from the Saturday ones) are much better than what the city has had for quite some time! :ohno:

You're right - the services are certainly not enough to coax people from their cars.

Prior to deregulation in 1991, New Plymouth had a 15 route system with service frequencies typically of every 15-30mins, and carried around 1.5m passengers.

Subsequent to the deregulation of the PT section in after July 1st 1991, the system ran completely unsubsised until 2005 when the Taranaki Regional Council implemented new services. They have been slowly building these up, and there will be some major changes made in the near future.

Sounds like NZ suffered with deregulation in the same way that Britain did - you guys should have learned from our mistake! ;)

A return to 15/20/30 minute frequencies at regular clock faces would be ideal for a town of this size. Keep us updated please as I'd be interested to find out about PT provision in regional cities in NZ. :)

Bridge extension over the Mangaone stream coming along nicely.

Note this section of road is capable of holding 6+ lanes as per the transit recommendation.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/BBK_Expressway_MHillBridge_080209.jpg

Mangaone Hill widening.

Note:
1. The "Wall of the Waiwhakaiho" (top centre of photo) protecting a major inter-regional gas supply line.
2. Traffic is even worse now during rush hours now that the three congested lanes are down to two, with a 50KPH limit imposed.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/BBK_Expressway_MHILL_080209.jpg

Bell Block Interchange

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/BBK_expressway_BBK_080209.jpg

Henwood Road - Bell Block Interchange Bridge coming along nicely

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/BBK_expressway_bridge_080209.jpg

Although this project is many KM long, I haven't bothered taking any shots of the long straights as they're pretty boring to look at.

Overall the project is a couple of months ahead of schedule owing to the long spells of fine weather.

Great photos!

Three road projects on wish list


Three new big ticket roading projects around Taranaki are set to get under way using national funding over the next three years.


The Normanby overbridge State Highway 3 realignment, improvements to the Vickers Rd to New Plymouth corridor and a series of passing lanes on the region's state highways are all on the Regional Transport Committee's wish list for 2009-12.

Yesterday, the committee approved its draft transport programme for Taranaki.

It will go out for public consultation if the Taranaki Regional Council gives it the tick on February 24.

The Normanby overbridge project is ready for work to begin and so are some of the passing lanes.

The money for the Vickers Rd to New Plymouth corridor and some of the passing lanes will be used for investigation and design.

Major projects already under way the Bell Block bypass, the Rugby Rd realignment, the eastern cycleway route and the Tangahoe Bridge widening will continue.

Almost $207 million is available for transport projects.

Of this, about $116m is local funding, $74m is national funding and $16m is regional funding.

More money could be made available as the Government announces extra spending on transport infrastructure, but Taranaki roading projects missed out entirely in the first round of spending that was announced on Wednesday.

Over the next 10 years, the priority projects for regional funding are those on state highways, with some money available for local roads.

Specific projects earmarked for regional funding are the Tangahoe Bridge widening, Waitara's Princess St intersection, passing lanes around the region and the Vickers Rd to New Plymouth corridor (in addition to the national funding) and the Midhirst rail overbridge realignment.

The last two projects are still in the investigation phase only.

Regional funding may also be made available for the Stony River bridge replacement and the Devon Rd intermediate crossing.

The Regional Transport Committee also called for a report to be prepared for consideration at its next meeting about the possibility of raising additional money through regional fuel taxes.

And it has also called for a report into lowering the legal blood alcohol from 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood to 50mg alcohol per 100ml of blood.

The Vickers Rd to CBD upgrade is apparently being accelerated by Transit so we should see some action soon on this.

It's a pity that the plans weren't ready to go, otherwise it probably would have been included in the first round of funding :(

The Vickers Rd to CBD upgrade is apparently being accelerated by Transit so we should see some action soon on this.

It's a pity that the plans weren't ready to go, otherwise it probably would have been included in the first round of funding :(:banana:

To be honest, I do not think that New Plymouth needs six lanes and only needs four lanes from Bell Block to the Western end of the one-way . All transit needs to do, is change some of the intersections that are currently light signals to over bridges. I know this will cost more, but will be worth it and the end. But part of the one-way system needs to be three lanes. Also intersections that can't be changed from light signals to overbridges have extra lanes to deal with the increased traffic for over the next 10-20 years.

It certainly needs to be capable of expansion otherwise we're possibly going to end up back in the same position as we are now, especially with the growth focused in the Eastern suburbs. Plus it could eventually be used as a bus-priority lane.

I agree that the flow needs to be streamlined. The new plans call for 5 lanes past NPGHS to the one way system to allow for a new right-hand turn traffic into Hobson St. At the moment they use Devon St East and the right turning traffic it backs up past Watson St (about 400m) at rush hour.

It also calls for widening all bridges including the Northgate Te Henui bridge which gives rise to the ridiculous situation of going from 4 lanes to 2 lanes immediately back to 4 lanes again.

TRC unveils plans for better bus service

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dailynews/4858887a6554.html

Big improvements are planned for New Plymouth's urban bus services.

The Taranaki Regional Council yesterday announced plans for extra bus routes, plus the introduction of a streamlined school bus service, for the new financial year.

But it first wants to know if New Plymouth ratepayers are prepared to add another $2 to $4 to their annual rates bills to help fund the improvements.

"The council has been listening to concerns from New Plymouth residents that bus services need to be improved," TRC chief executive Basil Chamberlain said.

"We're now hoping to get an indication from the community as to whether the small addition to rates bills is acceptable to pay for these better services."

At present the council funds four peak-time bus routes and four off-peak routes which, while covering large parts of New Plymouth, exclude a number of important areas including The Valley, Glen Avon, Whalers Gate and Ferndale.

The new plan proposes increasing the peak-time routes to nine, while at the same time retaining the four off-peak services.

These would cover the whole of New Plymouth.

In addition, the new plan proposes replacing the current five ad-hoc commercial school bus services with four "orbital" services, giving students direct access to most schools in New Plymouth.

All of these changes promise big improvements to bus services for the city.

The extra bus routes would reduce the average length of time to travel each route from 40 minutes to 30 minutes at peak times, and it would also reduce the waiting time for the next bus from 70 minutes in the mornings and 90 minutes in the afternoons, to 30 minutes at peak times and 60 minutes at off-peak times.

Seating capacity would also be increased from 300 seats a day to 500 seats, and electronic "smartcard" ticketing would become available across the entire network.

The proposed bus service improvements are now going out for public consultation as part of the council's Long-Term Council Community Plan.

This consultation starts on March 16, with a deadline of April 17.

If the changes are introduced, they will take regional council spending on New Plymouth urban bus services to $500,000 a year.

Wow. About time we get peak hour changes to the bus routes:banana: However still nothing on Bell block having its own route(including the indusrial area):ohno:

We're starting to see a decent system emerge, so let's hope that it's supported by not only the rate payers but passengers as well.

The BBK suburban services are probably being delt with separately as they are linked to the Waitara town route. There are apparently also plans for the Oakura services.

That Orbitor service could be quite interesting if it also service the public, not just schools. One problems the city has always had is inter-suburban travel. Previously, you had to travel via a spoke system downtown then transfer back out on another spoke. Hamilton and Christchurch have orbitor-type services.

I'd have thought that New Plymouth would have been large enough to sustain a 30 minute bus service off-peak to be honest. Few people will use an hourly service except the elderly and less-able (or those truly unable to drive).

Still, an improvement is better than nothing! If patronage picks up perhaps they'll continue to make improvements.

You could probably walk the length of New Plymouth in 90 minutes.

^^ You could walk the length of my old town in less time than that and yet 200,000 people live there! Even more reason to provide a higher level of service IMO if the town is that small/non-sprawled.

My point being that an "every 90 minutes" bus service is stupid in a town that small.

My point being that an "every 90 minutes" bus service is stupid in a town that small.

Yep, I was agreeing, sorry should have made that more clear. In future I'll put a large "I AGREE" before rambling in my usual off-topic way. :lol:

You could probably walk the length of New Plymouth in 90 minutes.

Interesting idea, so I calculated it on Google Maps :)

Walking from the city limits in an East-West direction you're looking at 2 hours 50 mins, while North-South it's about 1.5 hours.

New Plymouth is spread along the coastline hence the first figure is rather large.

Prior to deregulation, there were 15 routes with peak services running at intervals of 15 min or less, with off-peak at 30mins.

Given that the patronage is down from a peak of 3m trips PA (in the 1970's) to around 0.4M PA, right now I think 30 min intervals on peak with hourly off-peak is fine.

Hopefully this will build up the patronage, which will thereby allow for additional services to be implemented.

Currently regional rate payers are contributing around $0.25M PA to public transport, which is very small compared to levies the likes of EW and EBop are collecting.

The Bell Block Bypass continues to race ahead of its completion date in 2011.

Mr Christiansen said yesterday the sooner it was finished, the sooner the community would be able to benefit.

The cornerstone of the development, the flyover bridge to the east of Bell Block which will allow easy access into and out of the city's northernmost village suburb, should be completed by May, Mr Christiansen said.

Time for a Public Transport update.

The gist of the new proposal is as follows:

There will be 9 direct routes on-peak consiting of

01 Spotswood
02 Whalers Gate
03 Marfell
04 Hurdon/Westown
05 Frankley Park/Ferndale
06 Vogeltown
07 Highlands Park
08 Merrilands
09 Fitzroy/Glen Avon/The Valley

The standard four routes will apply off-peak.

On-peak services of .5 hour from 7am to 9.30am and 3.00pm to 5.40pm.
Off-peak services of 1 hour outside of the times above. Last service at 6pm.

No changes to current Saturday timetable.
Changes to Bell Block suburban service and Waitara service to come after this current round.

These changes are proposed and have not been ratified yet.

Well this is a great start. Cant wait to see what happens next:banana:

^^ It is a case of "chicken or the egg" - Having higher frequency services require more money which can only be gained through higher patronage, something that is only going to occur with higher frequency.

Unfortunately many of our regional cities still sprawl out quite a bit which of course makes it even harder to provide a good comprehensive bus service. If I decide I want to 'whip into town to buy something at XYZ shop' then it's probably a lot more enticing to go by private car - in many of our regional centres you could probably be there and back in not much more than half and hour. By bus, if you allow for the average headway between services, you'd be lucky to complete the round trip in 2 hours in most regional cities - not very attractive.

But still, this is a good start and as our regional centres become more popular with tourists, this becomes even more important. Recently when my wife and I wen up to Rotorua over the Christmas/New Year break, we decided to drive up from Christchurch rather than fly - mostly because it was cheaper because if we flew up, we would have had to hire a rental car as the PT system just wasn't going to cut it.

Yes, I completely agree.

New Plymouth's biggest problem is that it sprawls East-West which makes routing quite difficult, plus a decade of poor bus services the population have the car firmly engrained into their psyche. That's a habit that is very difficult to break.

What's the current usage of buses like in New Plymouth? I can't really see that there would be much incentive to use the bus unless you don't own a car.

Currently the PT service in the city provides services for around the 400,000 passengers per annum mark which is appalling considering that when the city was 25% smaller in the late 1970's there were over 2m passenger journeys.

Believe it or not there are some traffic congestion issues, particularly when travelling to the fast-growing Eastern suburbs which sees more than 40,000vmpd through a narrow laned area, although of course its nothing like Auckland's issues.

For example, to get from the CBD to Bell Block on peak, it can take you around 35-45 min's to complete the 8km journey where-as off-peak it's normally around 15 min's. This is one one of the reasons why the Bell Block Bypass (express way) was built, however it does not address the rest of the route from the Manganone Hill to he CBD which undulates from four to three to two to four lanes at regular intervals.

The other issue surrounds route security. Recently there was a major accident that closed the both inbound and outbound lanes of the road on peak. No accident or emergency traffic could get to the Eastern city because it is the only route avaialble aside from travelling via Egmont Village which is a 50 min trip.

There is a strategic study of the transport corridor currently being conducted by NZTA and the Council (remember New Plymouth has the dubious honour of having all major thoroughfares as designated State Highways), which will include new PT initiatives.

Thanks for that info NZ1. I must admit I don't really know much at all about buses services outside of Auckland and, to a lesser extent, Wellington.

Not a problem Jarbury. Sometimes it's quite useful at a local level having perspective on the issues other centres are facing.

FYI: The regional cities with the worst levels of PT service IMO would be Gisborne, Nelson and Napier/Hastings. The latter is of course now starting to improve.

I'll keep posting updates on New Plymouth as they come to hand.

In relation to the proposed changes to the PT system in New Plymouth, the Western Central District Road Transport Association states:

"Although we fully support th Total Mobilty Scheme services, we believe public transport should be funded by a user pay system, and based on a business case model for level of service."

In relation to the proposed changes to the PT system in New Plymouth, the Western Central District Road Transport Association states:

"Although we fully support th Total Mobilty Scheme services, we believe public transport should be funded by a user pay system, and based on a business case model for level of service."

That's a bit disappointing if you ask me. PT shouldn't be a "user pay" it should be a ratepayer subisdised service due to the obvious (and tangible and often studied) socioeconomic benefits of having adequate PT networks in a city.

^^ I completely agree.

There are also intangible benefits that are quite difficult to quantify.

Perhaps I should write to them and tell them that I believe that roads should operate on an unsubsidised user-pays system? No, that'd be too cheeky :lol:

The end of the line?

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1241790983/489/2397489.jpg

Taranaki's eastern railway is in chronic need of repair. A report just released says millions need to be spent on the Stratford-Okahukura line to bring it up to scratch. A groundswell of feeling says if it closes it should be converted into a lucrative tourist cycle trail.

Read more here. (http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/2397480/The-end-of-the-line)

^^
They shouldn't close it. They will regret it later if they do.
What do they mean by ''lucrative tourist cycle trail''? If anything NZ should not be placing emphasis on (international) tourism. If people from the Taranaki region are going to use it in reasonable numbers then it would seem a good idea but only in tandem with a repaired rail line not as a replacement.

The line itself is a secondary spur from the Marton-New Plymouth line and is used relatively infrequently to deliver goods to Taumarunui however, it once was used for passenger trains between New Plymouth and Auckland.

However, I think that in the coming years that track could be used for freight and/or passenger services once again and that closing it now would be quite short-sighted. So in short, yes I agree with you.

It's also quite a scenic section of track with plenty of bush, 24 tunnels AND a single-lane shared road-rail bridge like the one that used to exist on the West coast of the South Island.

Ummm - Closing this rail link would be completely dumb IMHO. This is especially so if the govt is putting money into researching a possible Ro-Ro ferry freight service between New Plymouth and Nelson. This is an easy way to get containers from Auckland to the South Island by rail (OK, we still have a problem of not having any rail at all in Nelson, though some kind of mode-shifting 'inland port' type port could be built so rail wagons come off a ferry in Nelson and get shunted to a nearby yard where they are unloaded and shifted to trucks - not ideal, but workable?

Oh, and $10m to bring it up to at least a useable standard seems cheap to me.. compared to the something like $200m they are spending on the south island's midland line over the last couple of years or so.

Is the funding allocated to Ontrack direct from the Government or is it via the NZTA?

I think there should be a complete embargo placed on closing rail lines from now on.

Sure, if line doesn't warrant a service at present then it would be OK for now to perhaps stop using the line, but rather than just closing it and uplifting the tracks and selling off the land, they should simply mothball the line and spend minimal required to at least keep the track from falling too much into disrepair.

The point is that although there are lines that might not be viable now, in 10 or 20 years they probably will at least be able to break even due to the increasing prices of fossil fuels - and its hard (impossible?) to reinstate a rail service to an area where there is no track than it is to spend a few million or so on re-commissioning a mothballed track.

Exactly. If they close that line and rip up the tracks, it could very well prove to be cost prohibitive to reinstate it later down the track (no pun intended).

We'll just have to wait and see what decision the bureaucrats make. :ohno:

Bell Block Expressway construction update

Henwood Rd interchange bridge and on/off ramps (obscured)

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_3457.jpg

Link into SH3 North + four laneing.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_3460.jpg

Mangaone hill widening (note 1 month ahead of schedule)

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_3472.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_3475.jpg

Keep em coming :cheers:

Work to make room for cyclists
By LYN HUMPHREYS - Taranaki Daily News

Improvements to New Plymouth's traffic bottleneck at the Waiwhakaiho Bridge will make for safer cyclists.

For many years cyclists have complained that riding over the narrow three-lane bridge puts their lives at risk.

Currently, the walkways along either side of the bridge do not have access for bicycles and cyclists are forced to travel in the motorists' lanes.

NZ Transport State Highway manager Errol Christiansen said the minor improvements under way would be finished this month.

The $57,000 project will upgrade the elevated paths and convert them to a combined walkway and cycleway.

The handrail will also be raised to comply with walkway regulations, he says.

And new ramps leading to the walkway/cycleway will give walkers and cyclists easy access.

However, the long-awaited bridge widening project is still awaiting approval in this year's draft state highway plan. Mr Christiansen says the bridge widening is listed as a priority in the draft land transport programme for Taranaki.

The first stage would involve approval of an investigation into the Vickers Rd to New Plymouth City corridor.

But its go-ahead is dependent on approval by the NZ Transport Agency later this year.

The priority listing identifies a corridor, under the transport agency's capacity and safety improvement requirements, through from Vickers Rd, Waiwhakaiho, into the central city.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/2466521/Work-to-make-room-for-cyclists

^^ So in relation to the piece in bold, we will have a 4 lane expressway leading to a three lane bridge, then a two lane road, back to a four lane road, then back to a two lane bridge, then back to a four lane road.

Current estimates put the bridge construction at between 3-4 years away, for an area with 40,000+ vmpd and growing.

In addition, I wonder how long it will be before they address the rest of the problem like the two lane bridge this all connects to?

TRC bus upgrade depends on funding
By KIRSTY JOHNSTON - Taranaki Daily News

The signs aren't looking positive for New Plymouth's planned bus service upgrade.

The Taranaki Regional Council wants to spend an extra $147,600 improving the city's urban routes but needs additional funding from Land Transport New Zealand to go ahead.

However, council chief executive Basil Chamberlain said yesterday where once the funding would have been automatic, transport priorities had changed under the new government.

"We've been told not to put the champagne in the fridge," Mr Chamberlain said. "There's a lot more money going into major roading projects in the large centres and a lot of competition for public transport funding with the major metropolitans."

In particular, the Government was focussing on roads of "national significance." Mr Chamberlain said while the council was still hopeful about receiving the funding, they were mindful that the money was tied up in a complex budgetary process.

"We think we've asked for a very fair amount. It's not about providing the bells and whistles it's a reasonably basic upgrade."The planned changes, which include extra routes and a more streamlined school service, are a direct result of public submissions during the council's long-term planning process.

If the upgrade goes ahead, it will take regional council spending on New Plymouth urban bus services to $500,000 a year.

Ratepayers will pay around $3 extra in annual rates to cover the costs.

Currently, the government subsidises public bus services by 50 per cent, leaving the rest to be raised locally.

Henwood Road bridge - Completed and in use! :banana:

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/bbk_expressway_bridge2.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/bbk_expressway_bridge-1.jpg

Note: Interchange obviously not ready for use.

Bell Block roadwork snarls will continue until at least Christmas

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/2872472/Bell-Block-roadwork-snarls-will-continue-until-at-least-Christmas

By LYN HUMPHREYS and LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News

Disgruntled motorists will just have to grin and bear peak hour snarl-ups on the $21 million Bell Block Bypass roadworks - but the end is near.

Traffic coming into New Plymouth, especially in the morning, is often reduced to a standstill as the result of congestion caused by the roadworks.

At 8am yesterday traffic was banked up to the airport turnoff and further delays are expected until the work is finished.

But New Zealand Transport Agency regional state highway manager Errol Christiansen revealed yesterday that relief was on the horizon.

Before Christmas, traffic going through Bell Block will be diverted on to the new road, he says. This will allow work to begin on the roundabout for the Nugent-Devon-Henwood intersection during the quieter holiday period in January.

"That means they can work on that intersection and progress through to the end of the contract."

The Bell Block project is due to be completed by the end of June but, if the weather is kind, it could be finished earlier, he said.

"What a reward for the motorists if it is finished a lot earlier."

Motorists would still be expected to adhere to the speed restrictions on the now-sealed Waiwhakaiho Hill for about four more weeks in order to protect road workers at the top of the hill, he said.

Congestion at the controversial Nugent St inter-section had increased after the Henwood overbridge was opened last month and Paraite Rd was closed to traffic from the adjacent industrial area.

In the meantime, Mr Christiansen has called on the police to deal with the traffic jams there. "We recognise the additional pressure put on that intersection," Mr Christiansen said yesterday.

"I have driven through myself and experienced it first hand and I can sympathise but it's an interim situation."

Constable Paul Elliott said no leniency would be shown to motorists who break the rules at the intersection.

It was getting extremely congested during rush hour, he said.

"It is making it a very dangerous intersection," Mr Elliott said.

"Until people get used to the way that the intersection has changed we need people to be extremely careful."

Drivers were taking risks, including cutting through the service station, trying to avoid the lines of waiting traffic.

"I would like to thank the motorists who are considerately letting other waiting traffic through on to the main road," he said.

Police would be targeting the intersection at peak times and anyone caught breaking the rules would be ticketed, he said.

New Plymouth Coastal Pathway extention - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Eastern City - Fitzroy to Bell Block.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/NPDCCoastalPathwayscan.jpg

Some highlights:

This initiative opens up a number of new beaches (section 1 through 5) that were previously inaccessible.
There is already a section of pathway to the left of section 8, however it runs inland a bit by the golf-corse and is unsealed. It appears that they are planning to create a concrete section right next to the sea.
Section 7 contains an island with a native bird habitat. That is why the bridge does not link with it.
The bridge in Section 6 is currently being built (construction photo's soon)
The dashed blue line links on the far right will link the pathway with Bell Block beach.
The dashed yellow line far right will eventually link with Waitara.

While this is a very scenic route, it is rather narrow, prone to slips and very busy.

Strangely, despite the traffic volume and Taranaki being the 2nd largest dairying region, it is not part of the "roads of national significance".

Young gets trucker's-eye view of SH3
By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News

Work on upgrading Taranaki's northern entrance needs to start as soon as possible, New Plymouth MP Jonathan Young says.

Yesterday the National MP took a ride north along SH3 in a JD Hickman truck to experience first hand what truck drivers and the Road Transport Association have been complaining about for years.

Mr Young, who holds a heavy transport licence from his Territorial Army days, will be raising the issue with Transport Minister Steven Joyce when he visits New Plymouth today.

"I just think having been on the route myself in a truck it has made me very much aware of the conditions that the drivers are facing," he said.

He was impressed with the courtesy and skill level of the drivers.

One of the bigger issues Mr Young planned to discuss with the minister was the lack of passing opportunities on the stretch of highway.

"It creates a lot of frustration for drivers."

Mr Young said being in the cab of a truck had given him a completely different perspective and he would like to see a strategic plan for ongoing improvements to be put in place as soon as possible.

"That is what I'll be taking to them [Steven Joyce and the RTA] about. We don't want State Highway 3 becoming the forgotten highway," he said.

Improvements Mr Young would like to see include more passing areas, widening sections of the road and the easing of some corners.

"It would make it a more enjoyable and safer journey," Mr Young said.

RTA western branch spokesman Tom Cloke said Mr Young had been offered the trip so he could see the road's condition and what needed to be done.

"It has one of the highest rates per capita of heavy vehicles in the New Zealand state highway network," Mr Cloke said.

While the Government did not consider the highway nationally critical, it was regionally.

"It's significant to the area, and that's proven by the number of heavy vehicles that use it each day," Mr Cloke said.

More funding was required to make the road drivable.

"We are not asking for millions but don't leave us behind," he said.

MP'S FIVE GRIPES

Undulating sections of road where trucks bounced.

The road south of Mt Messenger was constantly damp.

Potholes that cars could get around but truck drivers were not able to avoid.

Narrow sections of road.

Tight corners through the Awakino Gorge.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/2946694/Young-gets-truckers-eye-view-of-SH3

National MP Jonathan Young is pushing for the Government's stake in New Plymouth Airport to be sold.

Originally National promised to sell the Airport stake to the council for a nominal sun, however with a change in Government in 1999 that all changed. Labour imposed a requirement for the Airport to return 8% PA to the Government.

Over the years a lot of developments have been placed on hold because of disagreement with the Government partner.

If this is sold, then some of the much needed further development work (larger terminal, additional cross runway etc.) will be able to go ahead.

The airport is expected to reach over 300,000 PAX PA by the end of 2009.

This is also posted on the NZ aviation thread.

Joyce: Bottleneck not over soon
By RYAN EVANS - Taranaki Daily News

If you're sick and tired of sitting in traffic at the Waiwhakaiho bottleneck you'd better get used to it.

That was the upshot following the visit of Transport Minister Steven Joyce to New Plymouth yesterday.

There were no immediate Government plans to widen or build a new bridge over the river, he said.

"It is frustrating, but every centre has these frustrations and everybody wants them fixed tomorrow," Mr Joyce told the Taranaki Daily News.

"In the case of New Plymouth, Waiwhakaiho has been a long time coming and I remember when I was a kid there was debate about whether we would have a four lane bridge or a two lane bridge over the river and that was in the mid-1970s."

Arriving in town on Thursday night, Mr Joyce enjoyed the luxury of a 6.30pm ride into New Plymouth from the airport, missing the rush hour mayhem.

But the former New Plymouth man said he had a good handle on Taranaki's transport system and its pressure points.

Since coming to power last year, the National Government has announced seven "roads of national significance" set to receive $8.7 billion of funding in the next three years – none of which are in Taranaki.

Taranaki's Regional Land Transport Programme for 2009/2012, announced in August, set aside $961,000 over the next three years for an investigation into improvements of the Vickers Rd to New Plymouth corridor.

But once that was complete the project would have to wait in line with all the other projects, Mr Joyce said.

"The other thing I've learnt since taking up this role is there are a lot of projects that have been waiting around for a long time," he said.

"The Kopu Bridge in Coromandel – they've been talking about that for 50 or 60 years.

"The Taupo bypass being built at the moment has been talked about for 60 or 70 years.

"Every region has its projects that are crucially important."

Meanwhile, Taranaki's northern outlet was unlikely to ever be considered a road of national significance, Mr Joyce said.

"I think it would be a struggle just because of the sheer volumes," Mr Joyce said.

He said State Highway 3 north of Urenui averaged about 3000 vehicles a day compared with the roads of national significance, which averaged between 15,000 and 20,000 vehicles a day.

"That doesn't mean it's not an important route, it just means it's not likely to be given the sort of makeover that you'd expect for the Waikato Expressway or even the Tauranga Eastern Lane."

He said work that could be expected on the route included adding more passing lanes, improved maintenance and structural engineering work in the Awakino Gorge.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/2950789/Joyce-Bottleneck-not-over-soon

------------------------------------------------------------
Route security is the main issue with SH3, especially through the Awakino Valley.

The major congestion point is the Waiwakahio Valley with some 45,000 vehicles today. Still no money for that! Oh well, I guess something will happen in the next 70 years as he says, so no one should complain.

If the Waiwakahio bridge is a major choke point, I would have thought that an option of tidal flowing it would seem a good stop gap solution.

Wellington did it for a number of years on the old hutt road, until the ngauranga interchange was completed, connecting the gorge to the urban motorway.

Top provincial honours for airport
By RYAN EVANS - Taranaki Daily News

New Plymouth Airport is the top regional airport in the country.

Recent developments including the resealing of the runway, a new cafeteria, terminal redesign and parking improvements gave New Plymouth the edge over its regional rivals, airport manager Kevin Hill said yesterday.

And the New Plymouth District Council, half owner of the airport, could be about to undertake a major strategic review of the facility and its future for the first time since 1996.

The New Zealand Airports Association announced New Plymouth as the winner of the annual top regional airport award at its conference in Palmerston North last week.

Mr Hill said the strongest competition came from airports in Nelson, Tauranga and Rotorua.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/2980438/Top-provincial-honours-for-airport

If the Waiwakahio bridge is a major choke point, I would have thought that an option of tidal flowing it would seem a good stop gap solution.

Wellington did it for a number of years on the old hutt road, until the ngauranga interchange was completed, connecting the gorge to the urban motorway.

I don't have a breakdown of the inbound/outbound traffic figures, but because the Eastern city is both a major area of employment and a major residential area, the flows at rush hour appear to be quite equal. The current three lane bridge is limited by a single lane connection, so a chain being only as good as its weakest link means that I'm not sure whether that would make any difference.

It's a good idea though! There's just a few other circumstances that may preclude it being used.

Building of the supports for the coastal pathway bridge is well underway.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_5244.jpg

That coastal pathway is brilliant.
I walked the section from Ocean View Pde to the city centre a few years back.
The extension through to Bell Block and eventually to Waitara will be fantastic additions to what is already an excellent piece of infrastructure.

That coastal pathway is brilliant.
I walked the section from Ocean View Pde to the city centre a few years back.
The extension through to Bell Block and eventually to Waitara will be fantastic additions to what is already an excellent piece of infrastructure.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yes it's a beautiful pathway and a real asset to the city. I can remember when it was an unformed track through piles of boulders... it's certainly come a long way.

The other reason for extending it through to BBK is to remove the cycle lanes through Northgate. That will hopefully allow an extra lane to be added, and vastly improve safety.

Yes, it used to be a real scramble along there (around the swimming pool) before the path was built.
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk100/kiwikaas/nieuwzeelandjuni2003040.jpg

(Highlights only)



http://static.stuff.co.nz/1257277314/408/3029408.jpg

Traffic gridlock 'completely unacceptable

New Plymouth drivers got a bitter taste of big city life yesterday when traffic gridlocked all day from the Waiwhakaiho Bridge bottleneck.

And the problem will be the same today and almost certainly tomorrow as work on strengthening the road near the three-lane bridge continues.

The unsealed metal surface restricts vehicles to 30kmh, which quickly sees traffic banking up along Northgate and Devon St East, sometimes nearly back to the CBD.

Just before lunch it took him 15 minutes to get from Strandon to Harvey Norman in the Waiwhakaiho Valley – a trip usually completed in five minutes or less.

It took 13 minutes to drive the stretch of Northgate from Mangorei Rd to the Waiwhakaiho lights, a journey usually lasting just over a minute.

On average 33,000 vehicles cross the Waiwhakaiho Bridge each day, or about 120 every five minutes

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/3028636/Traffic-gridlock-completely-unacceptable

New Plymouth traffic chaos endangering lives

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1257425023/957/3036957.jpg

DOWN TOWN: Traffic chaos stretched into central New Plymouth as the 5pm rush hour hit Courtenay St on Wednesday.


Emergency services fear lives and property are in danger as they battle through gridlocked traffic at New Plymouth's northern entrance.

Roadworks just north of the Waiwhakaiho bridge has backed up traffic for kilometres in both directions and is creating major delays getting in and out of the city.

New Plymouth's ambulance service and fire brigade are concerned the delays have real potential to cost lives and increase damage to property in emergency situations.

They say there is an urgent need for improved access, including a new route, into New Plymouth from the north.

Work on the project was expected to be completed today, but is behind schedule. New Zealand Transport Agency regional state highway manager Errol Christiansen said work had been delayed because contractors had to give staff breaks.

"You can only work people for so many hours," he said.

Mr Christiansen said the sealing of the section of road was now expected to go ahead on Monday night.

The Taranaki District Health Board ambulance service has taken steps to prevent delays in response times by repositioning resources.

TDHB regional ambulance service manager Ian May had concerns about the effect a long delay could have on patients.

"Where we know that there is a significant traffic delay, like there has been in the last three or four days, we have repositioned [resources] because those delays could quite significantly impact in a medical emergency," Mr May said.

Ambulances had been relocated so they could avoid the area. Mr May said he would like to see continual improvements made to the northern entrance to improve traffic flow.

John Nicholls, the fire service's assistant area manager for Taranaki, said delays getting to fires and emergencies north of New Plymouth could result in further damage.

"It would have the potential to increase the seriousness of the incident," Mr Nicholls said.

"The potential is there to get serious property damage."

Mr Nicholls said there was an existing problem in the area, but the extra delays were a concern. Waitara's volunteer brigade could be called upon in emergencies but valuable time could still be lost. The fire service would like to see the work and an alternative route established as soon as possible.

Mr Christiansen said an investigation into any future work on the bridge was included in the national land transport programme.

However, there were no guarantees the work would start any time soon.

"The only thing in that programme is the investigation," he said.


^^ And still no action on the traffic issues aside from a "study" about what can be done long term. Today it took 35 min's for one of our suppliers to get from the Airport to downtown, a 10 Km journey. The NZTA also turned down an application by the TRC to improve the bus services in the city. Go figure!

How the NZTA can think that the W-Bridge bottleneck is not important enough to upgrade is beyond belief. Personally I think the NZTA/Transit is pandering to the politicians... Where is my proof?

Well here it is:

Ok, looking on the old Transit website, I download a copy of the Traffic Counts for the years 2003 thru to 2007 (the latest on the site).

Now, we compare two sites with a similar traffic count that are both notorious bottlenecks in the highway network. These two sites are:
1) SH3-Waiwhakaiho River, New Plymouth
2) SH1-Paramata Bridge, Porirua

Here is the Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) for those sites between the years 2003 and 2007:

Site: 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
SH3-W-Bridge 26090 27090 28194 27772 30202
SH1-P-Pridge 29910 29773 31005 32334 33108

So we can tell that the Paremata site has slightly more traffic than does the Waiwhakaiho site, though, it would appear that the W-Bridge traffic volumes at present are growing at a slightly faster rate.

But, the Paremata bridge site was upgraded to 4-lanes in 2005 I think - about when the site was carrying 31000 vpd.

The Waiwhakaiho bridge carries probably the same amount now in 2009 as the Paremata bridge did when it was upgraded. But there is no immediate plans (in the next 10-year forecast) to upgrade the W-Bridge. This is despite the fact that road funding is increasing significantly over the coming years. In 10 years time, the bridge could be expected to carry about 40,000 vpd.

If the Paremata bridge is blocked for any reason, the nearest alternative is via Paremata Road SH58 & Greys Rd - A route of 11.7km in length compared to 2.4km via the Paremata Bridge. Commuters also have train services too.

If the Waiahakaiho bridbe is blocked for any reason, the nearest alternative is via Mangorei Rd, SH3 & Egmont Roads - A route of 25.1km in length compared to 3.0km via the Waiwhakaiho bridge. There is no public transport alternative.

Upgrading the bridges alone on both routes requires either widening and strengthening the existing bridge, building a duplicate bridge, or building an entirely new bridge and demolishing the old one. This of course could be quite expensive but a significant factor in the cost is the bridge's overall length:

The Waiwhakaiho Bridge appears to be about 70 metres in length
The Paremata Bridge appears to be about 150 metres in length

Obviously a widened bridge is useless without supporting roading. Arguably, a far greater expense would have been made to upgrade the road through Mana, and over the hill to Pukeura Bay with widening and traffic lighting along the route than would the equivalent road from New Plymouth to Bell Block (including the BBK bypass project).

About the only thing in Wellington's favour of having the Paremata bridge widened was the horrendous delays that occur on long weekends when everyone heads out of town. New Plymouth doesn't have this issue nearly as bad in that regard. But of course having a dozen serious traffic jams a year is hardly justification in its own right for upgrading a road is it?.

So draw your own conclusions here on this - I've drawn mine and I think that government isn't playing fair on this one. They seem to be quite keen on spending hundreds of millions in Tauranga, but can't spend 20 million on a new bridge in New Plymouth.

^^ Thank you for the analysis KaneD, most interesting.

The NPDC have allocated huge areas in the Eastern city across the bridge for further subdivision. The Eastern tip of Bell Block has seen huge growth over the last few years and when combined with the big box retail developments, and with the large increase in industrial businesses in that area, it is compounding the existing traffic problems.

From recent reports, the NPDC expect traffic volumes are expected to have increased sharply during the next measurement period, over what is arguably the only route north.

I think that the following comment from Bill English during his vist yesterday is quite telling of what lies ahead for this region:

"Over the next few years it intended investing billions in roading improvements – primarily in the Tauranga-Hamilton-Auckland triangle because that's where the bulk of the country's exports pass through – as well as investing in electricity transmission and ultra-fast broadband."

So it would seem that it is unlikely that the city will see any immediate resolution to this issue. I would have thought that improving the entire supply chain would have been the best move, rather than concentrating on just one portion for the foreseeable future but oh well! Perhaps once road expansion projects are completed for areas with lower traffic volumes and lower growth rates are completed, this city will see its fair share.

Double turning lane will ease backlog

Valley shoppers may now have it better getting back on the main road, but the council says traffic congestion problems on State Highway 3 will not go away.

Changes to the Smart Rd, New Plymouth, intersection have created two right-hand lanes for drivers turning towards Fitzroy.

The extra lane on the road beside Harvey Norman will help reduce the backlog of traffic at the lights as it leaves The Valley shopping centre.

"The new road markings are in now, and drivers will just have to make sure they stay within their lane as they make the right-hand turn from Smart Rd on to Devon Rd," New Plymouth District Council roading assets manager Max Aves said.

"Considerate merging then becomes an issue for those motorists who wish to continue on to Northgate.

"We're really pleased to have made this change before the pre-Christmas traffic starts to build up."

After motorist stress and delays caused in the last two weeks by the works bottleneck at the Waiwhakaiho Bridge, the road was now "back to normal levels of congestion", Mr Aves said.

While the two-turning lane at Smart Rd would help, the problems with the eastern-western corridor would continue until the New Zealand Transport Agency freed up funding for the highway.

"This really is a small enhancement for a signalled intersection. Something at low cost we can do promptly.

"It is not the answer to the significant problems we've got down there. That's a far bigger issue that the agency has to address."

Parking prohibitions along Smart Rd are also being extended to improve access to the Harvey Norman carpark.

Senior Constable Keith Bromley of the road policing branch said motorists turning right out of Smart Rd must remember to maintain their lane and wait until they were 20m clear of the intersection before indicating to change or merge.

"The idea is long overdue. It should have been put in place right from the start.

"Because there's now no right turn out of Vickers Rd to head back into town, the bulk of the traffic, in fact 90 per cent of the traffic, will be using the traffic signal, and this will allow twice the number of vehicles to make a right turn."

Police would continue to monitor the area, and cars running the lights would be ticketed.

"With the silly season almost on us, motorists just need to be a little bit patient because there will be lots more people shopping in the mega centre," he said.

Meanwhile, one area of State Highway 3 designated by NZTA for change is the Mangati-Devon Rd intersection at Bell Block.

NZTA regional manager Errol Christiansen confirmed that, for safety reasons, there would be no right-hand turns towards New Plymouth when work on the intersection was completed in 2010.

Ad Feedback "That was included as part of the consent process. Consultation on all of that starts in the New Year. It's one of the prime crash sites in New Plymouth."

NZTA will consult with locals who use Mangati Rd and will be affected.

"One would expect mixed reactions."

Work would begin around the middle of next year, he said.

"Over the next few years it intended investing billions in roading improvements – primarily in the Tauranga-Hamilton-Auckland triangle because that's where the bulk of the country's exports pass through – as well as investing in electricity transmission and ultra-fast broadband."

So it would seem that it is unlikely that the city will see any immediate resolution to this issue.

Yup and the reason why the government have rightfully prioritised that region is because improving the export component of our economy is of the utmost importance. Most of the goods are exported through those centres or at least pass through it, plus they are growing rapidly so transportation must be improved now before it effects the exporting industry any further.

The money needs to be spent where its needed and thats clearly in the golden triangle. Its just silly spending it in places that arent strategic or growing, and theres plenty of those around this country!

^^ Nah bollocks...

Agreed that money needs to be spent in the golden triangle and rightly so... but this should not be at the expense of other areas who now have to miss out.

So lets say that statistically, the BOP was normally entitled to say $100 million of road funding, then Taranaki should then get say $50 million based on population/area etc.

But say the BOP, now actually needs $200 million. This should under no uncertain terms mean that Taranaki gets NONE, as is currently happening. Taranaki should indeed still get their fair share, and BOP should still get their normal share, but if they want more than that, they should get it through different sources such as special government grants or regional fuel tax surcharges, tolls and so on.

As it is, although the govt has increased land transport funding dramatically recently, given they still need to pillage money from other regions suggests to me that we are still not paying enough for our transport infrastructure overall - maybe we just need more fuel taxes? Tolls? etc?

Just after the plan to construct the BBK express-way was announced, the former counterpart of the NZTA announced that it would be placed on indefinite hold as the money that had been allocated to this project was going to be spent elsewhere. Luckily an immense amount of lobbying took place and the Government's decision was reversed.

That particular project has been on the books since the 1960's and while it undoubtedly did not warrant construction back then, it has been warranted for quite some time now.

The remaining pressure point for the city is the Vickers Rd though CBD arterial link - how long should New Plymouth wait for that? Apparently three years for a study, then it MIGHT be eligible for funds at some point in the next 10 year plan. The NZTA have stated that there are other priorities aside from this city, and I suspect that widening roads in other centres with less traffic and a lower traffic growth rates will probably usurp it.

If you truly want the export sector to perform then you need to address issues encountered by the entire supply-chain, not just the so-called endpoint.

^^ I bet if Winston Peters lived in New Plymouth and not Tauranga, then New Plymouth would have its Waiwhakaiho Bridge built 10 years ago and Tauranga would have missed out on it's new-fangled fly-over.

Yes I think that's quite a bit of the reason. Winston campaigned hard for the new bridge and generally speaking, Tauranga has a number of high-profile MP's from all political parties. While I am not saying that is the reason so many projects get the go-ahead there, I am certain it has a significant part to play.

Energy firm fury as drilling timing hits flights to city
By ROB MAETZIG - Taranaki Daily News

An exploration well being drilled just 400m from New Plymouth airport's main runway has begun to affect scheduled airline services – and the energy company involved is doing its block about it.

Greymouth Petroleum says it pleaded with the Government to relax the terms of the well's exploration licence so it didn't have to be drilled in November or December, which are the two months notorious for airport operations being affected by low cloud.

"We couldn't get anywhere. We told them the proximity of the drilling rig near the runway at this time of the year would disrupt flights," said company spokesman John Sturgess.

"But they wouldn't listen. They told us we had to get the well drilled and completed by January – and now we're causing flight disruptions."

Last night two flights were cancelled and on Saturday six flights had to be diverted or cancelled as rain and low cloud crossed the North Taranaki coastline.

Continued....

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/3090765/Energy-firm-fury-as-drilling-timing-hits-flights-to-city

Cash boost revamps bus services

Major improvements are on the way for New Plymouth's city buses, with an upgrade worth more than $5 million to begin next year.

The upgrade will take the service from what is "essentially a glorified school bus service to a much more commuter-oriented service," Taranaki Regional Council chief executive Basil Chamberlain said after getting the official thumbs-up yesterday.

Half-funded by the Government, the new service will include more than double the number of existing routes, additional capacity, shortened waiting times and route extensions to take in the Waiwhakaiho Valley, Whaler's Gate and Ferndale.

Bus services will begin earlier in the morning, the time to travel the routes will be shortened and new "smartcard" ticketing will be put in across the network.

The New Zealand Transport Agency will pay $2.64m towards the upgrade over the next two and a half years.

Mr Chamberlain said he was delighted the agency decided to back the service improvements after initially turning down a request for financial help.

"We thought we had a good case but we were conscious that the Government has ever-increasing pressure on its transport funds," he said.

"With new priorities in the big urban centres it was always going to be a tough one to get through the system."

As always, the old "use it or lose it" proviso applied, Mr Chamberlain said, with the upgraded service and patronage levels to be reviewed in two years. "Taxpayers and ratepayers aren't in the business of providing services that aren't used," he said.

"You don't build patronage levels in a week, it takes time so we don't expect enormous boosts immediately.

"But I invite people to think very seriously about using the options that aren't there now."

Specific changes include:

Peak time bus routes increased from four to nine.

"Orbiter" services linking to schools increased from zero to four.

Routes extended to cover the Waiwhakaiho Valley, Whaler's Gate and Ferndale.

Reducing the time to travel the bus route from 40 minutes to 30 minutes (at peak times).

Waiting times for next bus reduced from 70 minutes (mornings) and 90 minutes (afternoons) to 30 minutes (peak time) and 60 minutes (off peak).

Capacity increased from 300 to 500 seats a day.

Services to start earlier in the morning.

"Smartcard" ticketing increased from four buses to 13 buses.

The TRC, with the Government a 50-50 partner, has contracted out the New Plymouth bus service to Tranzit Coachlines since last year when the company took over from Okato Bus Lines.

The first of the planned improvements to the service are expected to be introduced in the first half of next year. All other TRC provided bus services around Taranaki remain unchanged. :banana:

To bad there were no further upgrades for Bell Block and Waitara to become seperated. Have seen the 888 route to have a few people standing at peak time:ohno:

Taranaki Bids for Cycleway Fund

Mon 21 Dec 2009

Taranaki has put in a bid for its first slice of Prime Minister John Key’s $50 million national cycleway fund.

A consortium of the region’s four Councils, the Department of Conservation, Venture Taranaki and other stakeholders has submitted concept proposals with the Ministry of Tourism seeking funding for feasibility studies into two possible cycleway routes in the region.

The proposals are:

* A three-route network centred on and around Mount Taranaki, including a loop around Pukeiti Gardens, a traverse route from North Egmont to Dawson Falls, and a Puniho to Kahui loop within Egmont National Park.
* A 65km cycleway from Whanganui River to Whangamomona via the Matemateonga Track and the Bridge to Somewhere.

“On paper these routes look like good possibilities and if we win funding for a feasibility study, we’ll then work with local communities, Iwi, landowners and other groups to ensure that the two projects are developed in a way that the region will support,” says John Sutton from New Plymouth District Council who is acting as Chair of the Consortium making the bid.

“A number of conversations will also need to be had around the legalities of cycling in the National Park and managing the requirements of different user groups, but proposing these initial concepts and applying for feasibility study funding is a first step.”

Mr Key announced the national cycleway project at a Jobs Summit earlier this year. Of the $50 million funding, $9 million has already been allocated for seven “quick start” projects in various parts of the country.

“One of those quick start projects is a route down the Whanganui River, so the Matemateonga proposal could link with that,” says Mr Sutton .

The mountain routes are envisaged as a package to attract visitors to stay for three days or more. “There’d be employment spin-offs in accommodation, hospitality and guideing and shuttling services, as well as track development and maintenance.”

A longer-term option may be to establish a round-the-mountain circuit to link the three mountain routes.

Mr Sutton says the region can point to New Plymouth’s Coastal Walkway as an example of the way Taranaki can achieve success with such projects.

The Ministry of Tourism is expected to announce its decisions on funding in February.

Taranaki's two multi-million-dollar roading projects at Bell Block and Tariki have reached critical milestones.

At Tariki, trains are using the new bridge over the motorists' subway, while at Bell Block traffic will flow along the new four-lane Bell Block Bypass in just six weeks.

Once completed, the Tariki project will give motorists a clear run along State Highway 3 travelling at open road speeds of 100kmh.

Three bridges have been widened, two new passing lanes constructed and a higher, wider subway has been installed.

"The subway work is all but completed. The trains have been using the new alignment since just before Christmas," New Zealand Transport Agency highway manager Errol Christiansen said yesterday.

Weather permitting, the project should be completed by April, two months earlier than expected.

"Everyone's pretty happy with the way things are going.

"When it's finished it will be one more of our major projects behind us, making Taranaki roads safer," Mr Christiansen said.

"There have been difficult times for the motoring public and the delay would have made it difficult but generally speaking everyone is very pleased with the final product."

However, until the subway is completed, motorists are still required to use the 500m temporary highway deviation. And because of the speed restriction through the deviation, the new passing lanes will be closed until the roadworks are finished, he said.

The completed 3.6km road will still have a moderate bend through the new subway, but traffic will flow at open road speeds. The height of the new subway is about 6m, similar to the height of those on the Auckland motorway, Mr Christiansen said.

The old subway had only 4.2m headroom. In future only over-dimension vehicles will need to use a deviation across the railway.

In Bell Block, motorists can expect to travel over the new four-lane road to the south of Devon Rd in six weeks. This will take away the bulk of the traffic travelling through Bell Block village on Devon Rd, allowing the roundabout at the confluence of Nugent St, Devon Rd and Henwood Rd to be built with less disruption, he said.

Devon Rd will then change its status from a state highway to a local road.

At the western end of Devon Rd, near Egmont Rd, where the new bypass veers right, there will be a turning circle for locals.

Local traffic, such as residents from the Links subdivision and New Plymouth Golf Club members, will no longer turn right into the city but turn left towards Bell Block to use Bell Block Henwood Rd's overbridge to return to New Plymouth.


Meanwhile, the Normanby realignment project remains on the drawing board but plans are close to being completed.

"The project is all but ready for application for construction funds. It is in the final stage of acquiring property," Mr Christiansen said.

When completed, the 4km-long Normanby project will be similar to that at Tariki where the road will go under the railway.

Currently road traffic travels over the railway line on a narrow curving bridge.:banana:

Don't forget about the Waiwhakaiho bridge and the eastern city corridor which handles just over 35,000 VPD on mostly a two laned road:ohno:

A multimillion-dollar TIML investment could be the answer to solving New Plymouth's Waiwhakaiho Bridge problems, a senior district councillor believes.

Maurice Betts is calling for Taranaki Investment Management Ltd to investigate a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Government and the idea raises the possibility of a toll road at the troublesome bottleneck.

The issues at Waiwhakaiho appear to rank low on the Government's priority list, despite years of traffic chaos, frustrated motorists and pleas from Taranaki roading bosses.

But Mr Betts says the Government's indications it would welcome private investment in major public infrastructure development made it the perfect opportunity for Taranaki to get a jump on other regions with their hands out.

"If you don't help yourself, there's too much competition out there for the money," Mr Betts said.

"It could be the best $20 million that TIML invest for the district."

He said under such an arrangement, TIML and the Government could form a partnership to widen the bridge and complete related roadworks.

"Some estimates put the total price at $55m of which the private contribution could be about $20m," he said.

"The proposal could see TIML form a proper PPP where the assets are built, a return on investment acceptable to TIML is received with capital recovered over an agreed time frame."

The Government would end up owning the finished bridge and any other infrastructure built under the PPP.

The model was widely used overseas, particularly in Australia and the United Kingdom, Mr Betts said, and rates of return could range from about 8 to 12 per cent.

Typically, public-private partnerships in roading infrastructure are associated with toll roads.

But Mr Betts said details over how TIML's return on its investment was made or what an acceptable rate of return would be were details that had to be worked out later.

"At this stage it's about whether or not it's an acceptable form of investment," he said.

The rules surrounding TIML, formed in 2004 to manage and invest money raised from the sale of Powerco, prevents dipping into the fund for things such as individual projects or reducing rates.

But Mr Betts said his proposal was an investment that would sit within the group's alternative assets portfolio, similar to Tasman Farms.

TIML chief executive Mike Trousselot wouldn't comment specifically on Mr Betts' proposal yesterday, but said a PPP could be looked into.

"Any individual investment case would have to be evaluated on its own merits and compared to any other investment opportunity available nationally or internationally," he said. "If any investment met those criteria it would be seriously looked at."

The thought-provoking proposal is certain to raise a few eyebrows at the beginning of a council election year. :banana:

whats the status with the big old power station?

whats the status with the big old power station?

Port Taranaki are investigating purchasing the property for additional container storage, but haven't made any noises about whether they'd keep the chimney. It's been a prominent landmark for such a long period of time I think unless there are some fundamental structural issues with it, that it would be kept. Hopefully it can become a restaurant or observation platform - beautiful view from the top.

At least part of the power-station would have to remain, as it holds a major transformer that links the city with the national grid.

The big issue is that the road is a state-highway, and not under the direct jurisdiction of the NPDC. In addition to that, there is no viable alternative route, so tolling a new bridge (in addition to using rate-payer funds to finance it) would raise the ire of residents.

The city may just have to wait its turn in the rather long queue of infrastructure projects, prioritised (incorrectly IMO) by the NZTA.


Betts bridge plan not a sure thing, says mayor
By RYAN EVANS - Taranaki Daily News

A proposal to use TIML money to help solve problems with the Waiwhakaiho Bridge bottleneck drew a mixed reaction yesterday.

New Plymouth district councillor Maurice Betts wants TIML to investigate the possibility of a public-private partnership [PPP] to pay for a solution at the troublesome traffic spot.

But a number of people contacted by the Taranaki Daily News thought any partnership project would need tohave tolls to make a return on the investment.

An arrangement whereby the money was effectively lent to the Government by TIML would probably not be attractive as the Government is able to raise debt cheaper than it would through TIML.

And a major issue with a toll road at Waiwhakaiho is the lack of feasible alternative.

If the solution was to widen the existing bridge, the nearest non-toll alternative route would force motorists to head south to Egmont Village before heading back north.

Toll roads have to have a free alternative route that people not willing to pay the toll can use.

But Mr Betts said he would be pursuing his idea further and the focus at this stage should not be on whether or not the project was a toll route. "I'm not letting it go, it's an idea that needs to be seen to the end."

He provided an Australian report into PPPs questioning the idea that Government-raised debt was necessarily cheaper than private debt. The report said "much of the difference in public and private cost of capital is apparent rather than real".

New Plymouth Mayor Peter Tennent said the road was a State Highway and as such any solution should be state funded.

"I'm worried about raising expectations about something that would be very hard to make fly.

"I've asked Maurice to provide me with the numbers and until I've seen them it's hard to know what's driven this."

As Local Government New Zealand's transport spokesman Mr Tennent said he met regularly with Transport Minister Steven Joyce, a former New Plymouth man himself.

He said the game plan was to get the project "shovel ready" as early as possible so if any roads of national significance or other major projects were delayed, work on the Vickers Rd corridor was ready to fill the gap.

"I think there's a three-year window of opportunity," Mr Tennent said.

"Once the bigger projects go they will be soaking New Zealand's manpower, equipment and resources like never before."

Mr Joyce released a brief statement yesterday that was more encouraging though.

"It is always good to have creative funding proposals in order to bring things forward," he said. "If the council is interested in accelerating this project as a PPP I would encourage them to take it up with the NZ Transport Agency."
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New Zealand Transport Agency regional director Jenny Chetwynd said the Government did not underestimate the importance of the bridge issues.

"We're aware of its importance to the community and it's an important link, along with the Bell Block project, to the city."

She said the next priority was to get funding approved for investigation and design work.

Update on the new Express-way, due to be opened in five weeks.

On Saturday 6th of February, an open day for the new express-way was organised by the Bell Block Lions in conjunction with LTNZ and the New Plymouth-based company awarded the construction project, Whitaker Civil Engineering.


Donations collected during this event went towards maintaining the suburban defibrillator service in Bell Block. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to try it out :bash:


Parking available in the Eastern bound lanes. Bell-Block on/off ramps to the left and right respectively.
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6137.jpg

Southern on-ramp opened to the public.
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6147.jpg

Plenty of people took up the once in a lifetime opportunity
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6027.jpg

Eastern connection with Mangaone Hill four-laneing project (to CBD)
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6141.jpg

The old and the new: New express-way centre with old Devon Road to the right.
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6007.jpg

The Links massive sub-division
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6050.jpg

ZK-NEH arriving from Wellington
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6045.jpg

Things you WON'T be able to in 5 weeks:

1. Park under the bridge (although, I'm sure some will try)
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6102.jpg

2. Set up a BBQ stall under the bridge (yeah, laugh it up buddy!)
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6104.jpg

Western connection with existing SH3 road to the North. Note further projects are planned along this corridor including another interchange near Airport Drive.
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6105.jpg

Interesting photo of the strata that makes up the existing SH3 road North.
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6118.jpg

New Henwood Road bridge (in use)
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6124.jpg

Part of the Eastern-bound off-ramp. Looks like they're narrowing the road a little unduely to me.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6116.jpg

Earth moved as bridge taken to river
By RYAN EVANS - Taranaki Daily News

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1266237228/418/3332418.jpg
TAKING SHAPE: The new bridge over the Waiwhakaiho River is moved slowly towards the site where it will eventually link the Coastal Walkway to Bell Block


New Plymouth's Coastal Walkway extension made a giant, and highly visible, step forward yesterday.

The centrepiece of the $3.1 million extension – the bridge over the Waiwhakaiho River – was moved from the yards at Fitzroy Engineering into position for installation over the river today.

The distinctive bridge, designed to conjure thoughts of a breaking wave or a whale skeleton, made an impressive sight as it went public for the first time and was transported to its new home.

Moving the bridge, 80 metres long and weighing 85 tonnes, was a major logistical undertaking even though the trip was just a few kilometres long.

Along its way, the bridge-carriers had to negotiate hills and old pa sites, travelling over damp and uneven farm land.

It was manoeuvred around trees, over fences and on to golf course fairways during a long day that began early in the morning and did not finish until the evening.

When the Taranaki Daily News took a tour of the route the bridge was to follow at 9am, there was already a flurry of preparation work under way. Fences were being taken down, diggers were strengthening culverts and smoothing the worst patches of paddock.

At the Fitzroy Engineering yards, linesmen were preparing to take down powerlines to allow the bridge to move off site.

By noon, cranes were lifting the bridge on to the two trucks which would carry it to its destination and, by about 4pm, things were ready to roll and the slow process of carrying it to the river began.

Work is expected to begin again early today, with the bridge being craned into place over the river.

New Plymouth District Council project manager Jeff Bondy said the council was pleased with the way the bridge was shaping up.

"It's a very unusual bridge for New Plymouth," Mr Bondy said.

"The whole idea was we saw it as something of a landmark."

He said transporting the bridge was a remarkable piece of work.

"It's not an easy load to shift."

Once over the river the bridge will still not open until the deck is put on, access ramps built and the connection to the walkway extension finished.

With tenders for the walkway extension itself closing only this week, the bridge is not expected to open until the middle of the year.

People wanting to watch the bridge being craned into place over the river today are advised that the best viewing spot is from the Lake Rotomanu access road.
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Particularly, people should position themselves at the lookout above the carpark at the river mouth.

Waiwakahio River before the bridge.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6342.jpg

After bridge installation

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6353.jpg

Some other shots

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6356.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6361.jpg

Shipping firm adds Port Taranaki stop
By ROB MAETZIG - Taranaki Daily News

Beleagured Port Taranaki finally received some good news yesterday - one of the world's largest shipping companies is adding the New Plymouth port to its New Zealand service.

While the arrival of Mediterranean Shipping Company won't make up for the big trade hit the port suffered last year when diary giant Fonterra dropped it from its South-East Asian service, it is still likely to involve substantial numbers of containers.

Significantly, MSC is adding Port Taranaki into its schedule as the final port of call prior to heading to Sydney, which opens up new trade opportunities for exporters from the lower North Island.

Yesterday Port Taranaki chief executive Roy Weaver hailed MSC's decision as excellent news, because it means the port not now has three trans-Tasman services whereas 12 months ago there was none.

"In the wake of our losing the South-East Asian trade, that's where we see our container shipping future - to Australia and North Asia.

"There's a lot of hard work now needing to be done to ensure the MSC service is a success," he said, adding that Taranaki, Wanganui and Manawatu were seen as the prime regions as source of the export product.

MSC's Christchurch-based national operations manager Mike Hodgins, in New Plymouth yesterday to finalise the new service, said two vessels will arrive at Port Taranaki every three weeks.

The first ship to visit the port will be the 30,971 gross registered tonne MSC Krittika which will berth late to next week to unload empty containers for distributions throughout the southern North Island. Then the first scheduled visit will be in the first week of March when a second ship, the 34,231grt MSC Palermo, will berth.

Port Taranaki will be the final port of call after the ships visit Nelson, Auckland, Tauranga, Lyttelton and Wellington.

"They will then head to Sydney and Melbourne, where cargoes can be trans- shipped to anywhere in the world," said Mr Hodgins.

He was confident that a minimum of 400 containers will be loaded onto the MSC ships at each call.

Yesterday's announcement represents good news for the port company as it works to recover from a 35 per cent fall in container numbers as a result of Fonterra's decision to drop the port as the point of export for its SE Asian-bound product from Whareroa, and rail it to Auckland, Tauranga and Napier for export instead.

At the time of Fonterra's announcement late last year, it was estimated container numbers through the port would fall by 22,000

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/business/3305707/Shipping-firm-adds-Port-Taranaki-stop

Consultation Begins on New Bus Stops and Shelters

Mon 01 Mar 2010

Consultation has begun on the placement of 40 new bus stops in residential areas of New Plymouth.

And this week businesses on Egmont Street between Ariki and St Aubyn streets will be consulted on replacing all on-street car parks in that area with permanent bus stops.

Taranaki Regional Council is improving and extending its New Plymouth urban bus service by increasing the number of routes from four to nine.

New Plymouth District Council is responsible for providing the appropriate on-street infrastructure and is therefore working with TRC to establish the required locations for bus stops, in order to cater for the greater number of buses that will operate the service.

“Residents of houses adjacent to the proposed bus stop locations are in the process of being contacted and asked for their feedback,” says Manager Roading Assets Max Aves.

“And during this week we’ll be visiting those Egmont Street businesses between Ariki and St Aubyn streets to discuss the proposed new bus stops outside their premises.

“The bus stops outside the Bus Centre on Ariki Street won’t be able to cater for the greater number of buses, so we’re looking at converting both sides of Egmont Street from the pedestrian crossing to the St Aubyn intersection into permanent bus stops.”

Says TRC Director-Operations, Rob Phillips: “It's important to get the right location for the new bus stops, and it’s great that NPDC is working with us to liaise with the community to find workable solutions.”

A report on the proposal and any feedback received will be considered by NPDC’s Monitoring Committee on Tuesday 23 March.:banana:

Bus park plan is opposed
By RYAN EVANS - Taranaki Daily News

Replacing car parks with bus stops could endanger the lives of extremely ill patients, a doctor at a New Plymouth after-hoursmedical clinic believes.

Medicross Taranaki Ltd chairman Selim Kabir said the clinic was strongly opposed to a New Plymouth District Council proposal to remove car parks right outside the clinic's Richmond Centre premises.

The council is proposing to remove eight metered parks on Egmont St, from Ariki to St Aubyn streets to accommodate an increased number of buses in the CBD once the Taranaki Regional Council introduces an expanded city bus service.

Dr Kabir isn't so sure the solution is the right one though.

He said sick and disabled patients should have easy access to the clinic, so "a life is not lost because there are no parks available".

And his biggest concern was for ambulance transfers to the hospital, usually for people with bad chest pains or people who have collapsed. "At the moment the ambulances just park in front while the parks are here," Dr Kabir said. "We've talked to the council about having a dedicated space for the ambulance and they've said no you can use the parks. But if the parks aren't there we can't use them."

Nico Jacobs, owner of the neighbouring after-hours City Care Pharmacy said the move will badly effect his day-time business, which he needs to subsidise the after-hours service.

The pharmacy, open from 8.30am until 9pm seven days a week, caters for after hours customers from Awakino to Opunake, he said.

"The importance from a pharmacy perspective is speed, get people in and out," he said.

"If parks aren't available they will go somewhere else."

Council's roading assets manager Max Aves said the project was currently in the consultation phase and any concerns from affected businesses would be included in a report to be presented to the council's monitoring committee on March 23.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/3427032/Bus-park-plan-is-opposed

Bypass ready to roll
3.5km route brought bureaucratic battle
By ROB MAETZIG - Taranaki Daily News

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1268310154/379/3438379.jpg

CAMERON BURNELL/Taranaki Daily News
SUCCESS AT LAST: Road Transport Association spokesman Tom Cloke walks along the Bell Block Bypass, which will be officially opened today.


Taranaki's latest major roading project will be officially opened today, ending decades of battling with bureaucracy to get it done.

The project is the $21 million Bell Block Bypass, which Transport Minister Steven Joyce will open at 10.30am, after it took three years to build.

And, fittingly, the first vehicle to drive along the bypass will be a heavy truck – illustrating the strong part the road transport industry has played in getting the big project under way.

The Road Transport Association will use today's opening to remind Mr Joyce there are several other Taranaki roading improvements that are vital to the region's economic progress.

"We'll be taking the opportunity to talk to Mr Joyce about several other projects that are dear to our hearts," said RTA spokesman Tom Cloke.

"These include what needs to be done to our highway link to the north, and the urgent need to improve the highway access into New Plymouth and Port Taranaki. It's crucial that these get done."

The 3.5km bypass, which begins at the top of the Waiwhakaiho hill, will carry traffic to the south of Bell Block township before joining up with SH3 again west of the airport turnoff, has been a long time coming.

The project has been on the books since at least 1968 when the then New Plymouth City Council developed a master transport plan designed to move traffic out of the city's business district. Properties even began to be compulsorily acquired from 1986 to make way for the bypass route.

But in 2004 when Government roading agency Transit sent a $21.2 million plan to funding body Land Transport New Zealand, it was turned down on the grounds that rising costs meant it no longer met the required benefit-cost ratio.

This led more than 50 Taranaki local government and business representatives to demand that the project be reinstated. The pressure succeeded – and the bypass project was rescheduled.

Mr Cloke said today's opening would mark the end of a long, hard battle.

"But we just had to keep working for it. We needed to convince the Government of how important that route is to Taranaki's industry and economy."

The district council's general manager of community assets, Anthony Wilson, said the drawn-out campaign to get the bypass built has been frustrating.

"The biggest frustration has been that this project has had to be prioritised along with other highway projects – and there always seems to have been something more important," he said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/3438349/Bypass-ready-to-roll

Traffic starts to flow on the new section of SH3

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/NZ1A/IMG_6675.jpg

The road is currently still a 50KPH & 70KPH zone due to the construction work. Also, several lanes are closed meaning it's a two lane road for the most part.

Note: There are only single lanes North and South-bound under the interchange bridge. With most of the city's expansion zoned to occur towards the North, it seems to me to be a bit short sighted in leaving it as a single lane. The only explanation I can see is that either they will open another lane closer to the median barrier (unlikely), and/or they will ban all suburban traffic from North of Bell Block from entering SH3 at any other point than the Henwood Road interchange. Hmmmm :ohno:

Cash for chokepoint study
By JARED SMITH - Taranaki Daily News

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1269429235/372/3502372.jpg
JONATHAN CAMERON
SHINE A LIGHT: A $550,000 study will look at ways of improving New Plymouth's northern outlet, including the Te Henui bridge.

An end to New Plymouth's traffic nightmares may be in sight.

The Government last night announced $550,000 in funding for a detailed investigation into eliminating the bottlenecks at New Plymouth's northern bridges.

The nine-month investigation will look at improving New Plymouth's traffic route between Vickers Rd and Eliot St.

New Zealand Transport Agency central regional director Jenny Chetwynd said the investigation would begin in the next two to three months, once a preferred tenderer was selected.

New Plymouth Mayor Peter Tennent was "thrilled" and "grateful" to the agency, Transport Minister Steven Joyce and council staff who had worked hard to get the district to this point.

Mr Tennent said that following the investigation, a construction project could begin in two years.

"I've no doubt at all this bottleneck will be fixed."

Mr Tennent described the investigation as the second leg in a trifecta – the first being the $20 million Bell Block bypass construction.

"The third leg will be the construction of the improved northern outlet, and my focus is on getting this project to a shovel-ready position, so that if any other major road projects in the country are delayed, we're ready to step into the NZTA programme."

While the priority list for NZTA's major national roading projects has not changed, having a plan completed meant `SH3 Vickers Rd to City' could take over a place in the queue if there were planning delays elsewhere.

"We see it every step along the way [in Auckland]," said Mr Tennent. "When there are delays, this project has got to be ready to roll. It's critical. When there's a gap, we get it done."

He said land purchases would have to be made before construction began, as simply improving the Waiwhakaiho bridge would only move the bottleneck to Mangorei Rd or beyond.

Council community assets general manager Anthony Wilson said senior council officers would join NZTA personnel on the investigation's control group.

"Part of the investigation will include identifying what extra land purchases are required, and then land acquisition and consents would have to be worked through.

"The investigation itself will take nine months, but if we eventually get the go-ahead for construction, the entire project would take a few years."

Ms Chetwynd said the funding approval enabled the agency to complete designations to protect the project's footprint from future development in the area.
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"The Vickers Rd to City Project will provide a comprehensive, long-term solution that will not only address delays at the bridge but will also provide greater capacity and improve safety over the entire 3km journey between Vickers Rd and the city centre."

Mr Joyce welcomed the decision to approve funding to investigate fixing the "missing link in Taranaki's state highway network".

"It will also improve safety and support continued growth in the region. The funding confirmed is an important step towards getting the new road designated, designed and built so that these benefits can be realised."

Mr Tennent thanked Taranaki Regional Council's regional land transport committee and chairman Roger Maxwell, and organisations like Taranaki Daily News for the constant coverage of the issue.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/3502304/Cash-for-chokepoint-study

By JARED SMITH
Taranaki Daily News
11/05/2010

It's no fuss to catch the bus – and you may as well with more than $2 million confirmed for the improved New Plymouth service.

The big cost of the expanded service was tabled at yesterday's meeting at Taranaki District Council.

The figure stands at $2,048,625, which includes several additions made to the initial project.

These include two additional buses to cover the increase in student numbers, four separate services to Glen Avon, and extending the proposed Waitara express service to go to and from Taranaki Base Hospital.

"I think we'll be rolling out as comprehensive a service as we can expect," said TRC chief executive Basil Chamberlain.

"It's no fuss, catch the bus."

"Is that the new catchphrase? I like it," TRC chairman David MacLeod replied at the meeting.

Mr Chamberlain said discussion with Tranzit Coachlines had been "locked in place", to include the variations and a new agreed contract price.

The improvements are to create a nine-route urban network during peak periods, currently involving four bus routes. This will be supported by a four bus school orbiter service, one each in the morning and afternoons.

The New Plymouth District Council met on April 20 to confirm approval for new bus stops on the east side of Egmont St and the north side of lower King St. Both require the removal of metered carparks and motorcycle parks, and there was considerable public debate regarding the loss of easy access to Puke Ariki library.

Mr Chamberlain said the communication with the NPDC to get those parks sorted by May 31 was effective, although he understood "there's no plain and obvious answer" in the eyes of the public.

The service will start on Monday, May 31, from 7am.

Representatives from both the NPDC and the TRC will be at the formal opening ceremony at the bus centre on Ariki St at 9.30am.

New Plymouth residents will be able to read the new bus timetable when it is inserted into the North Taranaki Midweek on May 26. :banana:
Bus routes can be seen here http://www.trc.govt.nz/new-routes/#new-fares

The new services look really good. My only concern is over fares - $2.60 using the smartcard, up from $2.00.

Traffic starts to flow on the new section of SH3
The road is currently still a 50KPH & 70KPH zone due to the construction work. Also, several lanes are closed meaning it's a two lane road for the most part.

Note: There are only single lanes North and South-bound under the interchange bridge. With most of the city's expansion zoned to occur towards the North, it seems to me to be a bit short sighted in leaving it as a single lane. The only explanation I can see is that either they will open another lane closer to the median barrier (unlikely), and/or they will ban all suburban traffic from North of Bell Block from entering SH3 at any other point than the Henwood Road interchange. Hmmmm :ohno:

The question really is whether there is physically enough width to widen the expressway to 4 lanes under the interchange bridge? If so, then no problem.

On the other hand, if there is only physically enough room for the existing 2 lanes, then that is most certainly one of the dumbest things that the roading designers and engineers could do since solving that would require bowling over the bridge and rebuilding it...

I wouldn't put it past our leaders to take this sort of short cut, just like they did in the early 1990's roughly with the Mosgiel Interchange south of Dunedin. The road comes down the hill (3 lanes on one carriageway at the time, 2 up 1 down) and then curves round to the left into the interchange where the exit ramp peels off to the left while straight through traffic continues on under the bridge. Under the bridge are two lanes, one each way and there is physically no room for widening it to 4 in future. At the time, there were still plans to extend the motorway south of Mosgiel so to simply half-ass that bridge was a complete joke. Probably now though, now that the underpass is restricted to 2 lanes, it will make the viability of ever widening that and the road southward even less likely (at the moment it isn't likely for the forseeable future anyway).

Here is the Mosgiel interchange:
Mosgiel (http://maps.google.co.nz/?ie=UTF8&ll=-45.890934,170.357265&spn=0,0.021071&z=16&layer=c&cbll=-45.890493,170.357841&panoid=yrdsjxAW0z4FaXwB-BSZQA&cbp=12,283.21,,2,0.26) - sorry, not very clear.

A better example of future planning is this underpass in Nelson...
Nelson (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=nelson&sll=-45.890486,170.357845&sspn=0.008961,0.021071&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Nelson&ll=-41.307536,173.220963&spn=0.019213,0.042143&z=15&layer=c&cbll=-41.307166,173.22132&panoid=pok6zGfAZyH0QYh3-wNXaQ&cbp=12,38.66,,0,7.57)

Ouch, quite a hike there for bus fares. Will be higher than Christchurch's $2.10 adult fare when using metrocard

Ouch, quite a hike there for bus fares. Will be higher than Christchurch's $2.10 adult fare when using metrocard

Apparently we're the first city to have the fares hiked due to the new farebox ratio, because of the timing of these new services.

Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are facing hikes in order to meet their minimum target of 50% funding from the patron.

The question really is whether there is physically enough width to widen the expressway to 4 lanes under the interchange bridge? If so, then no problem.

On the other hand, if there is only physically enough room for the existing 2 lanes, then that is most certainly one of the dumbest things that the roading designers and engineers could do since solving that would require bowling over the bridge and rebuilding it...

Interesting stuff KaneD. Yes I think there's enough room under the bridge to widen it, and the on/off ramps to the interchange would just need to be turned into merge lanes. I guess the real issue is though, when would they do this? There's a similar problem with the Paynters Ave bridge, that was originally scoped for four lanes but has remained as two for decades, causing some significant bottle-necks.

It would have been more efficient and effective to have just put the four lanes in right from the start, rather than this half assed approach!

Yes, this is the bridge HERE (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=new+plymouth&sll=-43.534577,172.56202&sspn=0.002291,0.003964&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=New+Plymouth,+Taranaki&ll=-39.05296,174.100513&spn=0.002454,0.003964&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=-39.052797,174.100793&panoid=5WCWBMG6kJGDisCIenDiDw&cbp=12,221.27,,0,7.19)

I see what you mean - The roadway runs under one span of the bridge and it clearly has no room for expansion. You could perhaps squeeze in a third lane but you would have to remove cyclist lanes etc and that is certainly not a popular idea in this day and age.

The other notable thing I see about this underpass it the nearby on/off ramps which appear from the pictures HERE (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=new+plymouth&sll=-43.534577,172.56202&sspn=0.002291,0.003964&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=New+Plymouth,+Taranaki&ll=-39.052331,174.10149&spn=0.002454,0.003964&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=-39.052218,174.101661&panoid=a681GqUs7uuiJkafxKv2Rw&cbp=12,284.48,,0,17.67) and HERE (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=new+plymouth&sll=-43.534577,172.56202&sspn=0.002291,0.003964&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=New+Plymouth,+Taranaki&ll=-39.05346,174.098813&spn=0.002454,0.003964&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=-39.053455,174.098925&panoid=cWDAxydRo_pZT5wXEyszRg&cbp=12,33.78,,0,9.51). They appear to be disused.

I'm not sure what the go is with this. Does anyone know whether these ramps were ever used and wen they closed and why?

Oh, I think on some maps I've seen a "New Plymouth Southern Motorway" referenced. Does anyone know about this? Presumably New Plymouth like many other cities in NZ during the 1960-70s had a master transport plan with grandiose plans for motorways everywhere. Does anyone know of a copy of this anywhere?

Yes, this is the bridge HERE (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=new+plymouth&sll=-43.534577,172.56202&sspn=0.002291,0.003964&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=New+Plymouth,+Taranaki&ll=-39.05296,174.100513&spn=0.002454,0.003964&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=-39.052797,174.100793&panoid=5WCWBMG6kJGDisCIenDiDw&cbp=12,221.27,,0,7.19)

I see what you mean - The roadway runs under one span of the bridge and it clearly has no room for expansion. You could perhaps squeeze in a third lane but you would have to remove cyclist lanes etc and that is certainly not a popular idea in this day and age.

The Cycle lane will be removed in the next few months after the new section of coastal walkway opens from the Waiwhakaiho river mouth (in Fitzroy) through to suburban Bell Block. The idea is to funnel all cycle traffic through that section so that they don't intermingle with the high-volume traffic flow through the Northern outlet.

The Paynters Ave bridge was supposed to accommodate four lanes of traffic when it was first proposed, however budget cuts in the 1980's saw it reduced to two lanes. They may be able to squeeze four through there but it will be tight.

If you're interested, have a look on the first page of this thread and you'll see some interesting plans for that sections of road.


The other notable thing I see about this underpass it the nearby on/off ramps which appear from the pictures HERE (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=new+plymouth&sll=-43.534577,172.56202&sspn=0.002291,0.003964&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=New+Plymouth,+Taranaki&ll=-39.052331,174.10149&spn=0.002454,0.003964&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=-39.052218,174.101661&panoid=a681GqUs7uuiJkafxKv2Rw&cbp=12,284.48,,0,17.67) and HERE (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=new+plymouth&sll=-43.534577,172.56202&sspn=0.002291,0.003964&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=New+Plymouth,+Taranaki&ll=-39.05346,174.098813&spn=0.002454,0.003964&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=-39.053455,174.098925&panoid=cWDAxydRo_pZT5wXEyszRg&cbp=12,33.78,,0,9.51). They appear to be disused.

I'm not sure what the go is with this. Does anyone know whether these ramps were ever used and wen they closed and why?

The off-ramps were actually created for "The Loads" as they were colloquially called. These were the 10 story high cooling towers and other components that arrived at Port Taranaki and were freighted to Methanex (then Synfuel).

There has been a bit of discussion about using them as off-ramps, as one of the plans is to have all traffic enter/exit Fitzroy from the Paynters Ave bridge. Apparently though, these off-ramps do not meet NZTA specifications (I think it's to do with the gradients?) so have had to remain closed.

Another set would obviously need to be built on the Southern side of the road, but with the railway and limited free space available, this could prove to be an expensive challenge.


Oh, I think on some maps I've seen a "New Plymouth Southern Motorway" referenced. Does anyone know about this? Presumably New Plymouth like many other cities in NZ during the 1960-70s had a master transport plan with grandiose plans for motorways everywhere. Does anyone know of a copy of this anywhere?

Yes. This is the section of SH3 South from the end of Coronation Avenue through Mangorei and further south. Although it's nothing more than a three lane road, some properties along it have easements to allow 6 lanes of traffic. I think the original idea was that the city would expand (at least to a certain extent) South, but for a variety of reasons this never happend. Instead it has moved North-East. Traffic along that road is about 13,000 vmpd if I remember correctly.

I'll see if I can find anything about a master-plan... there must be one!

Some interesting things in this blog..

http://featureddaily.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/bell-block-bypass-a-multipart-analysis/

There's also some discussion (in another article) about the extension to the foreshore walkway to Bell Block I was talking about in the post above.

The Cycle lane will be removed in the next few months after the new section of coastal walkway opens from the Waiwhakaiho river mouth (in Fitzroy) through to suburban Bell Block. The idea is to funnel all cycle traffic through that section so that they don't intermingle with the high-volume traffic flow through the Northern outlet.

That makes sense actually - Cyclists and Cars in this country generally do not mix so an all off-roadway route for cyclists was good thinking.

The Paynters Ave bridge was supposed to accommodate four lanes of traffic when it was first proposed, however budget cuts in the 1980's saw it reduced to two lanes. They may be able to squeeze four through there but it will be tight.

If you're interested, have a look on the first page of this thread and you'll see some interesting plans for that sections of road.

Those plans for a 4-lane or 6-lane highway are impressive for a city it's size. If that were built then I would think that New Plymouth would be the only city in NZ to have a 6 lane road outside the main 3 cities.

Still I can't help thinking that it's going to be tight getting 4 lanes under there. I suspect that what will happen is that the bridge will need to be rebuilt, and since that will cost a packet more that what they'll want to spend, they will do away with the bridge altogether. A similar issue is going on in Dunedin at Lookout Point where there were early plans for a road overpass to retain an existing road link, but cutbacks are likely to result in no bridge at all.

The off-ramps were actually created for "The Loads" as they were colloquially called. These were the 10 story high cooling towers and other components that arrived at Port Taranaki and were freighted to Methanex (then Synfuel).

There has been a bit of discussion about using them as off-ramps, as one of the plans is to have all traffic enter/exit Fitzroy from the Paynters Ave bridge. Apparently though, these off-ramps do not meet NZTA specifications (I think it's to do with the gradients?) so have had to remain closed.

Another set would obviously need to be built on the Southern side of the road, but with the railway and limited free space available, this could prove to be an expensive challenge.

Interesting... I wonder if there are other examples of such temporary roading like this in NZ. I don't know of any. Looking on Google Earth it does indeed seem that the ramps would fall short of modern road standards. I cant easily tell the gradients involved, but the length of the ramp and the merge/diverge space looks a little tight. Still, they could allow for it in future works but yes, adding ramps on the other side of the road would probably be somewhat difficult.

Yes. This is the section of SH3 South from the end of Coronation Avenue through Mangorei and further south. Although it's nothing more than a three lane road, some properties along it have easements to allow 6 lanes of traffic. I think the original idea was that the city would expand (at least to a certain extent) South, but for a variety of reasons this never happend. Instead it has moved North-East. Traffic along that road is about 13,000 vmpd if I remember correctly.

I'll see if I can find anything about a master-plan... there must be one!

Yes, please do... I know the Chch Library had copies of its plans from the 1960s and 1970s revisions. I think there was also one for Auckland in there too

I also noted on a map a "Wanganui Metropolitan Motorway" which seems ridiculous as it only comprises of a bridge over the Wanganui River and a very short stretch of two lane highway

What I would imagine is that many cities around NZ, not just the main 4 had grandiose plans for motorways. Interesting that virtually none of them has bourne out with perhaps Napier being the only real exception.

Those plans for a 4-lane or 6-lane highway are impressive for a city it's size. If that were built then I would think that New Plymouth would be the only city in NZ to have a 6 lane road outside the main 3 cities.

I think New Plymouth is in a fairly unique position, in that there is only one viable route North and that's via the Waiwhakaiho bridge. The next bridge that crosses that stream is near Egmont Village quite a distance away from the city, so that would create quite a huge round-trip. There may be another city in this position - if so, it might make an interesting comparison!

Additionally, the city is expanding North East along the coastline intensifying in the Waiwhakaiho valley and expanding rapidly on the outer edge of Bell Block, which is exacerbating the traffic problem through that area.

IMO, even though the easiest land to expand the city though is in the North East, they should have zoned much more expansion to the South of the city in addition to the North East.


Still I can't help thinking that it's going to be tight getting 4 lanes under there. I suspect that what will happen is that the bridge will need to be rebuilt, and since that will cost a packet more that what they'll want to spend, they will do away with the bridge altogether. A similar issue is going on in Dunedin at Lookout Point where there were early plans for a road overpass to retain an existing road link, but cutbacks are likely to result in no bridge at all.

One of the options is to build on/off ramps to the Paynters Ave bridge and have all Fitzroy traffic enter/exit at this point. That might be scuttled due to the cost, but the other other option is to build a flyover at the Waiwhakaiho bridge to take Fitzroy bound traffic off at that point. We'll have to wait and see the outcome of the study unfortunately!



Interesting... I wonder if there are other examples of such temporary roading like this in NZ. I don't know of any.

Neither do I! Hopefully someone else who reads these forums can point us in the right direction.... Would be interesting.




Yes, please do... I know the Chch Library had copies of its plans from the 1960s and 1970s revisions. I think there was also one for Auckland in there too

I'm going to enquire this weekend hopefully, so will let you know what I find out.

Here's something from a blog.

New Plymouth Bus Service Upgrade
30 05 2010

New Plymouth’s week-day bus service will receive a radical overhaul from May 31st 2010, with new routes, higher frequencies, and more direct services being provided, thanks to the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) and Tranzit Coachlines.

http://featureddaily.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/urbanroute.jpg?w=510&h=385

Full article here (http://featureddaily.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/63/)

$2.8m structure open for business
By KIRSTY JOHNSTON - Taranaki Daily News

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1275830811/101/3783101.jpg



IT'S OFFICIAL: The Te Rewa Rewa bridge is open for business. From left, designer Chris Whitaker, council kaumatua Lindsay MacLeod, Transport Minister Steven Joyce, Mayor Peter Tennent and MP Jonathan Young take a walk across the new structure.
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New Plymouth finally has its second crossing over the Waiwhakaiho River.

The $2.8 millon Te Rewa Rewa bridge, the centrepiece of the coastal walkway extension, was officially opened by Transport Minister Steven Joyce early on Saturday morning.

The 9.30am formal opening included a kapa haka performance, powhiri and a cutting of a flax rope rather than a ribbon.

About 100 invited guests turned out for the event, and were treated to a marquee morning tea afterwards.

However, well before the formalities were over, hundreds of eager pedestrians, joggers and cyclists were milling about, waiting for their chance to cross the bridge during the public opening at 11.30am.

One excited cyclist, Di Herbert, said the extension meant she could now extend her biking route out to Bell Block.

"I wouldn't think of going the other way. This will be fantastic," she said.

During the opening ceremony, Mr Joyce pronounced the bridge "beautiful" and said he remembered trying to cross the river in his youth, to no avail.

"When I was a kid they would have these debates about the city that turned its back on the sea," he said.

"And now look at it, it's wonderful."

The minister was not alone in his praise of the bridge's design – evocative of a white breaking wave or bleached whale skeleton – which looked stunning in the early morning light.

"Marvellous," "magnificent" and "amazing" were just a few of the comments from guests and members of the public.

Designer Chris Whitaker, from Whitaker Civil Engineering, said he was "tickled pink".

In addition to building the bridge, Mr Whitaker's family trust also made a significant donation towards its cost.

The New Zealand Transport Agency paid $1.7 million for the bridge, while New Plymouth District Council contributed an additional $1.1m.

The bridge's opening marks the first time the northern river bank has been made easily accessible to the public.

As one bystander noted, the whitebaiters will no longer have to row their boats across the river to fish, and surfers will have an easier paddle out to the nearby break.

The full walkway extension to Bell Block is expected to be ready for use in six to eight weeks, subject to weather.

It is expected to cost a total of $4.2m.

There's been a huge run of articles in the newspaper recently decrying the NZTA's lack of action for Taranaki roads, particularly the route North through Mt Messenger which is having to be continually repaired.

With no NZTA representative in the area, and with the Wanganui office set to close and move to Palmerston North, the situation is likely to get worse.

An interesting bit of info: Taranaki is called "Whanganui West" by the NZTA in their maintenance contracts!

Absentee agency blamed for roads
By ROB MAETZIG - Taranaki Daily News
Last updated 05:00 07/10/2010


Taranaki's highways are in their hopeless state because no representatives of the New Zealand Transport Agency – or its roading consultants – live in the region.

Instead they are based at either Wanganui or Hamilton – way out of reach of localised opinion on the worsening condition of the Taranaki highway network.

And that's a primary reason why the NZTA is getting away with allowing the highways to deteriorate.

That's a common complaint voiced in a heavy reader response to an opinion piece published in yesterday's Taranaki Daily News , which suggested the network is in its worst condition for decades.

Many offered their own comments on the roads, and they are brutally to the point:

"They are simply getting worse and worse, to the point they will be Third World quality in another 20 years."

"It is very sad to see such a beautiful country and scenic driving experience spoiled by crappy roads."

"Much of the blame should be attributed to the roading contractors. One only needs to look at the condition of roads in other developed countries and be mindful of processes and time taken to construct long-lasting roads."

"Having worked for one [contracting] firm ... what was required to do on roads was sheer stupidity and incompetence. We knew it would fail. But the contract required we do such. To point out failings was met with breach of contract and threats of non-payment."

" I don't remember a time when the roads were so bad, and I have come to the conclusion that it is just poor planning and/or workmanship."

One reader, who was among those to telephone the Daily News to voice an opinion, claimed Taranaki's place in the NZTA order of things is best illustrated by the fact the region isn't even known as Taranaki in the organisation's maintenance contract schedule, but Wanganui West.

"The whole NZTA mindset doesn't have a Taranaki focus at all, so we're always going to play second fiddle to areas that do have an NZTA presence, particularly Wanganui and Hamilton," he said.

"As a result, we're getting very, very poor service."

The Daily News understands the New Plymouth District Council has for some years offered to make an office available, free of charge, at its headquarters for a representative of the NZTA or its lead consultant.

But the offer has never been responded to, let alone accepted.

Another reader claims that since Taranaki has 3 per cent of New Zealand's state highway network, it should have some NZTA staff presence in the region.

For the record, latest statistics show that the 3 per cent equates to 391km of state highways in Taranaki.
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But six years ago a study showed that Taranaki has the fifth-highest heavy vehicle intensity on roads, at 104.2 thousand tonnes per kilometre.

Surely another reason why NZTA should have permanent representation in Taranaki.

NZ Transport Agency - Central Region

NZTA to carry out strengthening on Huatoki Bridge

The NZ Transport Agency will begin work just after Easter to strengthen the Huatoki Bridge on State Highway 44 in New Plymouth.

NZTA state highways manager David McGonigal says once completed, the strengthened bridge deck will cater for transporting heavier loads to and from Port Taranaki.

Mr McGonigal says the work begins on Tuesday 26 April, and will require the bridge to be reduced to two lanes, one in each direction. There will also be stop/go traffic management to enable lifting operations to be carried out when needed, although these will be limited to off-peak hours. These traffic measures will be in place for around six weeks.

"This upgrade will ensure the strength and resilience of this transport lifeline for years to come, and we'd like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while this important work is carried out," says Mr McGonigal.

The Centre City upper level car park entry off Saint Aubyn Street will remain open, and the lower level car park entrance will be limited to westbound traffic only.

The pedestrian walkway underpass below the bridge will be closed during the strengthening works. All pedestrians and cyclists are advised to use the Coastal Walkway and either the Egmont Street or Liardet Street intersection crossing alternatives.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/nzta-carry-out-strengthening-huatoki-bridge/5/88483

Region sets sights on ship service
JAY BOREHAM

A "bluewater highway" connecting New Plymouth and Nelson could be operating as early as July next year.

The proposed highway would see Port Taranaki used to ferry goods to Nelson, cutting 400 kilometres off the round trip from Auckland to Christchurch for transport companies.

This would benefit the Taranaki economy because up to 50 trucks a day using the route would require servicing by local businesses, project manager Kiri McRae told the Taranaki Regional Council.

Since early 2008 TRC and Port Taranaki have been looking at whether a move to sea freight was viable as an alternative route for goods travelling from Auckland to Christchurch.

The Western Blue Highway transport study was completed last October.

The highway would also give KiwiRail the opportunity for a link to Nelson, something it had been unable to do to date, Ms McRae said.

The initial study looked at providing a three-day-a-week service, but talks with the transport industry after the study concluded showed a five-day service was needed.

The timing of the service would get goods from Auckland to Christchurch by the end of the following day, Ms McRae said.

Late-night sailing around the early hours of the morning was the most viable, she said. Goods travelling north could fit into any time as there was less demand.

Studies showed that even with turbulent West Coast swells the service would be 98.8 per cent reliable.

Possible benefits of the route could be savings in road-user charges and costs to fleet owners, fewer kilometres resulting in fewer costs, no compulsory rest breaks for drivers and the removal of the necessity for driver swaps.

The next step would be going through due diligence to ensure the certainty of revenue, developing a joint venture between transport operators, a ship operator and Port Taranaki and finding a ship, Ms McRae said.

TRC chief executive Basil Chamberlain said the highway looked promising.

"It would be beneficial for Taranaki, but we think it is beneficial for the nation, because it is a shorter route and less use of those congested roads.

"It's all part of how to contribute with improvements to the national network as well as the benefits that it would bring through Taranaki," Mr Chamberlain said.

The challenge now was to turn the economically viable plan Port Taranaki had into a reality that fit into the commercial marketplace, he said.

Possible hindrances could be the need for upgrades to State Highway 3, with transport operators questioning whether the roads would actually be able to carry the high-productivity motor vehicles.
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Owner operators who were paid by the kilometre could also be an issue.

Port Taranaki chief executive Roy Weaver agreed the highway would be fantastic for Taranaki but said there was still a lot more work to be done before they could pull it off.

Making sure the Government supported another inter-island link - "that they actually believe that it is in the nation's interest" - was one of the key factors, he said.

- Taranaki Daily News

Amazing what can happen in an election year, isn't it?

Bridge traffic study due next year

An investigation into New Plymouth's Waiwhakaiho Bridge bottleneck will not be finished until the middle of next year at the earliest.

Yesterday's pledge by Transport Minister Stephen Joyce to build a new bridge in the next three years has raised many questions, including whether or not such a project is ready to go.

But New Plymouth MP Jonathan Young said despite the investigation being unfinished, the starting point for any work was obvious.

"One thing we know is an absolute must is the bridge widening," he said.

He had spent a considerable amount of time in his first term in Parliament pushing the Waiwhakaiho Bridge roading issue, he said.

"This is the next big priority for the region in terms of what needs to be done.

"Stephen Joyce came out with the transport policy for the next three years – if we weren't in it, then we were going to be in trouble," Mr Young said.

Labour Party candidate Andrew Little had spent much of his campaign criticising Mr Young "for not having done anything for the electorate in the last three years".

"He just doesn't know how things work."

New Zealand Transport Agency's regional state highways manager, David McGonigal, says the Vickers Rd to city corridor is the second step in the planned work after the completion of the Bell Block bypass.

It is expected to involve widening the Waiwhakaiho Bridge to four lanes to increase capacity and relieve the bottleneck, accompanied by improvements to nearby intersections, Mr McGonigal said.

"The investigation is expected to be completed around mid 2012."

Questions about funding for the project have been raised by Regional Transport Committee chairman and former Taranaki National MP Roger Maxwell.

He said he was surprised by the National Party pledge because NZTA had until now insisted there was a shortfall of funding for any New Plymouth roading projects including the Vickers Rd to Waiwhakaiho Bridge stretch.

"Our committee's last meeting of the year is on Thursday and there will be plenty of questions over where the money is suddenly coming from."

Mr Maxwell said there must have been funding changes or shuffles to allow a project that had previously been off the cards to be achievable within three years.

- Taranaki Daily News

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/5973008/Bridge-traffic-study-due-next-year

Tue 06 Dec 2011

A new approach to the use of central-city space is being established by New Plymouth District Council.

Lower Brougham Street between Ariki and Devon streets is the subject of an upgrade which will encourage more public use and greater sharing of the space by those who walk, cycle and drive.

“We’ve taken notes from similar street redevelopments in central Auckland where there aren’t separate spaces for traffic and pedestrians, but rather a shared space which has resulted in an open, fresh-feeling public area where once there was just a road,” says Let’s Go Project Manager Carl Whittleston.

“We have been working with key stakeholders on the principles for redesigning lower Brougham Street and we’ve got some great ideas to develop.

“We’re now taking those concepts and working on them to come up with a detailed street design.”

The aim is to develop a high-quality pedestrian-friendly urban street that encourages social activity, fosters a sense of community and enhances the local economy.

The concepts include doing away with defined footpaths and instead having a single level pavement for walking, driving and cycling. Seating areas, planter boxes and a green space are included, with the streetscape establishing an inviting and much stronger pedestrian link between Devon Street West and Puke Ariki Landing.

The streetscape will also create a larger, more open entrance to Puke Ariki’s South Wing.

“Traffic would continue down King Street and continue to have access through lower Brougham, and we intend to retain parking spaces and the bus stops in that area,” says Mr Whittleston.

“This is a new approach to the use of public urban spaces in the central city, and it will fit in well with the ‘cultural precinct’ theme of this end of town.”

Mr Whittleston expects the detailed design to be completed in January with construction starting in March next year. :banana:

Nothing like a bit of urban v. rural rivalry.

Of course this breaks down to route security & congestion v. reducing the road toll, and because there is no new funding allocated to Taranaki from the 'N' (national) funding pool until 2015, only one of these projects will go ahead.

It's North vs South Politicians set for battle of the bridges

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1328296984/322/6366322.jpg

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1328297012/323/6366323.jpg

A classic north-south political showdown is brewing over two major roading projects vital to Taranaki's future.

The result of it all will be great news for one end of the region, and bad news for the other.

South Taranaki is pushing for its long-awaited Normanby overbridge realignment to begin, while North Taranaki desperately wants action on improvements to its traffic-clogged northern highway outlet.

But there's only enough money left in the kitty for one of these multi-million dollar projects to go ahead between now and the end of 2015.

As a result, a north-south battle looms at a meeting of the Taranaki Regional Council's regional transport committee on Thursday.

Adding to the controversy is the fact that although the Normanby project is ready to start and the New Plymouth proposal is still in the planning stages, in recent weeks the Government has acknowledged that New Plymouth's project is urgent and will get priority.

But no word has yet been received on just what this priority will be.

At Thursday's meeting, Taranaki local government politicians will be expected to prioritise a list of roading projects that will then, go to the New Zealand Transport Agency for approval for funding in the national land transport programme to 2015.

Because State Highway 3 through Taranaki is not considered to be a road of national significance – even though it is one of the busiests stretches of road in the country – it does not qualify for any national funding.

Therefore it can access only regional funding, which in Taranaki's case now totals less than $19 million.

But the total value of four "big ticket" roading projects the committee is to be asked to prioritise is understood to be close to $43m.

These projects are the Normanby realignment, the New Plymouth highway improvement, construction of new passing lanes between New Plymouth and Mokau, and strengthening of roads and bridges to create a "high productivity" vehicle route from South Taranaki to Port Taranaki.

Six committee members will be involved in Thursday's voting – one each from Taranaki's three territorial authorities, two from the regional council, and one from the New Zealand Transport Agency.

An informal Taranaki Daily News survey yesterday showed that the South Taranaki and Stratford district councils are almost certain to vote in favour of the Normanby project, and New Plymouth will vote for its project.
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But the jury remains out on what the regional council and NZ Transport Agency votes will be.

"I wouldn't like to call the result, to be honest," Rob Phillips, the regional council's director of operations, said yesterday.

"Both are very worthwhile projects, but there is only a certain amount of R [regional] funding which is unfortunate."

But the district council representative is certain which way the voting should go.

New Plymouth Mayor Harry Duynhoven said Thursday's meeting would be tough, because the lack of Government roading funding has put all parties into a very difficult position.

"But obviously I'll be voting for the New Plymouth project. Construction of the Bell Block bypass has made the need for improvements from Vickers Rd to the city even more critical – and the transport minister's comments last year underlined that."

The view was different from the other side of Mt Taranaki.

South Taranaki District's Gordon Lawson said the priority has to go to the Normanby project.

"It's ready to go, and we've been delayed for long enough," he said.

Stratford Mayor Neil Volzke said he has been a supporter of Normanby getting top priority.

"But I'm critical of having to make this choice in the first place.

"The New Plymouth project is urgent and necessary. During last year's election the minister of transport said it would be done – but so far the Government has failed to identify where the money will come from," he said.

Regional council representative Tom Cloke would not say which way he will vote.

"I'll wait until I see the agenda for next week's meeting," he said. "But basically if the New Plymouth project can get N [national] funding assistance, then they can both be done. If the N funding doesn't come, then we've got a big problem."

The Daily News could not reach committee chairman Roger Maxwell and the NZTA representative Jenny Chetwynd for comment. In an e-mail, the NZTA said comment should come from the office of the minister of transport.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/6365262/Its-North-vs-South-Politicians-set-for-battle-of-the-bridges

This is a big turnaround for the service which previously had only four rather circutatious routes, especially when you consider the large fare hike. The new 9 route urban (plus Waitara and Oakura) routes have made a huge difference - partronage is up 22.5% with the farebox ratio meeting the 44% target.

Buses are 'worth funding'

After 20 months of trials New Plymouth's revamped bus service is more than worth continued government funding, the Taranaki Regional Council says.

The TRC has completed a performance review to hand over to its joint-funding partner, the New Zealand Transport Agency, which will decide whether the initiative is delivering value for money.

The upgraded service – which the TRC has told patrons they must use or lose – runs on a trial basis till June 2013, while NZTA's current funding agreement ends on June 30 this year.

At yesterday's meeting, TRC chief executive Basil Chamberlain said the council had put the budget for the service into its long-term plan and fully expected NZTA to do the same.

"This is a credit to the bus users of New Plymouth – they've got out there.

"We've had a substantial uptake of the bus services of New Plymouth."

In November 2009, the NZTA paid $2.64 million towards the upgrade to cover the next two and a half years, as 50-50 partners with TRC.

This was under an agreement the TRC must submit a review report by March 31, 2012.

The report says extending the urban coverage from four routes to nine and introducing the school orbiter saw a 22.5 per cent increase in patronage for 2010/11.

This is projected to increase another 12.6 per cent this year.

Total revenue is expected to increase to $892,054 for 2011/12 – up 9 per cent on 2010/11.

The report says the farebox recovery rate for the first year fell to 39.9 per cent due to the increased cost of the service.

However, the rate is expected to increase to 44 per cent for 2012/13, meeting the trial target.

At yesterday's meeting, councillor Neil Walker asked if New Plymouth would become like larger cities around the world where buses were the preferred method of travel.

Mr Chamberlain said people still preferred the convenience of a 10 to 15-minute trip by car and most of the bus users were people with limited budgets.

TRC passengers services officer Chris Clarke said the NZTA had set a 20-year limit for the age of buses, which will drop to 12 years by 2015.

However, the TRC could apply for exemptions if the wholesale replacement of the fleet was not sustainable.

The regional council's report covers from when the upgraded services began on May 31, 2010, through to January of this year.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/6641890/Buses-are-worth-funding

City Gets Its Bridge

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1353630084/851/7989851.jpg
A second bridge is to be built at New Plymouth's Waiwhakaiho bottleneck, with design work to start early next year.


New Plymouth MP Jonathan Young has revealed plans for the second bridge, sitting parallel to the existing bridge.


The new bridge will increase the number of lanes at the traffic trouble spot from three lanes to five.


Earlier this year, the New Zealand Transport Agency announced it had put aside $14m for the bridge project.

The NZTA said the design would be put out for tender and awarded early next year, with construction tendered at the end of next year and work to begin in early 2014.


Getting a solution to the Waiwhakaiho Bridge issue, which has frustrated motorists for years, was one of Mr Young's key election promises.


The new bridge is one of five stages in the upgrade of the route from Vickers Rd into the city.:banana::banana::banana::banana:

More here>>>>http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/7992185/End-of-the-road-for-bottlenecks