Notice of Meeting:
I hereby give notice that an ordinary meeting of the Hearings Committee will be held on:
Date: Tuesday 11 July 2023
Time: 9.30 am
Venue: Council Chambers, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, The Octagon, Dunedin
Sandy Graham
Chief Executive Officer
Hearings Committee
MEMBERSHIP
Chairperson |
Cr Jim O'Malley |
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Cr Cherry Lucas |
Cr Mandy Mayhem |
Senior Officer Jeanine Benson, Group Manager Transport
Governance Support Officer Wendy Collard
Wendy Collard
Governance Support Officer
Telephone: 03 477 4000
Wendy.Collard@dcc.govt.nz
Note: Reports and recommendations contained in this agenda are not to be considered as Council policy until adopted.
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Hearings Committee 11 July 2023 |
ITEM TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
Part A Reports (Committee has power to decide these matters)
1 Declaration of Interest 4
2 Speaking Schedule 7
3 Proposed Parking Changes 9
PLEASE NOTE: The only section of the hearing which is not open to the public is the Committee's final consideration of its decision, which is undertaken in private. Following completion of submissions by the applicant, submitters and the applicant's right of reply, the
Committee will make the following resolution to exclude the public. All those present at the hearing will be asked to leave the meeting at this point.
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Hearings Committee 11 July 2023 |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. Members are reminded of the need to stand aside from decision-making when a conflict arises between their role as an elected representative and any private or other external interest they might have.
2. Elected members are reminded to update their register of interests as soon as practicable, including amending the register at this meeting if necessary.
That the Committee: a) Notes/Amends if necessary the Elected Members' Interest Register attached as Attachment A; and b) Confirms/Amends the proposed management plan for Elected Members' Interests. |
Attachments
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Title |
Page |
⇩a |
Register of Interests |
5 |
Hearings Committee 11 July 2023 |
Speaking Schedule
Department: Civic
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 The purpose of this report is to provide the Hearings Committee with a speaking schedule for eight submitters wishing to present their views at the hearings to be held on 11 July 2023.
Signatories
Author: |
Wendy Collard - Governance Support Officer |
Authoriser: |
Sharon Bodeker - Manager Governance |
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Title |
Page |
⇩a |
Speaking Schedule |
8 |
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Hearings Committee 11 July 2023 |
Proposed Parking Changes
Department: Transport
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 This report presents information for the Hearings Committee (the Committee) to consider changes and corrections to parking restrictions.
2 Consultation has been undertaken on proposed parking changes to general parking; the Albany Street Connection Project; and the Retail Quarter Upgrade. A feedback summary for general parking changes is attached to this report. Eight submitters wish to be heard in relation to changes proposed in this report.
That the Committee:
a) Recommends Council approve the proposed changes to parking restrictions shown in the June 2023 update of the Dunedin City Council's traffic and parking restrictions database, https://tinyurl.com/ParkingJuly2023
BACKGROUND
3 Traffic and parking controls contribute to the objectives of the Dunedin Integrated Transport Strategy 2013, by helping to achieve a safe, efficient and accessible transport network.
4 Council maintains a Geographic Information System (GIS) map database of traffic and parking restrictions (the database) that reflects all on-street parking restrictions that are implemented with markings and/or signs.
5 Parking controls are made under the Traffic and Parking Bylaw. The Committee has the delegation to consider changes to parking controls and to make recommendations to Council that can approve traffic restrictions and parking controls.
DISCUSSION
6 This report is divided into three sections:
· Minor changes - General parking, which include requests from the public to change parking restrictions;
· Parking changes related to the Albany Street Connection project as part of the Shaping Future Dunedin Transport (SFDT) programme; and
· Parking changes related to the Retail Quarter Upgrade. The George Street designs were presented to Council in March 2021 and the design report included a section on parking which detailed the proposed restrictions.
MINOR CHANGES-GENERAL PARKING CHANGES (Attachment A)
7 Council receives requests from individuals and businesses to change parking restrictions. When considering these requests, officers assess a range of factors including safety concerns, commuters’ needs, commercial users’ needs, road width and topography, traffic flow, neighbouring on-street parking spaces, visibility concerns and crash statistics. If a proposed change is supported by officers, consultation is undertaken with affected residents, businesses and property owners to demonstrate support for the requested change.
8 Recommended minor general parking changes are shown in https://tinyurl.com/ParkingJuly2023 and are detailed in Attachments A (General parking changes-Minor changes-TPC34) and C (General parking changes-Corrections-TPC35). The GIS layer includes a bookmark feature which links the numbered cases presented in the tables of Attachment A and Attachment C, to their specific location.
9 A detailed summary of the consultation undertaken with affected parties, including owners, residents and businesses is presented in Attachment B. These include:
a) parking changes to improve safety, efficiency or access where appropriate engagement has been carried out with affected parties
b) changes to improve the operation of the bus network where appropriate engagement with affected parties has been carried out by the Otago Regional Council (ORC).
Princes Street - Bus network improvements
10 The proposed changes to Princes Street are detailed in Attachment A and diagrams of the proposed changes are presented as Attachment D (Diagrams Princes Street). These changes aim to improve south and northbound bus stops by removing poorly spaced stops and introducing double length stops with entry and exit tapers that are consistent with national guidelines. The removal and consolidation of some stops will help with traffic flow by reducing the number of times the bus merges with traffic on a busy road. Double length bus stops near the CBD help avoid stacking issues and buses blocking the live traffic lane. The new stop locations are more accessible (flat location, easier for drivers to pull flush with the kerb) and easier to identify as paired stops (e.g. north and southbound stops are opposite each other).
11 Four southbound bus stops, including three stops within a 200-metre stretch of road, will be consolidated into two larger stops which is consistent with the pairing of the northbound bus stops.
12 The single northbound stop at The Exchange (300 Princes Street) will be relocated to the flat section of road near High Street (276 Princes Street) and lengthened. This new stop location is a better pair with the southbound stop. The double length stop will remove instances of buses stacking into the live traffic lane.
13 The northbound stop located outside the derelict buildings along Princes Street (398 Princes Street) will be relocated one block south and extended to a double length stop.
14 The Otago Regional Council (ORC) data below shows the usage of the bus stops mentioned. It is expected that passenger numbers from the stops being removed will be distributed across the improved neighbouring stops.
Southbound |
Northbound |
||||||
265 Princes St (John Wickliffe) |
283 Princes St |
373 Princes St |
449 Princes St |
300 Princes St |
398 Princes St |
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Nov-22 |
Boarding |
2160 |
606 |
694 |
369 |
1054 |
579 |
Disembarking |
966 |
126 |
424 |
399 |
2341 |
1378 |
|
Dec-22 |
Boarding |
1544 |
526 |
580 |
367 |
808 |
351 |
Disembarking |
766 |
154 |
389 |
324 |
1864 |
931 |
|
Jan-23 |
Boarding |
1562 |
573 |
608 |
238 |
763 |
305 |
Disembarking |
724 |
221 |
292 |
254 |
1745 |
915 |
|
Feb-23 |
Boarding |
2178 |
623 |
724 |
368 |
989 |
430 |
Disembarking |
860 |
151 |
488 |
348 |
2149 |
1167 |
|
Mar-23 |
Boarding |
2422 |
618 |
849 |
376 |
1145 |
532 |
Disembarking |
1038 |
167 |
552 |
470 |
2384 |
1336 |
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Apr-23 |
Boarding |
1702 |
516 |
587 |
305 |
847 |
403 |
Disembarking |
764 |
120 |
364 |
383 |
1853 |
1047 |
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* To be removed |
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15 Consultation for these changes was undertaken from 20 February to 17 March 2023. Letters with the diagrams of the changes were hand delivered to all owners, residents and businesses in the relevant areas. Signs advising of the proposed changes were installed on the affected blocks to encourage the public to provide feedback through the DCC website. Details the feedback received is provided in Attachment B.
Road Safety Improvements
16 The road safety improvements programme for 2022 and 2023 included four trial roundabouts. Two of the roundabouts have impacted parking. These were consulted on as part of the project and have resulted in parking changes that are now incorporated to the bylaw layer. The roundabouts are:
· Intersection of Timaru and Teviot Streets
· Intersection of George, Park and St David Streets, and Regent Road
If the trials are successful, these roundabouts will be made permanent. As the trials may be in place for several years, changes are proposed to the bylaw layer to support enforcement.
High Street and MacLaggan Street
17 Changes are proposed to the parking on some sections of High Street and MacLaggan Street. These changes arise from the closure of the centre city Warehouse, and a request from a local business for shorter term parking restrictions. The proposed changes see a reduction in paid four-hour parking in this area and an increase in one and two hour paid parking.
Gladstone Road
18 Approximately 90 metres of broken yellow lines are proposed to be added on Gladstone Road. Residents raised concerns about unsafe parking on the street and Waste and Environmental Solutions advised that parking on the street is making rubbish collection problematic. A safety assessment by a transportation engineer supports the need to restrict parking on this section of Gladstone Road. A diagram of the area is at Attachment F.
Newington Avenue
19 Approximately 150 metres of broken yellow lines are proposed to be added on Newington Avenue after residents raised concerns about unsafe parking on the street. These concerns were supported by a safety assessment by a transportation engineer. A diagram of the area is at Attachment G.
20 Several parking changes are proposed for Portobello following the installation of a new roundabout and intersection improvements as part of the Peninsula Connection project. These changes will be monitored, and further changes may be made in the future if community feedback is received.
Parking counts for General Parking Changes
21 In total, it is proposed there will be a net loss of 73 parks reallocated, 35 of which correspond to safety improvements on Gladstone Road and Newington Road, eight are dedicated to bus network improvements and the remaining 30 are reallocated to other amenity improvements (Table A below). These are predominantly in residential areas. A detail of this distribution can be observed by zones in Table B below.
There will be a net removal of 9 bus stops across the city.
Table A-Parking counts |
|
|
Net |
Carparks |
-73 |
CP to BS * |
-8 |
|
|
Bus Stops |
-9 |
* Carparks (CP) lost to or gained from bus stops (BS) |
Table B-Distribution by zones |
|
Zone |
Net |
Retail Quarter |
0 |
Cultural Entertainment Quarter |
0 |
Warehouse Precinct |
0 |
Creative Quarter |
-15 |
Tertiary & Medical Quarter |
0 |
Other |
-58 |
Total |
-73 |
General Parking Changes-Corrections to the Traffic and Parking Bylaw (Attachment C)
22 Corrections of parking restrictions to the database are detailed in Attachment C. They do not change current parking restrictions but include corrections to the database that have been made to accurately reflect the parking restrictions which are on the ground.
PARKING CHANGES-ALBANY STREET CONNECTION PROJECT (Attachment H)
23 Recommended parking changes to parking restrictions for the Albany Street Connection project are shown in https://tinyurl.com/ParkingJuly2023 and a detail of the changes is presented as Attachment H (Albany Street Connection-Proposed parking changes-TPC32). The GIS layer includes a bookmark feature which links the numbered cases presented in the table of Attachment H, to their specific location on the GIS layer.
24 Maps relevant to Albany Street Connection project, are shown as Attachment I (Albany Street Connection maps).
25 The Albany Street Connection project is part of the Shaping Future Dunedin Transport (SFDT) programme. It aims to improve pedestrian safety on Albany Street and provide a safe and attractive east-west cycle route that connects the Harbour Cycleway with the cycle lanes on State Highway One, the Tertiary Precinct and the CBD.
26 As part of this project, DCC has been working with the ORC to simplify the tertiary bus routes and improve bus stops. To improve services in this area bus stops on Union Street East and adjacent streets need to be moved.
27 To make the area safer and more accessible and to improve pedestrian safety generally, crossing points on Union Street East and Harbour Terrace are proposed. These improvements will support the 30 km/h speed limit that Council approved in early 2023 through the Interim Speed Management Plan.
28 Consultation on the proposed changes was undertaken in May/June 2022. Detail of the feedback received is presented as Attachment J (Albany Street Connection-Feedback Summary).
29 As a direct result of feedback, a number of changes were made to the 2022 concept design, and these are listed here:
30 The parking changes proposed also provide pedestrian and safety improvements on Union Street and adjacent streets (Harbour Terrace, parts of Forth and Clyde Streets).
31 A second round of targeted consultation relating to the Albany Street cycleway closed on the 26 June 2023, and feedback received is being considered. Consultation documents can be viewed at:
Parking counts-Albany Street Connection
32 The Albany Street Connection project requires a net loss of 36 parks be reallocated to road improvements. Nine of these are allocated to improve the bus network and the rest to amenity improvements such as upgrading pedestrian crossings and enhancing intersections.
33 There will be four new bus stops in the tertiary precinct.
Net |
|
Carparks |
-36 |
CP to BS * |
-9 |
|
|
Bus Stops |
4 |
* Carparks (CP)lost to or gained from bus stops (BS) |
PARKING CHANGES- RETAIL QUARTER UPGRADE (Attachments K and M)
34 Recommended parking changes relating the Retail Quarter Upgrade are shown in https://tinyurl.com/ParkingJuly2023 and detailed in Attachment K and Attachment M. The GIS layer includes a bookmark feature which links the numbered cases presented in the tables of Attachments K and M, to their specific location on the GIS layer.
35 Maps of the changes relevant to the Retail Quarter Upgrade, are shown as Attachment L and Attachment N.
36 The changes have been designed to:
· improve safety for vulnerable road users, particularly at intersections.
· increase amenity
· improve traffic flow
· enable more efficient use of Great King Street by buses
· expand bus stop lengths
· provide better access to off-street parking.
37 There are adjustments to car parking in the CBD as a result of the Retail Quarter Upgrade, including losses in some areas. In the hospital block of Great King Street there is a small increase in the number of car parks.
38 Parking loss was raised as a concern following pre-construction workshops with businesses and building owners regarding the Knox block in August 2022. In response, a redesign was undertaken. Further feedback from nearby businesses was received in 2023. In response to this feedback, further outdoor space was removed, and three more car parks were added to Pitt Street to offset losses on the western side the Knox block. There is still some opposition to the loss of parking on the Knox block, centred on the northbound double bus stop.
39 Consultation for the Retail Quarter Upgrade was undertaken as part of the project. Engagement as part of the Detail Business Case and from the Central City Advisory Group as well as previous engagement regarding parking, were incorporated in the design. The George Street designs were presented to Council in March 2021. The design report released onto the website at the time includes a specific section on parking. Additional pre-construction workshops related to the Knox block were undertaken and resulted on a substantial redesign of this block.
40 The changes related to the Enabling Works were consulted in early April 2022.
Parking counts- Retail Quarter Upgrade and Enabling Works
41 The Retail Quarter includes a loss of seven parks related to the enabling works, a gain of one park for the Farmers block, and a net loss of 12 parks on the Knox block to improve safety and amenity.
Before |
After |
Net |
|
Enabling works |
40 |
33 |
-7 |
Farmers block |
16 |
17 |
1 |
Knox block |
32 |
20 |
-12 |
Including additional car parks gained in side streets to offset the loss on the Knox block |
OPTIONS
42 Two options are proposed. The recommended option is to proceed with some or all of the proposed changes to the GIS database, and option two is maintaining the status quo.
Option One – Approve some or all of the proposed changes (recommended option)
43 That the Committee approves some or all of the proposed changes to the traffic and parking controls database.
Advantages
· Improves safety, efficiency and access on the transport network by:
- enabling property access by prohibiting obstructive parking, making existing parking controls clearer, and providing for access to new driveways
- providing an improved and enforceable framework of parking restrictions
- providing appropriate length of parking stay according to the surrounding land uses
- increasing visibility at intersections.
· Improves public transport infrastructure by providing bus stops to support bus services and enables buses to safely enter and exit bus stops.
· Contributes to achieving an integrated, affordable responsive, effective and safe transport network.
Disadvantages
· Costs of installation.
Option Two – Status Quo
44 Retain the parking restrictions without amendment.
Advantages
· Council resources can be allocated to other transport projects.
Disadvantages
· Does not improve efficiency and access to the transport network.
· Does not improve safety or reduce conflict points.
· Does not contribute to the Integrated Transport Strategy goals.
NEXT STEPS
45 If the Committee recommends the changes to traffic and parking controls, a report of the proposed changes will be brought before Council for approval.
46 If Council approves the recommended changes to parking restrictions, these will be implemented through appropriate signs and road markings and restrictions will be enforced under the Traffic and Parking Bylaw.
Signatories
Author: |
Paula Barragan - Policy Analyst - Transport Regulation |
Authoriser: |
Jeanine Benson - Group Manager Transport Robert West - General Manager Corporate and Quality |
|
Title |
Page |
⇩a |
General Parking Changes-Minor Changes TPC34. |
21 |
⇩b |
General parking changes-Feedback summary |
35 |
⇩c |
General Parking Changes-Corrections TPC35 |
81 |
⇩d |
General Parking Changes zones |
83 |
⇩e |
Diagrams Princes Street |
84 |
⇩f |
Diagram Gladstone Road |
87 |
⇩g |
Diagram Newington Avenue |
88 |
⇩h |
Albany Street Connection-Proposed parking changes-TPC32 |
89 |
⇩i |
Albany Street Connection maps |
95 |
⇩j |
Albany Street Connection-Feedback summary 2022 |
97 |
⇩k |
Enabling Works-Proposed parking changes TPC36 |
119 |
⇩l |
Enabling Works maps |
124 |
⇩m |
George Street-Proposed parking changes TPC36 |
134 |
⇩n |
George Street maps |
146 |
SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS
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Fit with purpose of Local Government This decision enables democratic local decision making and action by, and on behalf of communities. This decision promotes the social and economic well-being of communities in the present and for the future. |
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Fit with strategic framework
Improvements to traffic and parking restrictions supports a safe, efficient and accessible transport network, and supports the social and economic wellbeing of Dunedin communities. |
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Māori Impact Statement Mana whenua have expressed support for a safe and efficient transport network. |
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Sustainability Parking control changes improve efficiency and access to the transport network, which contribute to sustainability goals. |
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LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy There are no implications. |
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Financial considerations Costs for implementing the proposed changes are covered by existing budgets. |
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Significance The report is considered of low significance in terms of the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy. |
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Engagement – external There has been engagement with affected parties. |
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Engagement - internal There has been engagement with transport and parking services staff. |
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Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc. Many of the proposed changes aim to improve safety of vulnerable users of the transport network. |
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Conflict of Interest There are no known conflicts of interest. |
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Community Boards Otago Peninsula Community Board has been informed of the relevant proposal (Harington Point Road). Staff have liaised with the Chair of the Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board for the change at 172 Gordon Road. |