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Resolution
number FR/2023/146
MOVED by Deputy Chairperson A Cole, seconded by Member A
Hopkins:
That
the Franklin Local Board:
a)
request that the government
and decision-makers note the following local context that informs this
submission:
Franklin Local Board
area context
i)
the Franklin Local Board area
is Auckland’s second largest board area, and spans the rural south from
the Āwhitu Peninsula and Manukau Harbour in the west to Kawakawa Bay,
Orere Point and the Hauraki Gulf in the east
ii)
the board area makes up 23
percent of Auckland’s land area and includes 16 percent of
Auckland’s road network, including 951km of rural roads and 297km of
urban roads.
iii)
the 2018 population of 75,387
is projected to grow to 160,671 by 2051
iv)
the area contains one existing
and three proposed new train stations, two state highways and one ferry
terminal
v)
communities of interest and
movement of freight and people extends both north into urban Auckland, and
south into the Waikato District Council and beyond.
vi)
the board area includes both
urban and rural areas, with three townships, sixteen villages and thirteen
settlements, as well as significant areas of agricultural and horticultural
production, and a number of quarries
vii)
efficient and effective
movement of both freight and people is a priority for Franklin.
viii)
Franklin contains a number of
Special Housing Areas, including in locations without access to public
transport, and there are many areas with limited or no access to public
transport
ix)
growth in Franklin has not
been supported by associated investment in roading infrastructure
x)
the road network is no longer
fit for purpose and requires significant investment to increase capacity and
address safety issues, created by high volumes of traffic using roads and
intersections not designed for high volumes of traffic.
b)
whakarite / provide the
following feedback on the proposed direction of the draft Government Policy
Statement on Land Transport 2024.
Maintaining
and operating the system
xi)
support in principle the focus
on maintaining and operating the system
xii)
support ongoing investment in
public transport
xiii)
note the need for investment
in cross border public transport networks eg from the Waikato into Auckland
and vice versa.
xiv)
suggest tax should be used
first to maintain the roading network, and rebuild it from its current state
where years of ‘sweating the asset’ have allowed the local road
network in Franklin to become significantly degraded
xv)
suggest prioritisation for
maintenance needs to take into account increased usage of roads associated
with freight, and in Franklin this includes quarry routes
xvi) note
that heavy vehicles can do ten thousand times the damage to roads than cars
and thus routes with high truck use (e.g. quarry, clean fill and produce
trucks) could benefit from being upgraded and/or receive a higher allocation
of maintenance and renewal funding
xvi)
suggest a review of the
policies associated with rebuilding the road network, so that two
percent of the network is renewed annually, up from the current 0.4 percent
xvii)
suggest more funding be
allocated to local road maintenance and local road improvements, including
increasing the road resealing budget from six percent to the ideal 7.5
percent.
Increasing
resilience
xviii)
support in principle
increasing resilience of the network
xix)
note Franklin’s
strategic location at the interface between Auckland and the North Waikato
xx)
suggest that resilience needs
to include planning for movement of people and freight north through Auckland
and beyond, and south through Waikato and beyond
xxi)
note the current reliance on
State Highway One (the motorway) to travel north from Franklin, and south
into and through Franklin, and that when traffic accidents occur on this
route, movement comes to a standstill with congestion extending out into the
feeder roads, thus impacting surrounding areas also
xxii)
request the proposed upgrade
to Mill Rd (South East Auckland) be funded to provide an alternative
north/south route for both people and freight
xxiii)
support the focus on rural and
regional communities to ensure safe, resilient, sustainable and accessible
networks, noting that rural communities are particularly vulnerable to loss
of access to the network through weather events, that the rural production
and associated freight requires accessible networks.
Reducing emissions
xxiv)
support in principle reducing
emissions
xxv)
suggest electrification of Auckland’s
bus fleet be funded through the Public Transport Infrastructure fund
xxvi)
suggest a focus on low carbon
needs to extend beyond urban areas and also fund initiatives in rural areas
xxvii)
note with disappointment and
frustration the lack of investment or focus in Auckland Transport’s
‘Future Connect’ or any provision of walking and cycling networks
beyond metropolitan urban Auckland.
Safety
xxviii)
support in principle the focus
on safety
xxix)
suggest that safety includes
addressing the poor quality of road surfaces through increased road
maintenance budget (as communicated through Franklin based New Zealand Police
Area Commanders)
xxx)
suggest that safety includes
personal safety on public transport
xxxi)
suggest that in a rural
environment like Franklin, with a high number of trucks and high speeds,
safety for cyclists means off-road or separate cycling routes
xxxii)
suggest that the traffic
volume on roads in Franklin has increased to such an extent that the capacity
and design of existing roads, and in particular intersections on high use
rural roads, are no longer fit for purpose and present significant safety
issues (as communicated through Franklin based New Zealand Police Area
Commanders)
xxxiii)
suggest that safety on high
volume and high speed rural roads needs to be addressed through road design,
capacity and intersection improvements, and not just speed reductions.
Sustainable urban and
regional development
xxxiv)
support in principle
sustainable urban and regional development
xxxv)
suggest that future planning
timeframes need to be extended beyond the 30 years currently being used by
Supporting Growth
xxxvi)
suggest that policy statements
about transport should not be developed in isolation from policies and
planning for land use and climate change, and suggest better collaboration
and co-ordination between central and local government is needed
xxxvii)
suggest better alignment is
needed between central and local government to ensure growth in greenfield
areas only happens concurrent with investment in the transport networks
needed to support growth, recognising this includes roading and public
transport
xxxviii)
note the disconnect between
central government policies which enable intensified housing and limited
parking, and the local reality on the ground, where limited parking and lack
of public transport creates real issues in new subdivisions
xxxix)
note that use of transport
networks in Franklin is impacted by housing development without associated
development of local economy and local employment, leading to increased car
movements as people travel (large distances) elsewhere to employment
xl)
suggest budget is needed for
public transport provision and road network upgrades to address the legacy of
high intensity Special Housing Areas in isolated areas with no employment
across Franklin
xli)
suggest support for and a
focus on cross-regional transport planning is needed, noting that Franklin is
strategically located where South Auckland meets the North Waikato, and that
movement of freight and people occurs not just north into Auckland, but south
into the Waikato and east into the Bay of Plenty.
Integrated freight
system
xlii)
support in principle an
integrated freight system
xliii)
support investment in KiwiRail
allowing for additional tracks and electrification of the network, noting
this also supports movement of freight
xliv)
support investment in freight
networks that support movement from west to east Franklin to support
productivity and market demand
xlv)
suggest investment in freight
routes needs to be done in a way that minimises future maintenance and makes
the road safe for all road users
xlvi)
suggests closer
consideration be given to how the road freight intercepts with the rail
network, with potential to reduce truck movements on Franklin’s roads
and reduce carbon as a climate action
xlvii)
suggest that a
freight depot in Franklin and/or North Waikato connected with the rail
network would support the considerable amounts of produce exported from
Pukekohe and surrounding areas
xlviii)
suggest collaboration with representative
groups for industry and agriculture, by both local and central government
together, to better understand how the transport network can support the
effective movement of freight within Franklin and beyond.
Strategic investment
programme
xlix)
support Auckland rail third
and fourth rail mains
l)
support Auckland Metropolitan
Level Crossing Upgrade
li)
request the upgrade to Mill
Road, South-East Auckland, be included in the strategic investment programme
lii)
request that the package of
Supporting Growth projects that support growth in Pukekohe and Drury, and
connections to State Highway 1, are included in the Strategic Investment
Programme.
General feedback
liii)
oppose any increase in excise
tax, noting that all fuel taxes inequitably impact isolated rural communities
that have no access to public transport, and therefore no alternative to
private car travel
liv)
support congestion charges and
user pays toll roads, as these are more equitable means of collective revenue
for rural communities
lv)
note that currently Waka
Kotahi and Auckland Transport (through Supporting Growth) do not work well
with local boards to create outcomes that are fit for purpose and reflect the
current local context and future needs
lvi)
suggest that Auckland
Transport and local boards are best placed to understand the transport needs
of Auckland’s communities
lvii)
suggest that Auckland
Transport should have more autonomy over how central government funding is
allocated within Auckland
lviii)
suggest Waka Kotahi/NZTA
should focus on outcomes, and not dictate through methods, projects, or
prescriptive funding
lix)
request these resolutions are
attached in their entirety to Auckland Council’s submission.
CARRIED
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