Latter-day Saints (LDS) project team for approximately four years. My early work on

Transcription

1 IN THE MATTER OF the Resource Management Act 1991 AND IN THE MATTER OF an application by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Trust Board for the Temple View Project CDP1 and removal of DOM Building and privacy wall. STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF CAMERON BESWICK INDER ON BEHALF OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS TRUST BOARD INTRODUCTION 1. My full name is Cameron Beswick Inder and I hold the position of Transportation Engineer at Bloxam Burnett & Olliver, a firm of consulting engineers, planners and surveyors based in Hamilton. I have held this position since I hold the Qualifications of Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) degree with Honours from the University of Auckland (1999). 3. I have seventeen years experience in transportation/traffic engineering gained through employment in New Zealand and the UK. 4. I have been working on the Temple View project with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) project team for approximately four years. My early work on 1

2 the project involved the assessment of transportation effects of the Mendenhall Library upgrade, the new Stake Centre building, the housing developments on the west side of Tuhikaramea Road and the Tuhikaramea Road upgrade. I have subsequently been the project manager for the civil engineering construction works of these projects, while continuing to be involved in the transportation assessment of the proposed CDP2, CDP1 and Waipa Bolt-on developments. I was responsible for preparing the transportation assessment that accompanied this Application. 5. I have been asked by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Trust Board (Trust Board) to prepare this brief statement of evidence to summarise the key matters of the Application relevant to my expertise. 6. This evidence is intended to supplement the information contained in the Application and the assessment of environmental effects (AEE). 7. I confirm that I have read the Code of Conduct for Expert Witnesses contained in the Environment Court Practice Note and that I agree to comply with it. I confirm that I have considered all the material facts that I am aware of that might alter or detract from the opinions that I express, and that this evidence is within my area of expertise. SCOPE OF EVIDENCE 8. In my evidence, I will: (a) Provide an overview of the traffic assessment for the proposed CDP1 development; (b) Address the transportation effects of the proposed CDP1 development and any mitigation proposed; (c) Address submitter comments and concerns in relation to traffic; (d) Address any traffic related issues from the Officer's Report; (e) Provide comments on the draft conditions; and (f) Provide my conclusions. 2

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9. In my opinion the transportation effects of the proposed Temple View CDP1 development have been appropriately assessed. The local road network including the upgraded Tuhikaramea Road in Temple View has been designed to accommodate the full development traffic, along with appropriate walking and cycling and public transport provisions such that the transportation effects will be less than minor. 10. A Private Developer Agreement (PDA) between the Church and Hamilton City Council (HCC) is an appropriate mechanism to ensure the wider network effects of CDP1 traffic are mitigated in future, since the timing and final form of intersection improvements cannot be confirmed at this time. The PDA will ensure that any improvements and the apportionment of costs are identified at a time closer to when the CDP1 development traffic effects occur and the road controlling authorities have more certainty about intersection upgrades. 11. Accordingly, I am satisfied that the wider network traffic effects will be appropriately mitigated by the proposed condition requiring a PDA between HCC and the Church, along with the monitoring condition, subject to my suggested amendments in paragraphs 45 and 46 of my evidence. PROPOSED CDP1 DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW Background 12. Temple View is located on Tuhikaramea Road to the south of Hamilton City. Tuhikaramea Road has been upgraded over the past two years as part of the Stake Centre, Mendenhall Library and Legacy Park developments on the ex-church College of New Zealand (CCNZ) site. These works were consented in late The upgrade works involved a fundamental redesign of the road, including three new roundabouts, shared walking and cycling paths, new on-street parking bays, replacement of all storm water and communications services, and replacement of almost the entire road pavement. This work has been carried out by the Church at its own expense, even though analysis had shown that much of the existing Tuhikaramea Road pavement had no life left in it 1 at the time the upgrade began. 1 Remaining pavement life in years is an output of the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) analysis of the existing pavement condition. This gives a prediction of the number of years before full rehabilitation of the pavement is due. 3

4 Proposal as assessed 13. The proposed CDP1 development is located at the northern end of the former CCNZ land on the eastern side of Tuhikaramea Road. The proposal is for a residential development consisting of approximately 106 lots (of which approximately 36 are senior housing). The development will also include approximately 517m 2 of retail development and a 200m 2 childcare centre. 14. The proposed CDP1 development will have access to Tuhikaramea Road via two existing roundabouts (completed as part of the Tuhikaramea Road upgrade): one located at Foster Road and the other located just north of Cowley Drive. An additional T-intersection will also be constructed just south of Cowley Drive. These will be constructed to the standards found in the Hamilton City Infrastructure Technical Specifications and to comply with the Hamilton City District Plan. Therefore, I support the design and location of the proposed access intersections. 15. The internal roads of the CDP1 development have been designed to be consistent with the already consented CDP2 development adjacent to CDP1 to the south. The CDP2 roads were designed with a strong focus on good urban design, and the design has been agreed on by HCC. Consequently, I support the design of the internal roads for the CDP1 development. 16. The proposed CDP1 development is predicted to generate approximately 1320 vehicle trips per day and approximately 205 vehicles trips in each of the morning and evening peak hours. 17. The CDP1 development is part of the wider Temple View project that also includes the CDP2 development (already consented) and development of an adjacent area of land previously within Waipa district (referred to as the Waipa bolt-on) that is expected to undergo a Plan Change process in late For completeness, my assessment of effects includes the traffic generated by the entire Temple View project development area (including Waipa bolt-on) with a total of approximately 3500 vehicle trips per day and 480 vehicle trips in each of the morning and evening peak hours. Method of assessment 18. I have used the total trip generation numbers mentioned in paragraph 17 above to assess the traffic effects on the local road network, including the access intersections 4

5 and internal roads. However, for the wider road network, I have assumed that trips generated by the retail and childcare facilities do not use the wider transportation network (i.e. they are internal trips within Temple View village). I believe this to be a reasonable assumption, as it is unlikely that people will travel large distances to use these local facilities. Furthermore, other community facilities such as the Kai Hall, Stake Centre and the Mendenhall History Centre are also likely to generate many internal trips. Therefore, in my opinion the number of trips assessed as using the wider traffic network is a conservative estimate. 19. To determine the distribution of these trips on the wider transport network, a number plate survey was carried out on Wednesday 30/11/2016 and Thursday 01/12/2016. The dates were agreed with HCC and the New Zealand Transport Agency and careful analysis was done to ensure that traffic volumes were not significantly affected by senior school students being on exam leave. 20. The number plate survey enabled the existing traffic distribution patterns to be determined. Ie the current directional split of traffic to and from Temple View. Temple View traffic is generated by approximately 225 existing residential lots accessing Tuhikaramea Road via Cowley Drive and Foster Road. The results show that approximately 67% and 76% of traffic in the AM peak and PM peak respectively, is coming from / heading to the north (Hamilton). The remaining traffic heads south towards the Collins Road intersection. Of the traffic to and from the north, approximately 65% travels through the Dinsdale roundabout, with most of the remainder using Kahikatea Drive Extension. This is shown in diagrammatic form in Figures 1 and Figure 2 on the following page. In my opinion, there is no reason that future traffic patterns for the CDP1 development will differ significantly from this existing traffic pattern in Temple View. 21. The results of the number plate survey also demonstrated that the Temple View residential area generates on average approximately 1.16 trips per lot in the AM peak hour (260 total trips) and 1.01 trips per lot in the PM peak hour (230 total). These rates are consistent with the trip generation rate used to assess the proposed CDP1 development. 22. I have used this survey information to assess the effects of the proposed development at three key intersections on the wider network near Temple View. These intersections are listed below and shown on Figure 1: Tuhikaramea Road / Collins Road / Koromatua Road 5

6 The Dinsdale Roundabout Tuhikaramea Road / Gibson Road / Kahikatea Drive 23. I have assessed the intersections mentioned in paragraph 22 with predicted traffic flows for the year 2041 to identify any transportation effects of the full Temple View project. To predict traffic volumes for 2041, I have assumed a background growth rate of 1% on all surrounding roads, in addition to the additional traffic generated by the Temple View project. The 1% growth rate is consistent with past growth rates on surrounding roads. 24. I have not used the Waikato Regional Transport Model (WRTM) as a predictor of local effects in 2041 as the model does not include any residential growth areas in Temple View. Also, the WRTM coding is very coarse (low accuracy) in this part of Hamilton. However, as a high-level model it is useful for showing the potential impact of the future Hamilton Bypass and Southern Links road corridors (two major new road projects in the next years) on traffic volumes through Temple View. The WRTM shows that both these projects have little impact on future 2041 traffic flows through Temple View. 6

7 Figure 1: Plan showing the three key intersections relative to Temple View Dinsdale Roundabout Hamilton Kahikatea Drive / Tuhikaramea Road / Gibson Road Intersections Temple View Temple View CDP1 Project Colins Road / Tuhikaramea Road Intersection 7

8 Figure 2 AM network percentage splits 8

9 Figure 3: PM network percentage splits 9

10 TRANSPORTATION EFFECTS OF THE PROPOSED CDP1 DEVELOPMENT Local network effects 25. The predicted peak hour flow on Tuhikaramea Road could rise to 1100 vehicles per hour in a worst-case scenario. Theoretical capacities of 2,400 to 2,800 passenger car units (pcu) per hour per lane can be calculated where there are uninterrupted flows, and pcu per hour per lane are practical capacities where there is other interaction with corridor constraints such as accesses and parking. Tuhikaramea Road between Temple View and Hamilton in my opinion has sufficient capacity to accommodate the total baseline traffic (including CDP2) plus that generated by CDP 1 and the Waipa Bolt-On. 26. The local road network that the development will use to access Tuhikaramea Road in Temple View has been designed to accommodate the CDP1 development traffic. This network includes the two new roundabouts recently constructed on Tuhikaramea Road. I have modelled these roundabouts using SIDRA intersection, and the results show that Tuhikaramea Road will operate at no worse than level of service A (the highest possible level of service) under the full development of the Temple View project. 27. Consequently, in my opinion the predicted transportation effects on the local road network within Temple View village are negligible. Wider network effects 28. As discussed above, there are three key intersections in the wider network that I expect will be affected by traffic generated by the Temple View project. These are identified in Figure 1. I will address each intersection in turn. 29. The Dinsdale roundabout is the intersection of five roads including two designated as State Highway 23. The roundabout presently performs poorly on some approaches during the weekday commuter peak periods. The PM peak experiences long queues on Tuhikaramea Road while Whatawhata Road and Dinsdale Road experience long queues in the AM peak period. In 2016 the NZ Transport Agency completed some safety improvement works that reduced the roundabout's capacity. However in the last month they reinstated a second approach lane to the Tuhikaramea Road approach which in my opinion, based on SIDRA modelling results and observations before the safety works were done, will help to improve the capacity of this approach. 10

11 30. It is my opinion that in 2041 the performance of the roundabout will be poor in the AM and PM peak periods, regardless of whether traffic generated by the Temple View project is included in the assessment. Without Temple View development traffic added, both the Killarney Street and Rifle Range Road approaches are predicted to operate at level of service F with 95th percentile queue lengths of 1008m on Rifle Range Road and 536m on Killarney Street. With the addition of Temple View CDP1 traffic (which is approximately 3% of the total traffic using the roundabout), these queues increase to 1438m and 596m respectively. The remaining three approaches operate at level of service A. The change in queue length is disproportionate to the small volume increase associated with Temple View CDP1 because average delays increase exponentially when an approach is at or near capacity. In my opinion, the 2041 Level of Service F and 500m+ queue lengths without CDP1 traffic means an upgrade to this roundabout will be required regardless of whether Temple View project traffic is included. 31. Crash prediction models predict that the addition of Temple View CDP1 traffic has the effect of increasing the number of injury crashes by 0.22 over a five-year period (ie. 1 additional injury crash per 23 years). Therefore in my opinion, the addition of Temple View CDP1 traffic will have a negligible effect on the safety of the Dinsdale Roundabout. Furthermore, the NZ Transport Agency has recently undertaken work at the Dinsdale Roundabout to improve safety, which is not accounted for in the crash prediction models. 32. The Tuhikaramea Road / Collins Road / Koromatua Road intersection has similar issues to the Dinsdale Roundabout, with the side roads (Collins Road and Koromatua Road) operating at a poor level of service in 2041 without Temple View CDP1 traffic. The addition of Temple View CDP1 traffic further reduces this performance, but again, by a disproportionate amount due to the already existing capacity issues. As with the Dinsdale Roundabout, the impact of the additional traffic from CDP1 on the safety of this intersection is expected to be negligible relative to the 2041 baseline situation. HCC is already aware of this intersection s potential safety issues (being a 4-leg cross roads intersection) however at this stage, I understand HCC has no current plans that identify what a suitable upgrade may be. 33. The Tuhikaramea Road / Gibson Road / Kahikatea Drive intersection is actually two T intersections approximately 30m apart. Due to this close spacing each needs to be considered in context with the other, so I have referred to them as one intersection. This intersection has a similar situation to the aforementioned intersections, with a poor level 11

12 of service on Kahikatea Drive and Gibson Road approaches in 2041 without the addition of Temple View CDP1 traffic. The addition of Temple View CDP1 traffic then further reduces the performance, but again, by a disproportionate amount to the traffic volume increase by CDP1 due to the existing approach capacities having already been exceeded. This highlights that there is a need for planned improvements to the intersection regardless of the addition of CDP1 traffic. However, similar to the aforementioned intersections, relative to the 2041 baseline situation the impact of the small increase in traffic associated with CDP1 on the safety of this intersection is expected to be negligible. 34. Overall, it is my opinion that with the background traffic growth through to 2041, the upgrade works to the three intersections mentioned above will need to be undertaken regardless of whether there is additional traffic from the Temple View CDP1 project. However, the addition of Temple View CDP1 traffic will expedite the necessity of these upgrades. Proposed mitigation 35. As part of the assessment, I have considered some potential upgrade solutions to the three intersections that will address the traffic effects of both the background growth through to 2041 and the addition of Temple View CDP1 traffic. I have consulted with HCC as to the form and purpose of these upgrades, as well as the NZ Transport Agency in regards to the Dinsdale Roundabout. 36. The Tuhikaramea Road / Gibson Road / Kahikatea Drive intersection has two potential upgrade solutions: a signalised intersection or two small closely spaced roundabouts. Both of these solutions have the potential to accommodate 2041 traffic volumes, including traffic generated by the Temple View project. However, both of these upgrade solutions require widening of the road and possibly significant land area purchases. 37. The Tuhikaramea Road / Collins Road / Koromatua Road intersection is a difficult situation due to the cross-roads layout and location perched on a sharp ridgeline. There is really just one potentially viable upgrade solution that will accommodate 2041 traffic volumes including traffic from Temple View, and that is a roundabout. However, the location of the intersection on the ridge will require significant earthworks and potential land acquisition to provide the geometry requirements for a roundabout. 12

13 38. The Dinsdale Roundabout has several significant constraints on potential upgrades, including that the centre island currently houses a significant sewer pump station for the Dinsdale and Temple View areas. As a consequence there is no obvious solution or planned long term improvement at this time. Discussions with the NZ Transport Agency and the HCC indicated that they are aware of the potential capacity issues in future but a suitable upgrade or replacement solution is not currently known. 39. Due to the uncertainty around the timing and form of upgrades for these three intersections, to mitigate effects the offer of financial contributions via a PDA has been made by the LDS project team to HCC. The scope of the PDA will cover the Church s contribution to the costs of upgrading the aforementioned affected intersections, based on a proportion of the traffic using the intersection that comes from the Temple View CDP1 project. Using the 1% background growth rate, the proportion of Temple View CDP1 traffic in 2041 at each intersection in the AM and PM peak hour will be approximately: (a) Tuhikaramea Road/Collins Road/Koromatua Road 7%; (b) The Dinsdale Roundabout 3%; and (c) Tuhikaramea Road/Gibson Road/Kahikatea Drive 11%. COMMENTS ON SUBMISSIONS 40. There have been two submissions that pertain to traffic. The first submission was from the NZ Transport Agency, who are neutral on the proposal. They noted that the proposal will result in additional traffic onto the State Highway network, however overall they did not have any significant concerns with the proposal and its effects on the State Highway network. As outlined above I consulted the NZ Transport Agency during the preparation of my traffic assessment that accompanied the Application. 41. The second submission was from the Temple View NZ Heritage Society, who oppose the proposal on the grounds that no traffic assessment has been undertaken to look at the effects of additional vehicles on the Dinsdale Roundabout and other roads around Temple View. 42. In response to the latter submission, it is my opinion that the effects of the proposed development on the surrounding road network have been careful analysed and assessed in the Integrated Transport Assessment. Paragraphs 25 through 34 above outline the results of this assessment. 13

14 RESPONSE TO OFFICER'S REPORT 43. I have read the officer's s42a report and the traffic review evidence by Mr Alastair Black dated 29 March Paragraph 140 in the officers report requests a plan confirming which roads and lanes in Temple View CDP1 the Church expects to vest in HCC. Attachment A to my evidence provides this plan. This shows that apart from the cul-desac laneways in Precinct 4, the Church anticipates that all of the roads in CDP1 will be vested in HCC. COMMENTS ON DRAFT CONDITIONS 44. I have read the draft conditions that relate to transportation matters, and offer the follows comments. 45. In regards to draft condition 33 (traffic monitoring); I support the inclusion of a monitoring condition although I believe it needs amendment to ensure that traffic surveys by the LDS Church are not required indefinitely. To that end I recommend that the condition include that the final monitoring survey is to be undertaken 3 years after the last code compliance issued for construction in CDP1. That final monitoring survey will capture all CDP1 development traffic flows necessary for the LDS Church and HCC to confirm the intersection upgrade contributions. At that time the purpose of the monitoring condition will be met and therefore no further surveys are necessary. 46. In addition, for the same condition #33 the intersection identified in b (iii) Kahikatea Drive / Greenwood Street intersection is not one that we previously surveyed or assessed in the ITA. This intersection was initially considered in consultation with HCC and the NZ Transport Agency but it was agreed to not be of interest due to the future changes that will occur with the Southern Links project. Instead it was agreed that we survey the traffic volumes at the Kahikatea Drive / Higgins Road intersection to understand the traffic splits at that point in the network. Therefore, I believe the following amendment should apply: Condition 33 b (iii) Kahikatea Drive / Greenwood Street intersection Higgins Road intersection. CONCLUSION 47. In my opinion the transportation effects of the proposed Temple View CDP1 development have been appropriately assessed. The local road network including the 14

15 upgraded Tuhikaramea Road in Temple View has been designed to accommodate the full development traffic, along with appropriate walking and cycling and public transport provisions such that the transportation effects will be less than minor. 48. A PDA between the Church and HCC is an appropriate mechanism to ensure the wider network effects of CDP1 traffic are mitigated in future, since the timing and final form of intersection improvements cannot be confirmed at this time. The PDA will ensure that any improvements and the apportionment of costs are identified at a time closer to when the CDP1 development traffic effects occur and the road controlling authorities have more certainty about intersection upgrades. 49. Accordingly, I am satisfied that the wider network traffic effects will be appropriately mitigated by the proposed condition requiring a PDA between HCC and the Church, along with the monitoring condition, subject to my suggested amendments in paragraphs 45 and 46 of my evidence. Cameron Beswick Inder 11 April

16 CDP1 PRECINCT 4 RETAIL PRECINCT PRECINCT 3 PRECINCT 1 PRECINCT 2 PRECINCT 3 CDP2 BOLT ON CDP2 Project: Temple View CDP1 Client: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Project: Temple View CDP1, File Path: /Volumes/CONSTRUKT/ P R O J E C T S/TMPN/2.CONCEPT MASTERPLAN/ArchiCAD/PLN/TMPN Masterplan Campus V19 7.pln Drawing: PRECINCT PLAN Scale: 1:1250 N COPYRIGHT RESERVED BY CONSTRUKT ARCHITECTS LTD Sheet: CDP110 Date: 14/12/16 Rev: