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Ōtara-Papatoetoe
Local Board
19 May 2020
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Waka
Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency Innovating Streets for People pilot fund
File No.: CP2020/05920
Te take mō te
pūrongo
Purpose of the report
1. To
provide local boards with an overview of the Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport
Agency (Waka Kotahi) Innovating Streets for People pilot fund (ISPF).
2. To
request feedback on projects within your local board area that have been
proposed by staff across Auckland Transport (AT), Auckland Council, and Panuku
for inclusion in Auckland Council’s application to the ISPF.
Whakarāpopototanga matua
Executive summary
3. Waka
Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) announced a pilot fund in
April 2020 that supports pilot projects and interim improvements for safe
active transport. The Innovating Streets Pilot Fund (ISPF) is intended to help
councils create more people-friendly spaces through the application of tactical
urbanism techniques such as pilots, pop ups and interim projects. While the
fund is intended to support pilots that can be rolled out rapidly and at
relatively low cost, projects should also be able to demonstrate a pathway to
more permanent status, should they prove successful.
4. Local
boards have previously been invited to contribute localised strategic direction
and guidance regarding projects that may be suitable to submit for funding.
This guidance has been incorporated into the development of a list of potential
projects that will be circulated to local boards by 25 May 2020.
5. Local
boards are now invited to provide formal feedback on the list of potential
projects within their local area, including their view of which projects are
the highest priority.
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Ngā tūtohunga
Recommendation/s
That the Ōtara-Papatoetoe
Local Board:
a) provide
feedback on the list of local projects proposed as suitable for inclusion in
Auckland Council’s application to the Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport
Agency (Waka Kotahi) Innovating Streets Pilot Fund (ISPF) by 12pm on 29 May
2020.
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Horopaki
Context
6. On
3 April 2020, Waka Kotahi announced the ISPF, which supports council projects
that aim to transition streets to be safer and more liveable spaces. The fund
encourages the use of ‘tactical urbanism’ techniques, such as
pilots and pop ups - interim treatments that can be delivered within a short
timeframe to test and help demonstrate the value of future permanent street
changes that make walking and cycling easier. Projects that Waka Kotahi aims to
support include:
· temporary,
or semi-permanent, physical changes to streets
· improvements
that test a permanent fix and prototype a street design
· activations
that help communities re-imagine their streets.
7. There
are two application rounds for the ISPF:
· The
first round opened on 3 April and closed on 8 May 2020. Successful applicants
are expected to be announced in June 2020.
· The
second round opens on 8 June and closes on 3 July 2020 with successful applicants
to be announced by the end of July 2020.
8. Qualifying
projects are expected to be delivered by June 2021.
9. In
addition to the two funding rounds, Waka Kotahi is offering support for
interventions that specifically relate to Covid-19. Auckland Transport
(AT) is leading an emergency response programme in conjunction with Auckland
Council and are applying for a funding subsidy for the costs associated with
Covid-19 measures which are already being implemented across Auckland.
10. The selection
process for round one was led by AT. Due to tight timeframes for submission,
consultation was not possible. Twelve projects were submitted to Waka Kotahi
for consideration. All these projects come from existing programmes
previously approved by Auckland Council and align well with Governing Body and
local board strategic transport priorities.
11. If these
projects are awarded funding from Waka Kotahi, comprehensive stakeholder
engagement will occur throughout the planning and delivery of each project, as
per Waka Kotahi’s selection criteria.
12. For round two
ISPF funding, a project team has been established across Auckland Council, AT
and Panuku and a process developed to identify potential projects and take them
through to a finished application.
13. On 8 May
2020, local boards were invited to contribute localised strategic direction and
guidance regarding projects that may be suitable to submit for funding. This
guidance has been incorporated into the development of a list of potential
projects circulated to local boards on or before 25 May 2020.
Tātaritanga me ngā
tohutohu
Analysis and advice
14. The
ISPF provides an opportunity for Auckland Council and AT to catalyse positive
change across Auckland in line with Auckland Council’s strategic goals of
improving walking and cycling options and creating more people-friendly spaces.
15. The
techniques of tactical urbanism supported by the pilot fund represent an
innovative change to the typical way in which projects are engaged upon,
designed and delivered. Tactical urbanism entails piloting and testing key
project elements on a temporary basis, that can generally be rolled out rapidly
and at low cost. This constitutes a form of ‘engagement by doing’
and enables the relative success of ideas to be assessed before they are
committed to more permanently.
Criteria for the assessment and prioritisation of projects
16. When
providing feedback on the list of potential projects, local boards should keep
the following criteria in mind, which will be used by the project team to
finalise the list of projects to recommend to the Emergency Committee.
17. Prioritised
projects will:
· improve
transport choices and liveability of a place
· help
mitigate a clear safety issue (related to Deaths and Serious Injuries at a
specific location)
· be
effective at:
o reducing
vehicle speed (to 30km/hr or less), and/or
o creating
more space for people on our streets, and/or
o making
walking and cycling more attractive
· use
temporary pilots, pop ups or treatments as a pathway to permanent change in the
future
· contribute
to more equitable access to opportunities and essential services, particularly
in areas with low levels of travel choice
· support
mode shift to low-carbon modes
· support
Māori outcomes, i.e.:
o adopt
a design or project approach founded on Māori principles
o help
advance Māori wellbeing, e.g. active Māori participation, improved
access to marae, kura, kohanga, papakāinga, employment
· test
key elements or is designed to generate community support for the
‘parent’ project
· be
part of an existing planned and budgeted project (AC projects only)
· demonstrate
the importance of the project within the current AT work programme (AT
projects only)
· demonstrate
ability to deliver
· demonstrate
strong likelihood of project delivery by June 2021
· demonstrate
co-design approach involving key stakeholders and community, including:
o support
from the relevant local board(s) and stakeholders
o support
from local community/stakeholders (e.g. business association)
· display
clear process, including milestones, cost, monitoring and evaluation, and
identification of risks and mitigation
· demonstrate
value for money
· demonstrate
opportunity to improve efficiency, or reduce risks associated with future
permanent upgrades.
Tauākī whakaaweawe
āhuarangi
Climate impact statement
18. The
transport sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the
Auckland region with around 40 per cent of Auckland’s total emissions.
Increased support and prioritisation of ‘no and low’ emissions
modes of transport such as active transport, micro-mobility modes and public
transport, will help reduce these emissions.
19. The
interventions supported by the Innovating Streets for People pilot fund enable
a reduction of transport emissions, which would support Auckland
Council’s ability to achieve its climate goals and is well aligned with
the draft Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Action
Framework, and with the in-principle changes to this framework endorsed by the
Environment and Climate Change Committee (resolution number ECC/2020/12).
Ngā whakaaweawe me
ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera
Council group impacts and views
20. Auckland Council and AT are following an aligned approach for the
ISPF submission and are working together to develop joint application packages.
21. Relevant parts of the council, including Ngā Mātārae;
the Auckland Design Office; the Development Programme Office; Libraries; the
Southern Initiative; Arts, Community and Events; Parks, Sports and Recreation;
Plans and Places, and Panuku, have been engaged to prepare and collate funding proposals
for the second round.
22. If a project application is successful, there will be a need to
implement, coordinate and monitor the outcomes of projects that are funded by
the ISPF. This would be jointly coordinated by AT and staff from across the
Auckland Council family.
Ngā whakaaweawe
ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe
Local impacts and local board views
23. Staff
captured informal local board views earlier this month by inviting local boards
to contribute localised strategic direction and guidance regarding projects
that may be suitable to submit for funding. This guidance has been incorporated
into the development of the list of potential projects. The
Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board had a brief discussion at its workshop on 12
May 2020.
24. The types of
projects that Waka Kotahi seek to promote through this fund will have positive
impacts on local communities in terms of the outcomes that are reflected in the
assessment criteria.
Tauākī whakaaweawe
Māori
Māori impact statement
25. Māori
are likely to benefit from interventions that support safer and more accessible
active transport in Auckland. This is because Māori are over-represented
in pedestrian-related crashes and tend to live in parts of Auckland where
travel choice is poorest. To ensure these interventions benefit Māori
equitably, they need to be complemented by meaningful access to active modes
such as bicycles and micro-mobility devices, as well as supporting
infrastructure such as secure bicycle parking outside main destinations.
26. The
Innovating Streets fund encourages community-led interventions to transform
urban spaces into safe and liveable spaces for people. There are opportunities
to tap into the creativity and local knowledge of Māori communities in
Tāmaki Makaurau to create urban interventions that address community needs
and provide a strong sense of place.
27. Ngā
Mātārae, the Southern Initiative and the Independent Māori
Statutory Board have been approached for their input into the proposed project
list.
Ngā ritenga
ā-pūtea
Financial implications
28. The proposed
high levels of funding assistance from Waka Kotahi (up to 90 per cent of a
project’s value) will potentially result in savings for both Auckland
Council and AT on any projects that may already have been planned and funded
prior to the pilot fund application.
29. The funding
provided by Waka Kotahi for piloting or testing of temporary interventions is
likely to reduce design time and increase financial security for permanent
improvements in the future. Trialling of real-life options for more permanent
activities can also reduce or avoid potential costs associated with the
redesign of interventions in case desired outcomes could not be achieved.
30. There are no
financial implications for local boards arising from providing feedback on the
list of potential projects, except for those projects proposed by local boards,
and which they have proposed to fund themselves.
31. Local boards that submit an expression of interest for a
project need to demonstrate both the ability to fund the temporary project and,
if the project does not link to an existing AT, Auckland Council or Panuku
funded permanent project, that the local board is able to completely fund the
permanent project as well.
Ngā raru tūpono me
ngā whakamaurutanga
Risks and mitigations
32. There
is a risk that Auckland Council may not be able to afford the local share of 10
per cent of the project cost needed to implement interventions under the ISPF,
particularly given the present circumstances and the need to significantly
amend the draft Annual Plan 2020/21. Note that while successful projects will
require 10 per cent funding from council, they will bring the benefit of
additional funding into Auckland. Similar financial constraints may also apply
to AT and Panuku who are also potentially funding projects.
33. Another risk
is the possibility that the implementation of successful Auckland Council
projects under the pilot fund will not lead to the desired outcomes for
Auckland. To mitigate this risk, staff have developed a set of assessment
criteria for projects (see paragraph 17) to ensure strategic alignment with
Auckland Council objectives before projects are submitted to Waka Kotahi.
34. Waka
Kotahi’s Criteria 2: Ability to Deliver requires a co-design approach
with community and key stakeholders in the development and delivery of
projects. The possibility that unified community support for local
interventions cannot be achieved through the co-design process within the
required timeframe poses an additional risk.
Ngā koringa ā-muri
Next steps
35. Local
boards are requested to provide feedback on the list of local projects proposed
as suitable for inclusion in Auckland Council’s application to the ISPF
by 12pm (midday) on 29 May 2020.
36. Each
project will then be assessed against the criteria described above, and the
project team will produce quality advice for endorsement from an Auckland
Council committee.
37. AT
projects will be presented to the AT Board on 3 June 2020 for endorsement.
38. All
projects will be presented to an Auckland Council committee in early June 2020
following which, all interested parties will be notified whether their proposed
project has been selected to proceed to an ISPF application.
39. Following
this decision, further work will be undertaken to develop, prepare, and review
each project that has been selected for submission to Waka Kotahi.
40. Completed
applications will be submitted to Waka Kotahi prior to the closing date of 3
July 2020.
Ngā tāpirihanga
Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Ngā kaihaina
Signatories
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Author
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Kat Ashmead - Senior Policy Advisor,
Local Board Services
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Authorisers
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Megan Tyler - Chief of Strategy
Louise Mason – General Manager Local Board
Services
Victoria Villaraza - Relationship Manager, Mangere-Otahuhu
and Otara-Papatoetoe Local Boards
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