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Waikato Regional Land Transport Strategy: Transport Baseline Report

TR 2005/22

Report: TR 2005/22

Author: Land Transport Programme

Abstract 

A new Regional Land Transport Strategy (RLTS) is being developed for the Waikato region under the lead of Environment Waikato.  There are four main stages to the review process as outlined in Figure 1.  Stage 2, the identification of key land transport issues confronting the region, is a very important component of the strategy development process, as the subsequent development and evaluation of strategic options and resulting preferred strategy rests on the findings of Stage 2.  In other words, the strategy must ultimately respond to the key land transport issues in the Waikato region.

 

The purpose of the Baseline Report is to profile the existing statistical information basis held by various authorities. This will provide a quantitative evidence based report, upon which issues identified in the Key Issues Report can be evaluated.

The report specifically covers the information available on:

  • the networks available on an inter-regional and intra-regional levels
  • road, rail and air safety
  • current network capacity problems (traffic congestion and levels of service).

Waikato Regional Land Transport Strategy: Transport Baseline Report [PDF, 1.4 MB]

Contents
1 Introduction  1
1.1 Identification of key issues  1
1.2 Purpose of the Baseline Report  2
1.3 Information sources  2
1.4 Structure of this report  3
2 Transport profile of the Waikato region  5
2.1 The Waikato region  5
2.2 Modes of transport  5
2.2.1 New Zealand Travel Survey  5
2.2.2 New Zealand Census  5
2.3 The road network  7
2.3.1 Traffic volumes  8
2.3.2 Heavy tansport  9
2.3.3 Inter-regional routes 10
2.3.4 Intra-regional routes 14 
2.4 Strategic roading projects 14
2.5 Rail 14
2.5.1 National Rail Strategy 16
2.5.2 Rail freight 16
2.5.3 Passenger rail 16
2.6 Coastal barging 16
2.7 Waikato regional airport 16
2.8 Pedestrian and cycling networks 18
2.8.1 Cycling and walking mode share trends 18
2.8.2 Cycling and walking strategies 20
2.8.3 Cycling and walking initiatives 20
2.9 Passenger transport services 21
2.9.1 Bus patronage 21
2.9.2 New passenger transport initiatives 24
2.9.3 Total Mobility 24
3 Road safety in the Waikato region 25
3.1 National road safety record 25
3.2 National road safety initiatives 25
3.2.1 Ministry of Transport regional outcomes for 2010 26
3.3 Regional road safety record 29
3.3.1 Crash statistics by mode 30
3.3.2 State highway crash risk and density 34
3.4 Road safety at the sub-regional level 37
3.4.1 South Waikato and Taupo sub-region 39
3.4.2 Western Waikato area 40
3.5 Eastern Waikato area 42
3.5.1 Hamilton area 43
3.6 Cycle safety 45
3.7 Rail safety 46
3.8 Air safety 46
3.9 Navigational safety 47
4 Traffic congestion 49
4.1 Urban road congestion 49
4.2 Rural road congestion 49
  References 51