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Transport Strategy
Providing quality connections
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Context
3. Long-term direction
4. Three-year priorities
5. Strategy tree
Wellington City Council
July 2006
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1. Introduction
Wellington is a dynamic and growing city, and transport has an important part to play in supporting
and directing that growth. Transport is more than just about getting around: it affects the liveability
of the city, it affects economic growth and it influences where people choose to live. Ultimately,
these factors affect our international competitiveness, and our long term future as a city.
Council's 1994 Transport Strategy recognised the limited capacity of our roading system and
deliberately set out to encourage use of alternative transport modes and some mode shift away
from the private car in particular for peak commuter travel. Council's focus on a contained urban
form reinforced this strategy. This combined approach has been successful in contributing to the
reversal of a long term decline in passenger transport use. Since the early 1990's public transport
and active modes have gained mode share despite significant overall increase in transport demand.
On many indicators, Wellington’ transport system is performing well: our traffic congestion levels
are lower than many comparable cities and our public transport ridership is higher. We are a
compact city with short travel distances and a good level of connectedness.
Nevertheless, other aspects of the transport system are less positive. Imbalances exist in our
strategic roading network, resulting in choke points from Ngauranga to the CBD in the north and
between the airport and the CBD in the south. The historic underinvestment in roading
infrastructure that has occurred nationally is nowhere more apparent than in Wellington where we
have not had a major new road built since the motorway in the 1960s. Road space in our CBD is at
a premium, and choices need to be made about competition for that space amongst private cars,
buses, cyclists and pedestrians. In common with the rest of the developed world, we have
challenges regarding the sustainability of our transport system.
A major issue for transport is the need to support the city’s land use and urban form objectives as
embodied in our Urban Development Strategy, and the two strategies have been developed in
parallel and are closely integrated.
Not all of the factors shaping our transport future are within the direct control of the Council, and
even those that are will require sensitivity in working with the community to develop the best
outcomes.
The intention of this strategy is to set out a clear map for the future development of our transport
system. As this work cascades down into plans and budgets, details of how it is to be implemented
will emerge.
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2. Context
Existing framework
Transport
Strategy
Advocacy & Leadership
Western Corridor
Study
Northern Suburbs
Public Transport Study
Regional Land
Transport Strategy
Review
Ngauranga to Airport
Corridor Study
Transport Investment
Roads
Footpaths
Corridors
Cycle ways
Transport Network
Management
Rationing of road
space
Bus priorities
Traffic management
Parking
Policy
DM programme
Walking Plan
Cycling Plan
The context
Wellington’s transport needs are continuing to increase in line with economic expansion and
population growth. These changes are placing added demands on the transport infrastructure
needed to support the city.
Transport exists to support wider city objectives. Paramount amongst these objectives is how the
urban form of the city is to develop over the next 20-50 years, as articulated in the Council’s Urban
Development Strategy. The proposed transport solution is set out on the next page.
Transport will also be used as a tool to influence other outcomes, including economic development,
social cohesion, health and sustainability.
Future issues will be:
Increasing congestion providing challenges to maintaining levels of service and travel time
reliability on arterial roads to and through the city
Increased competition for road capacity from buses, cars, pedestrians and cyclists
Providing better access to our port and airport.
The challenge
To ensure that Wellington’s transport system supports the city’s vision for its future growth and
function.
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The solution
A transport strategy that supports the economic, social, cultural and
environmental aspirations of its citizens
The success of transport will be measured by its ability to support the development of the city and
reinforce our desired pattern of development.
This will involve defining the role of each part of the transport system in the function of the city, and
developing it in accordance with this role.
Things to do:
Develop the state highways and main arterial roads as the primary means of moving large
volumes of traffic and freight to and through the city
Develop public transport systems as the main means for the movement of people along the
Urban Development Strategy growth spine
Ensure continued access to the CBD for commuters
Develop the port and airport as major contributors to the city and regional economy
Develop measures to improve the energy efficiency of the city
The pre-conditions
The successful realisation of this strategy will require:
a thorough understanding of how the city is expected to develop and the contribution transport
can make
decisions on the contributions that the various parts of the transport network can make
targeted investment in supporting road and public transport infrastructure where required
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making trade-offs between the differing demands for road space: bus priorities, parking, freight,
taxis, cyclists and private vehicles
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This will include taking into account the findings of the North Wellington Public Transport Study
and the Ngauranga to Airport Corridor Study
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3. Long-term direction for transport
Transport Strategy 2006-16
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Our long-term outcomes
Our overall goal is for Wellington’s transport network to support the economic, social, cultural and
environmental aspirations of its citizens. This will mean ensuring the state highway system and
arterial roads provide efficient access to the city and to key transport hubs, while also encouraging
public transport and walking as ways to get around the areas of high-density development. It will
also mean promoting developments that increase the energy efficiency of the transport system.
Over the next 10 years, we aspire to the following outcomes:
2.1 More liveable: Wellington will be easy to get around, pedestrian-friendly and offer quality
transport choices.
Good access from homes to shops and services, places of work and recreational destinations is
essential in any successful city economy. Ensuring the city is more liveable will mean:
implementing the measures in this strategy in an integrated manner to ensure that local, city-
wide and regional road and passenger transport systems function effectively for people and
freight
priority walking routes to and within the central city
balanced parking provision including short-term parking, park-and-ride and park-and-walk.
2.2 More prosperous: Wellington will have a coherent and efficient transport system that aids
economic development.
Transport exists to support wider city objectives. Economic development implies finding transport
solutions that represent the best return on the substantial investments involved. We also need to
take a strategic view, which requires long-term planning and a vision that includes regional and
national perspectives. Transport’s contribution to economic development will mean:
ensuring transport solutions meet identified needs
ensuring that investment is directed to areas of greatest benefit
designing projects that provide high-quality and efficient solutions.
2.3 More sustainable: Wellington will minimise the environmental effects of transport and support
the environmental strategy.
We will seek to reduce negative local and global environmental effects by improving the efficiency
of existing road and public transport networks, promoting alternatives to roads, and managing traffic
demand. Environmental sustainability in transport will mean:
reducing the need for travel through a comprehensive travel demand management programme
improving traffic flow by removing bottlenecks
increasing the use of low-energy transport options
more efficient urban forms
continuing modal shift of commuter traffic to public transport, walking and cycling.
2.4 (a) Better connected: Wellington will have a highly interconnected public transport, road and
street system that supports its urban development and social strategies.
This will be reliant on recognising the roles of all types of transport (car, bus, train, cable car, ferries,
taxis, commercial vehicles, walking and cycling). Ensuring the city is better connected will mean:
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enhancing the state highway network from the north to the airport for road freight, service
vehicles (business and emergency) and high occupancy vehicles
building the Petone-Grenada link provided that appropriate (Crown/LTNZ) funding is secured
and that the environmental and social impacts are acceptable
improved road and rail access to the port
a well-connected system of local roads and streets, footpaths and cycleways
a seamless passenger transport system along the growth spine
bus priority measures on all main arterial routes to and through the central city.
2.4 (b) Healthier: Wellington’s transport system will contribute to healthy communities and social
interaction.
People’s transport choices can have a significant effect on health. Lower levels of activity contribute
to heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. There are also links with respiratory diseases
resulting from vehicle emissions. Improving health outcomes will mean:
promoting walking and cycling and reduced dependence on motor vehicles for short trips
through the travel demand management programme
enhancing air and water quality and reducing exposure to transport noise through design of
infrastructure and planning regulations.
2.5 Safer: Wellington will seek to improve the safety and security of its citizens as they move
around the city and region.
Safety and security objectives will be addressed within individual modes (for example via the
Council’s road safety or safer streets programmes) and in developing programmes aimed at
achieving modal shift. We need to recognise the safety and security trade-offs involved in
encouraging people to change from one mode to another that has a different level of safety and
personal security. Transport safety and personal security will be enhanced by:
programmes aimed at improving road safety
programmes aimed at pedestrian security.
How we’ll measure our progress towards these outcomes
To assess whether Wellington’s transport system is making the city more liveable, we plan to
survey residents about their perceptions of public transport convenience and affordability, and to
measure vehicle and other modes peak travel times from the suburbs to the central city and from
the central city to the airport.
To assess whether the city’s transport system is becoming more prosperous, we plan to measure
trends in the amount of cargo loaded and unloaded at the port and airport.
To assess whether the city’s transport system is becoming more sustainable, we plan to survey
residents to find out what forms of transport they use to get to and from the central city, and we plan
to measure the total amount of fuel used each year on Wellington roads per person.
To assess whether the city’s transport system is becoming better connected, we plan to survey
residents about their perceptions of: how easy it is to move around the city; how easy it is to move
between suburbs and the central city; whether peak traffic volumes are acceptable; and whether
there are barriers to using their preferred modes of transport.
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To assess some of the negative effects the city’s transport system makes to residents’ health, we
plan to measure levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide in the air at certain points around the
city.
To assess how safe the transport system is, we plan to measure the number of road accidents that
occur each year, and the social cost of those crashes. We also plan to survey residents to find out
their perceptions of safety levels on the city’s transport network.
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4. Our three-year priorities
For the period 2006-09, we’ve identified the following four priorities for our transport work. These
priorities are important stepping stones towards our long-term goals.
We will improve the performance of the city’s transport system through Travel Demand
Management.
We will advocate for and facilitate investment in the city’s State highway network.
We will improve the performance of the city’s passenger transport system through bus priority
measures.
We will work to resolve conflict between access to the port and access to the central area and
beyond.
How we plan to achieve these priorities
We already play a major role in running and providing the city’s transport system. We manage and
maintain the city’s network of roads, streets, bridges, tunnels, footpaths, cycleways, roadside
reserve, roadside walls and so on. Traffic safety has been a major priority in recent years. We have
worked with local communities as part of our SaferRoads project, using measures such as new
traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and islands to slow traffic, as well as educating motorists,
pedestrians and cyclists and encouraging greater compliance with road rules. In addition, we
manage the city’s transport network, using traffic lights and a closed circuit camera system to
minimise congestion at peak times. We provide and regulate car parking throughout the central city.
This work contributes to our overall transport objectives for the city, as well as complying with our
statutory requirements and responsibilities. Over the next three years, we will keep carrying out this
work to our high standard.
We also plan several new projects, such as expanding our network of bus lanes, working on
infrastructure and traffic signalling improvements to reduce peak-time road congestion, and
promoting public transport, cycling and walking as alternatives to private cars. We’ll work with other
Councils and central government agencies to ensure any future state highway upgrades meet the
city’s transport needs. And we’ll work on a plan to enhance access to the port and ferry terminals.
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5. Strategy Tree – Transport