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, 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
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, I've included the summary of the findings below, along with some diagrams in further posts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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