Options for future Wakatipu Park and Ride Services

Community engagement summary and preferred option

Have your say at

letstalk.qldc.govt.nz

by 8 February 2021

How we’ve progressed

Back in August we asked for feedback on five options for future Park and Ride locations in the Wakatipu Basin. We also asked what you considered important if you were to choose to use a Park and Ride service.

Over the four week period we had:

The Way to Go group (Queenstown Lakes District Council, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and Otago Regional Council) has been making good progress to plan for future Wakatipu Park and Ride services.

We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to share their thoughts on the short list of options we presented

in August/September 2020. Since we last talked, we’ve been analysing community feedback and other technical information to determine the best option(s) to take forward.

We’re now checking in to share the narrowed down options and to see what you think.

A snapshot of the feedback

Where have we landed?

We received a lot of feedback and there were some clear themes. You said you want:

Based on your feedback we have narrowed down our options for proposed Wakatipu Park and Ride facilities. These are proposed in three stages:

So why these options?

Check out all the feedback at letstalk.qldc.govt.nz

To not have any Park and Ride

facilities at Jack’s Point

To have frequent buses and fast journey times from any Park and Ride service

To have a sheltered waiting area at

any Park and Ride facility

To have a good public

transport system

YOU SAID… SO WE...

The Council-owned land at Ladies Mile is a convenient location for commuters coming from Wānaka and Cromwell.

However, the area needs community facilities and the site could be better used for these purposes.

The visual effects of this site on the gateway to Queenstown could be considerable.

Are working alongside the Ladies Mile Masterplan team to best meet all needs of the community by integrating with other facilities. For example, Park and Ride may serve as a transport hub for daily commuters while providing parking for weekend and evening sports field users.

With careful design and appropriate landscaping and planting, visual effects will be kept to a minimum and even enhance the area.

A site on the Southern Corridor to the north of planned residential developments would have the largest catchment.

Are exploring feasible sites in this location. It is intended to become a future transport hub, integrating with other proposed transport upgrades like the potential ferry terminal at Remarkables Park Riverside precinct, Active Travel Network Kawarau River crossing and a possible partnership with commercial operators.

The site at Jacks Point would be inappropriate and would compromise the amenity and character of the area and restrictive covenants prevent such a development on the site.

Acknowledge these concerns and have ruled this option out.

The Alec Robins Road site may not be the best location for a Park and Ride on the eastern corridor.

Tested 12 alternative sites and found the Alec Robins Road site to best meet requirements with the least impacts. The site is well located to be attractive for regional commuters in the future, being closer to destinations minimising bus journeys but far enough to avoid congestion from the Shotover Bridge.

The Arrow Junction site would be a good location for a Park and Ride service.

Are considering this as a future site and how best to integrate with existing/planned bus services.

We’re also asking for feedback on future improvements to walking tracks and trails. Check out letstalk.qldc.govt.nz for more details on this project.

158ONLINE

SURVEYS 980LET’S TALK WEBSITE

HITS 96.8%

3.2%

8WRITTEN

SUBMISSIONS

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Hanley’s Farm /

Jack’s Point

Lake Hayes Estate /

Shotover Country

Arrowtown Rest of Wakatipu

Basin

Other

Where those surveyed live

STAGE ONE Ladies Mile Council-owned land. This would be integrated with the Ladies Mile Masterplan project currently underway. Check out a concept plan at letstalk.qldc.govt.nz

STAGE TWO Future Park and Ride facilities either on the Southern Corridor (close to State Highway 6, between Hanleys Farm and the Kawarau Falls bridge), or further out on the eastern corridor depending on growth and demand anticipated to be around 2030. A location along the Southern Corridor provides the opportunity to integrate with planned Active Travel and 3 Waters projects.

STAGE THREE Future Park and Ride facilities and/or expansion of existing sites beyond 2030 as growth and demand requires.

WERE VISITORS FROM NZ

OF RESPONDENTS WERE LOCAL PEOPLE FROM THE WAKATIPU AREA

Once we’ve received your feedback on our narrowed down options, we’ll finalise our Business Case for consideration by our partners. This will be used to apply for funding for designing the option in detail for construction.

Have we got it right? Frequently asked questionsThe response from our earlier engagement was split between support and opposition for Park and Ride. We want to make sure we don’t provide something the community doesn’t want or need.

However, it’s also important to consider the future consequences of not having Park and Ride in Queenstown. With ongoing growth, there are expected to be 40% more cars on Queenstown’s roads by 2028 (even with upcoming transport improvements). Park and Ride services can play a key role in improving the wider transport network and providing better access to public

Will Park and Ride increase local congestion? Ultimately it is traffic on the highway causing congestion – the intention is to get people on buses before they reach SH6. Traffic volumes on Howards Drive will likely increase but access into the Park and Ride will be uninhibited by traffic on the highway, thus causing less delay for Park and Ride users. Buses will be supported by bus lanes, enabling them to avoid existing delays on SH6. People that need to use their cars will benefit from fewer vehicles being on the highway as others shift to public transport.

Why is Park and Ride needed on Ladies Mile if Lake Hayes Estate and Shotover Country already have a bus route? The current bus route doesn’t serve the outer reaches of these areas (>10min walk to bus stop). The Ladies Mile site is well located to capture regional trips that otherwise couldn’t use public transport with the added benefit of improving access to public transport for locals.

transport services, particularly for those away from bus routes or commuting from neighbouring towns. This gives people more opportunity to use public transport and ultimately reduces congestion and demand for car parking in the centre of town.

With that in mind, do you think the narrowed down options for future Park and Ride services seem like a good approach for Queenstown?

What happens next?

Why don’t you improve local buses instead? The existing Lake Hayes Estate route is already circuitous and extending it would add more time to bus journeys, making it less attractive to users. Increasing the frequency of the service is expensive relative to the number of extra passengers and wouldn’t make it easier to use for people who live further away.

What will happen if Park and Ride services aren’t provided? We need to get 40% of travel in Queenstown by non-car modes by 2028. If we don’t, there will be much bigger delays on the roads, it will be harder to get where we need to when we need to and the economy will begin to stagnate (the impact on Queenstown’s economy of not fixing the transport system has been estimated at $750m by 2048). While only part of the solution, Park and Ride is the only way of providing access to public transport to people who commute regionally or don’t live near bus stops.

Let us know at

letstalk.qldc.govt.nz

by 8 February 2021

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SH6–FRANKTON LADIES MILE HIGHWAY

HOW

ARDS

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What would the Park and Ride facilities at the Ladies Mile site look like?Car access to the site will be from the slip lane on SH6 (for regional and Arrowtown users) and via roundabout 1 on Howards Drive. Roundabout 3 has been designed as a ‘teardrop’ to reduce issues between vehicles entering the car park, vehicles circulating the car park and through traffic.

Walking and cycling connections will be improved to provide better access to Lake Hayes Estate via a new shared path on the eastern side of Howards Drive and

CARPARK (206 SPACES) WALKING / CYCLING CONNECTIONS

WALKING / CYCLING CONNECTION TO LADIES MILE MASTER PLAN SITE

PLAZA (TICKETING, BIKE RACKS, SECURITY, SHOPS ETC)

CAR CIRCULATIONBUS STOP

ARROWTOWN BUS TO FRANKTON

LAKE HAYES BUS FROM FRANKTON

DROP OFF ONLY

ARROWTOWN BUS EASTBOUND

LAKE HAYES BUS EASTBOUND

connections through to Ladies Mile Masterplan site integrating with future land uses such as sports fields. New connections will also be provided to Queenstown Country Club to the West and potential development on the northern side of Ladies Mile.

An additional stop was considered on the southern side of the facility but was omitted so that passengers would not have to cross the road and all services could board and alight from the same stop.

Smarter journeys, togetherWaka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Otago Regional Council are working together to provide you with a transport network that is safe,

connected, supports business and helps you get the most out of life. Our group, known as Way to Go, recognises that all three agencies have an important role in driving

transport improvements for the Queenstown Lakes District. To read more about the investigations underway, head to www.qldc.govt.nz/way-to-go

Have your say at

letstalk.qldc.govt.nz

by 8 February 2021