Safe and Sustainable Transport Forum
Terms of Reference – September 2017

Purpose

The Safe and Sustainable Transport Forum (SASTF) is the primary forum for providing advice, a sounding board and peer review on road safety and sustainable transport issues (walking, cycling and traffic demand management) to the Council.

The SASTF is an advisory group, however it, will not be considered to be the sole mechanism for representing the community’s views on road safety and sustainable transport issues.

Advisory role

The role of the SASTF is to:
advise on the development and implementation of relevant road safety and sustainable transport projects, programmes and policies
advise on community concerns and expectations associated with road safety and sustainable transport in Wellington City.
assist the Transport Safety, Choice and Sustainability co-ordinators in their role
help develop projects that are included in the Council’s Long Term Plan and Annual Plan.

The group will not have an independent budget to commission work or undertake activities outside of this advisory role.

Membership

Number and make-up of members

Representatives from 10 organisations and agencies interested in road safety and/or sustainable transport are invited to participate in SASTF meetings including:
Wellington City Council
Greater Wellington Regional Council
Living Streets Wellington
Cycle Aware Wellington
New Zealand Transport Agency
New Zealand Police
Automobile Association
Accident Compensation Corporation
Regional Public Health
Bikers’ Rights Organisation of New Zealand (BRONZ)

Other organisations can be asked to participate in SASTF meetings.

Representatives of the respective organisations and agencies will generally attend meetings as part of their paid role. The Council will provide payment to a maximum of five volunteer groups and not-for-profit groups where their representatives are not paid for their contribution to SASTF.

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Representatives of the Youth Council, Pacific Advisory Group and Accessibility Advisory Group can also attend meetings where their members’ experience and expertise is required.

Selection of additional members

Groups, organisations and agencies not mentioned above may be included as members of the group (either at the request of the SASTF, Council or an organisation).

To be eligible, an organisation/group must:
have a base in Wellington City
have a city wide focus
a degree of involvement (or knowledge of) road safety and/or sustainable transport knowledge and practical initiatives
a demonstrated enthusiasm for road safety and sustainable transport issues
links into the community and willingness to utilise those links.

Additional  members  will  be  selected  by  Council  officers  in  association  with  the  group’s membership.

The group will have at least one appointed Councillor representative, although invitations may be extended to other councillors to participate.

Chair

The group will be chaired by the Councillor appointed to the group. If the Councillor is going to be absent, members will nominate a Chair for the meeting.

Members’ responsibilities

Work collaboratively with other members of the group to fulfill the SASTF’s role and responsibilities
Represent their organisation or agency’s perspective to the group
Share information from their different networks and feed information back to those groups
Be prepared to participate in project meetings/brainstorming sessions in addition to meetings of the full advisory group
Raise issues relevant to the group’s terms of reference.

Reporting

SASTF will report to the City Strategy Committee in the last quarter of each year. The report will outline work undertaken, attendance and number of meetings held, the group’s achievements and any issues or initiatives it wishes the Council to consider further.
The Agenda and minutes of this meeting will be made available to member organisations.

Frequency of Meetings

SASTF will meet on an as required basis up to a maximum of six times a year. Specific issues may be raised and dealt with electronically (i.e. via email or web-based discussion fora) in between meetings of the full group.

Individual members may also be requested to attend additional meetings if they choose to participate in specific projects or brainstorming sessions.

Meetings will be closed to the public.

Quorum

At least five of the organisations listed under section 3.1 must be present for the group to have a quorum.

Operation

The maintenance and servicing of the group will primarily be the responsibility of the appropriate Council directorate. The group will be supported by an officer who will be responsible for compiling agendas, writing minutes, and providing other administrative and advisory support to the group.

Payment

Generally SASTF members will not receive payment as they attend advisory group meetings in a paid capacity as the representatives of their respective agencies.

The Council will provide payment to a maximum of five volunteer groups and not-for-profit organisations where their representatives are not paid for their contribution to SASTF. Payment of up to $440 per group per annum will be made to the group at the end of each financial year. Payment will be appropriately apportioned if the group cannot attend the majority of meetings.

The Council will provide the following support to all members:
make car parks available in the basement of the Council’s buildings upon request
provide refreshments at the meeting
other appropriate support as required.

Review

The Terms of Reference will be reviewed as required. All changes to the Terms of Reference will be subject to the approval of the appropriate Council committee and Council.