Resources

This research explores the potential for the ‘network-planning’ approach to the design of public transport to improve patronage of public transport services in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Network planning, which mimics the ‘go-anywhere’ convenience of the car by enabling passengers to transfer between services on a simple pattern of lines, has achieved impressive results in some European and North American cities, where patronage levels have grown considerably and public subsidies are used more efficiently.

Since the implementation of the Land Transport Management Act 2003, public sector land transport organisations in New Zealand have had the obligation to be socially and environmentally responsible, either as one of their organisational objectives (NZ Transport Agency) or in terms of the activities and combinations of activities approved for payment from the National Land Transport Fund (regional councils and road controlling authorities), While most organisations had a strong sense of what was meant by environmental responsibility, less was known about what was required to be socially responsible.

The effects of reducing the discount rate used in evaluations of initiatives funded from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) were assessed during 2007–09. Over 160 projects across a range of project types were collated and the relative effects of different discount rates were documented.

This project aimed to develop analytical methods for assessing energy risks due to a peak and decline in global oil production. Additionally to develop modelling capabilities to link these analyses to urban form. The aim was to provide a new capability for long term development planning. The need for communication between members of the community, councillors and practitioners with diverse backgrounds and interests are realised. Thus, the goal in modelling was to provide accurate risk assessment and clear visual-based communication of results. Keywords: energy, urban form, transport policy, modelling.

Little social research on rural access to transport in rural communities has been carried out in New Zealand. With assistance from the NZ Transport Agency, the researchers addressed this issue and the social effects of poor access. Census and national travel survey data provided a picture of access to private and public transport, travel patterns and socio-economic characteristics of residents in areas with different levels of transport access. Two rural community case studies were conducted to document the social issues and impacts of poor access to transport, and to identify local attempts to solve transport problems. Options for addressing poor access to transport and its effects were explored with government and private sector transport specialists.

This research provides a number of mathematical formulas for predicting the quality of the walking environment from the perspective of the user using operational and physical variables. The formulas were derived by combining the perception data gathered from participants in the community street reviews with measurements of the walking environment.

This report is a discussion document introducing the concept of sustainable land transport, discussing the interaction between land use planning and sustainable transport, and introducing some guidance to incorporating sustainable land transport into district plans. It will assist local authorities when reviewing district plans, and assessing resource consent applications and notices of requirement. The content of the discussion document includes definition of a sustainable land transport system, issues facing sustainable land transport systems in New Zealand, options to address these issues, and provisions that could be included in district plans. Model provisions for best practice are included, along with a checklist of rules that could be included in district plans.

This report presents the findings of research investigating the opportunities and barriers to promoting sustainability in New Zealand’s rail system. The research involved two main aspects: exploring what sustainability means in a New Zealand rail context; and, investigating what opportunities and barriers might exist to achieving a sustainable rail system. Opportunities and barriers were considered in terms of their likely timescale and whether they were internal (systemic) or external (non-systemic) to the rail system. The research is intended to stimulate discussion about the role of rail in New Zealand’s transport system in the future. As part of this ongoing discussion, this report concludes with a number of recommended actions that could be undertaken to promote sustainability in the rail system.

This research was undertaken in 2010–11 to appraise evidence from three New Zealand cities (Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton) and four Australian cities (Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth) on the market impacts of improvements in urban bus services at off-peak periods. The primary focus was on the estimation of patronage changes and the corresponding demand elasticities in response to service frequency changes.

Since 2000, the benefits of walking as a mode of travel have been recognised by the New Zealand government in a raft of policy statements and strategies. However, the Ministry of Transport acknowledges that there are a number of issues to overcome to encourage more walking. This research focuses on one of the key issues: namely, the delay experienced by pedestrians at traffic signals. Historically, New Zealand's approach to pedestrian delay has been minimal, with pedestrian issues considered primarily from the point of view of safety, rather than level of service or amenity. At traffic signals, pedestrians are often accommodated in a way that causes the least amount of interruption to motorised traffic, and signal cycle times can be long, leading to excessive pedestrian waiting times. This can lead to frustration, causing pedestrians to violate the signals and use their own judgement to cross, resulting in safety risks.