Regional Land Transport Strategy
The Regional Land Transport Strategy (RLTS) 2010-2040 is a statutory document (prepared under the Land Transport Act 1998) that Greater Wellington must produce via the Regional Transport Committee (RLTC). It is the strategic transport document that guides the development of our region’s transport system including public transport, roads, walking, cycling and freight for the next ten years and beyond.
The Strategy provides an overall context for investment in the region’s transport network. It forms the basis for identification, selection, and prioritisation of projects and activities by the Regional Transport Committee, sets targets against which the region’s transport networks can be monitored, and guides reviews of more detailed transport implementation and corridor plans.
The RLTS 2010 - 2040 is essentially a refresh of the previous strategy. The Regional Transport Committee focused much of its attention on reviewing the RLTS targets to make sure they struck the right balance between ambitious and realistic. They were able to take account of several years of additional data collected since the previous strategy was adopted.
One of the major items in the strategy now, that wasn’t there before, is the SH1 Wellington Northern Corridor (Levin to Wellington) concept, one of central government’s Roads of National Significance. This corridor includes the Basin Reserve upgrades, Transmission Gully motorway and the SH1 expressway in Kapiti. The Government’s commitment to funding these projects gives us a lot more certainty with our planning.
The Regional Transport Committee received 35 submissions on the proposed RLTS – 26 from agencies or groups and nine from individuals.
A lot of submissions expressed concern about the affordability of and access to public transport around the region. The strategy recognises the important role of public transport and while we have lots of great improvements to our rail network happening now and over the coming year, an ongoing challenge for the region is to continue to improve all aspects of public transport.
The greatest support from submitters was for the RLTS road safety targets. The road safety targets came out of a technical working group set up in response to a shocking road safety report on the region in 2009. The Regional Road Safety Plan, also based on the work of the technical working group, contains a range of education, enforcement and engineering programmes and projects that local councils can do to make our roads safer.
Implementation and Corridor Plans
A series of implementation plans and corridor plans have been developed to translate the RLTS vision, objectives, outcomes and policies into specific projects.
Implementation plans enable the Regional Transport Committee (RTC) to gain a region-wide perspective for each mode or interest area and therefore assess the relative priority of interventions specific to each mode. The implementation plans are as follows:
- Road Safety Plan
The Regional Road Safety Plan aims to make our roads safer whether you're in a car, on a motorbike, cycling, walking or taking public transport. - Cycling Plan
The Regional Cycling Plan identifies a range of actions and initiatives to make cycling safer, more enjoyable and a more attractive transport option. - Walking Plan
The Regional Walking Plan contains projects and activities to encourage more people to walk more often. - Travel Demand Management Plan
The Regional Travel Demand Management Plan identifies a range of initiatives and actions to help make the most of the region's transport networks and reduce the need to travel, particularly in single occupancy vehicles. - Freight Plan
The Regional Freight Plan aims, through various activities and projects, to improve rail and road freight efficiency and reliability both within the Wellington region and between regions.
Corridor plans outline the improvements proposed in each corrdior and enable the RTC to assess how these projects interact with each other and with the exsiting regional and local network. The corridor plans are as follows:
- Western Corridor Plan
This plan covers the transport corridor which follows the line of State Highway 1 and the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) Railway from Ngauranga to Otaki. - Hutt Corridor Plan
This plan covers the corridor which follows State Highway 2 and the Wairarapa Railway from Ngauranga through to Upper Hutt. It is currently being reviewed. - Wairarapa Corridor Plan
This plan covers the corrdor which follows State Highway 2 from north of Te Marua, Upper Hutt, over the Rimutaka Hill through to Mount Bruce north of Masterton; and the Wairarapa Railway from north of Maymorn, Upper Hutt, through to Masterton; and includes State Highway 53 between Featherston and Martinborough. - Ngauranga to Wellington Airport Corridor Plan
This plan covers the corridor which follows State Highway 1 from the Ngauranga Merge through the Wellington City CBD to Wellington International Airport. It inlcudes the railway line where the NIMT line and the Wairarapa lines merge through to Wellington Station.
Associated plans and reports
Regional Public Transport Plan
The Regional Passenger Transport Plan sets out Greater Wellington's intentions for the regional public transport network. The Public Transport Plan is consistent with, and gives effect, to the RLTS.
Rail Plan
The Regional Rail Plan identifies a range of projects and actions to develop and improve the region's rail network in the long term.
Regional Transport Programme
This programme contains all the land transport activities to be undertaken throughout the region for the three financial years to 2012, indicative activities over the following three financial years and a 10-year financial forecast.
Monitoring Report
The monitoring report assesses how well the Regional Land Transport Strategy is being implemented against its specific targets and outcomes.
Background documents
These are reports and studies that have been done for the development of the current and previous RLTS.