Chapter F2 Transport planning

F2.4 W/C 003: Activity management plans

Definition: work category 003

Activity management plans

This work category provides for the preparation and improvement of activity management plans for land transport activities (including supporting studies and models).

The NZTA expects that proposals for funding for the following types of activities will be based on activity management plans prepared in accordance with clause 2 of schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 2002:

• operations, including procurement of services
• maintenance of land transport infrastructure
• renewal of land transport infrastructure
• improvement and creation of land transport infrastructure.

The NZTA will review new and improved activity management plans and provide comments to the responsible organisation.

Examples of qualifying activities

Examples of qualifying activities include:

• preparation and improvement of:
  • activity management plans
  • regional public transport plans (RPTPs)
  • road safety action plans (RSAPs)
  • risk management strategies, including safety and environmental management strategies
  • procurement strategies
• community consultation related to the development of activity management plans, including RPTPs
• associated demand forecasting
• development of levels of service targets and implementation plans
• asset performance and service gap analysis
• asset valuations
• financial forecasts
• development and improvement of asset deterioration models.
• Optimisation processes

Exclusions: work category 003

Work category 003 excludes:

• preparation of transport models – these are funded under work category 002: studies and strategies
• investigation, design and implementation phases of a project or activity – these are part of the cost of the project or activity
• the following, which are funded under work category 151: network and asset management for roads, and under the appropriate public transport services work category for passenger transport:
  • implementation and operation of asset management systems
  • updating asset information
  • applying activity management plans to activities
  • operation and management of the land transport network
  • network surveys.

Continuous improvement of activity management plans

The NZTA expects approved organisations and the NZTA to have a programme of improvement for their activity management plans. They should address issues arising from:

• internal reviews of the plans and the processes
• benchmarking of plans, processes and outputs with those of similar road controlling authorities (RCAs)
• findings of audits of plans and processes.

The programme of improvement must ensure that activity management plans and processes efficiently provide a robust and realistic rationale for future works programmes.

Terms of reference for activity management plans

Applications for funding for the preparation or improvement activity management plans must provide a terms of reference for the NZTA to approve. The table below shows the minimum information the terms of reference must cover for the application.

Reason for the preparation or improvement of the plan

• Statement of purpose for plan development (or supporting study or strategy)
• Context and scope for the task(s)
• Activities to be covered (including demand management, network operations, passenger transport, infrastructure improvements, community engagement, performance monitoring)
• Background/reference documentation for the task(s)
• Relationships with higher-level policies, strategies and plans (including government and regional strategies and policies)
• Relationship to land-use policies and development activities (includes those that are planned and in progress)

How the funding is to be used

• Issues to be addressed
• Modes to be considered, with reasons
• Method used, including modelling, project management and process for political engagement
• Possible alternatives and options to be considered (including demand management, education, enforcement, asset disposal)
• A timeframe for the plan development, with realistic allowance for consultation and a clear completion point
• Estimated cost of completing the task(s)
• Parties involved
• How the plan development (or supporting study or strategy) is to be procured

Outcomes and deliverables

• Deliverables/outputs
• Expected outcomes of the plan development
• Process for sign-off by the approved organisation (or the NZTA for state highway activities)
• Process for peer review (see Chapter G15 Peer reviews of assessments)

Any change of scope must be approved by the NZTA before authority to proceed is issued to the professional services supplier.

The NZTA will check the coverage and outputs of plans against their agreed terms of reference.

Content of activity management plan

Activity management plans should be based on the National Asset Management Steering (NAMS) Group’s International infrastructure management manual. An activity management plan should include the following matters:

Content of plan

• The detail specified in clause 2 of schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 2002
• An awareness of community views and expectations relating to the use of land transport network
• Evidence of links to regional and national land transport strategies and targets
• Proposed levels of service targets and implementation plans
• The organisation’s transport demand management strategy, including demand forecasts and the proposed additional asset capacity, non-asset-based solutions (including interagency and community initiatives), or changes to service levels and standards
• Life-cycle management strategies
• Current asset value, annual depreciation, asset condition and expected asset lives
• Major risks and a risk management strategy (including safety and sustainability issues)
• How best value for money will be achieved in the delivery of its land transport services
• The organisation’s procurement strategy for the activities in the plan
• The organisation’s decision-making and prioritisation process for including activities in an RLTP
• A detailed list of activities for the first three years and an outline of actions for the following seven years
• A financial plan that is clearly linked to an RLTP and a long-term council community plan (LTCCP) or annual plan
• How the performance and use of the network is monitored
• Indications of the completeness and accuracy of asset information, assumptions and financial projections.

Regional public transport plans

A regional public transport plan (RPTP) is prepared by a regional council or a territorial authority that has the functions, powers and duties of a regional council under the Transport Services Licensing Act 1989.

An RPTP should take into account the NZTA's guidelines for the preparation of RPTPs.

An RPTP must be included in an RLTS.

Legislation: LTMA s77(h), and Transport Services Licensing Act 1989, s47.

Specific requirements for road safety action plans

A road safety action plan (RSAP) is an implementation tool for coordinating the implementation of interagency road safety strategies. The plans are an effective implementation tool to integrate activities that minimise road trauma, and can be used to support applications for funding projects and programmes.

Partners participating will include regional and territotrial authorities, the NZTA, NZ Police and ACC. Local government agencies are the identified organisations that prepare and manage RSAPs.

RSAPs must be developed from an interagency perspective and contain:

• an evidence-based assessment of existing safety issues that are being addressed
• the individual activities that will be delivered
• the objectives and outcomes for each activity (including expected achievement against regional targets)
• a list of the partners that will participate in the activities
• a monitoring programme and post-implementation evaluation of effectiveness
• a list of supportive policies, strategies, plans and projects (including regional and local road safety plans, network safety coordination projects and neighbourhood accessibility plans).

Regular RSAP meetings enable monitoring of service delivery and progress towards the achievement of outcomes.

Activity management planning

Approved organisations and the NZTA must maintain the following priorities in activity management planning:

• Achievement of a high level of data integrity. This includes:
  • asset inventory
  • treatment history
  • condition data
  • cost data
  • traffic data.
• Decision-making methods for optimising asset treatments over the network and over time. Treatment decisions should recognise:
  • the life-cycle costs of treatments
  • the effect of the treatments on asset condition throughout the life cycle
  • how the treatments impact on road system performance.

Only once confidence in these elements is complete should organisations consider moving onto advanced predictive methods of long-term planning.

Asset deterioration models: performance prediction modelling

Performance prediction modelling can be used to assist the forecasting needed for forward activities. Modelling of future condition must be adapted to local conditions due to the complex range of:

• materials used
• pavement types and conditions
• climate and traffic loadings.

Even with local calibration, performance prediction modelling is not definitive. Forecasts of pavement condition and estimates of life-cycle costs must recognise the limitations of the many assumptions involved.