Kia ora Allan,

I acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 28
January 2024 for information relating to Tasman District Council's road
maintenance budget.

 

You have requested:

Context:

On the 28th December 2023, Auckland City Council Rodney Board Member Geoff
Upson wrote the following on his "Geoff Upson Road Safety Campaigner"
public Facebook Page:

 

"When your council used all the road maintenance budget building cycle
lanes… They are increasing the likelihood of a crash by letting unsafe
bumps go un repaired on the highways.

Photo from East Tākaka. (South Island NZ) Imagine hitting that doing
100km/h on a motorbike… 🏍️😳

…

Apparently there’s a collapsed culvert under the highway here which is
causing the speed bump to form."

 

This is the link to the post:

[1]https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story...

 

Information Request:

1. For the Tasman District Council, is the Auckland City Council Elected
Member Geoff Upson's statement "council used all the road maintenance
budget building cycle lanes" truthful?

 

2. If Elected Member Geoff Upson's statement is not truthful, can you
please provide a financial breakdown of the budget for the 2023/2024 year
stating the dollar amount budgeted for the following:

   * Road maintenance (operational expense).

   * Road maintenance (capital cost).

   * Proportion of road maintenance budget allocated to cycle lanes
(operational expense).

   * Proportion of road maintenance budget allocated to cycle lanes
(capital cost).

 

2a. For the dollar amounts budgeted above, is the actual spending tracking
near the budget?  i.e., are there any significant deviations as at the
time this OIA request is being responded to?

 

3. Once cycling infrastructure is constructed (be it a cycle lane,
cycleway, or shared path) and based on the most well used example in the
Tasman District Council region, what is the dollar cost per km per year
from the physical damage to the surface caused by bicycles.

 

4. In general, does cycling infrastructure (be it a cycle lane, cycleway,
or shared path) improve safety for road users and therefore reduce the
likelihood of a crash?  Please provide links to research or case studies
that support your position on this.

 

5. The specific location mentioned in Elected Member Geoff Upston's
Facebook post is 40°56'00.0"S 172°49'43.8"E (plus code on Google Maps
3R8H+MG8 East Tākaka) which is near 532 East Tākaka Road.  Did Elected
Member Geoff Upston raise the uneven road as a safety issue with the
Tasman District Council?
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 28 February 2024 being 20 working days after the
day your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request
by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe. For
requests that are likely to involve substantial collation and/or research,
there may be a charge for staff time, however if this is the case, we will
advise you before we process your request.

Your request is being handled by the Legal and Democracy Services team. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact the team on
[2][email address]. If any additional factors come to light which
are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us so that
these can be taken into account.

Yours sincerely,
Legal Services Officer

 

 ​​​​
LGOIMA
LGOIMA Requests
Call  +64 3 543 8400   |   [3][Tasman District Council request email]
Private Bag 4, Richmond 7050, NZ
[4][IMG] [5][IMG]
This e-mail message and any attached files may contain confidential
information, and may be subject to legal professional privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, please delete
​

show quoted sections

Kia ora Allan,
I refer to your official information request dated 29 January 2024. The
information you have requested is below: 

 

Context:

On the 28th December 2023, Auckland City Council Rodney Board Member Geoff
Upson wrote the following on his "Geoff Upson Road Safety Campaigner"
public Facebook Page:

 

"When your council used all the road maintenance budget building cycle
lanes… They are increasing the likelihood of a crash by letting unsafe
bumps go un repaired on the highways.

Photo from East Tākaka. (South Island NZ) Imagine hitting that doing
100km/h on a motorbike… 🏍️😳

…

Apparently there’s a collapsed culvert under the highway here which is
causing the speed bump to form."

 

This is the link to the post:

[1]https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story...

 

Information Request:

 1. For the Tasman District Council, is the Auckland City Council Elected
Member Geoff Upson's statement "council used all the road maintenance
budget building cycle lanes" truthful?
No. The Tasman District Council’s road maintenance budget has not been
affected by the development of cycle lanes

 

 2. If Elected Member Geoff Upson's statement is not truthful, can you
please provide a financial breakdown of the budget for the 2023/2024
year stating the dollar amount budgeted for the following:
These figures represent our New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)
co-funded programme. For the purpose of this response, capital
includes renewal, and maintenance excludes emergency works as defined
and funded by NZTA.

 

+ Road maintenance (operational expense).
$11,069,115

 

+ Road maintenance (capital cost).
$9,059,441

 

+ Proportion of road maintenance budget allocated to cycle lanes
(operational expense).
$33,448 or 0.3%

 

+ Proportion of road maintenance budget allocated to cycle lanes
(capital cost).
$46,487 or 0.5% (resurfacing of existing cycle lanes). Cycle
lane construction in Tasman is funded from several
non-maintenance sources:

o Government’s Carbon Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
o NZTA’s Streets for People fund
o NZTA’s Low Cost Low Risk fund
o Government’s Better Off Funding
o Council capital funding

 

 a. For the dollar amounts budgeted above, is the actual spending
tracking near the budget?  i.e., are there any significant deviations
as at the time this OIA request is being responded to?
Road maintenance costs are tracking higher than budgeted, this is due
to increased sealed road maintenance works, and slip and fallen tree
cleanup work.

 

 3. Once cycling infrastructure is constructed (be it a cycle lane,
cycleway, or shared path) and based on the most well used example in
the Tasman District Council region, what is the dollar cost per km per
year from the physical damage to the surface caused by bicycles.
The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA)
enables people to request official information from local government
agencies, including Tasman District Council. However, the LGOIMA only
applies to information that is already held by Council. There is no
obligation on Council to create information in order to respond to a
request. 

The information you are seeking with regards to question three in this
case is not held by Council but would need to be created in order to
respond to your request. I am therefore refusing your request with regards
to question thgree under section 17(g) of the LGOIMA, because Council does
not hold any official information.  

We should note, it is widely acknowledged in road engineering that damage
to roads is almost exclusively caused by heavy motor vehicles, and
environmental factors (water, UV)

 

 4. In general, does cycling infrastructure (be it a cycle lane, cycleway,
or shared path) improve safety for road users and therefore reduce the
likelihood of a crash?  Please provide links to research or case
studies that support your position on this.
Please find a link to the Tasman District Council’s Walking and
Cycling Strategy - [2]Walking and Cycling Strategy | Tasman District
Council.

The document above outlines why the Tasman District Council's proposes
to invest in infrastructure such as cycle lanes.

One of the primary reasons for creating cycle lanes is to improve the
safety of cyclists and to provide a sense of security for those who
wish to cycle.

Waka Kotahi’s Cycling Action Plan includes references to research on
cyclist safety - [3]Waka Kotahi Cycling Action Plan - March 2023
(nzta.govt.nz)

 

 5. The specific location mentioned in Elected Member Geoff Upston's
Facebook post is 40°56'00.0"S 172°49'43.8"E (plus code on Google Maps
3R8H+MG8 East Tākaka) which is near 532 East Tākaka Road.  Did Elected
Member Geoff Upston raise the uneven road as a safety issue with the
Tasman District Council?
The Tasman District Council holds no record of a service request being
received from Geoff Upson. However, the particular bump in question
has been identified by Council and is programmed for repair this
summer.

 

If you are not satisfied with Council’s response, you have the right to
seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman. Information about how
to make a complaint is available at [4]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602. 

 

If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact
the Legal and Democracy Services team on [5][email address].  

 

Yours sincerely 

Legal Services Officer
 

 ​​​​
LGOIMA
LGOIMA Requests
Call  +64 3 543 8400   |   [6][Tasman District Council request email]
Private Bag 4, Richmond 7050, NZ
[7][IMG] [8][IMG]
This e-mail message and any attached files may contain confidential
information, and may be subject to legal professional privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, please delete
​

From: LGOIMA
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2024 9:11 AM
To: Allan Taunt <[9][FOI #25547 email]>
Subject: LGOIMA request - Road maintenance budget and cycle ways - Allan
Taunt - Reference: 1702

 

Kia ora Allan,

I acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 28
January 2024 for information relating to Tasman District Council's road
maintenance budget.

 

You have requested:

Context:

On the 28th December 2023, Auckland City Council Rodney Board Member Geoff
Upson wrote the following on his "Geoff Upson Road Safety Campaigner"
public Facebook Page:

 

"When your council used all the road maintenance budget building cycle
lanes… They are increasing the likelihood of a crash by letting unsafe
bumps go un repaired on the highways.

Photo from East Tākaka. (South Island NZ) Imagine hitting that doing
100km/h on a motorbike… 🏍️😳

…

Apparently there’s a collapsed culvert under the highway here which is
causing the speed bump to form."

 

This is the link to the post:

[10]https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story...

 

Information Request:

1. For the Tasman District Council, is the Auckland City Council Elected
Member Geoff Upson's statement "council used all the road maintenance
budget building cycle lanes" truthful?

 

2. If Elected Member Geoff Upson's statement is not truthful, can you
please provide a financial breakdown of the budget for the 2023/2024 year
stating the dollar amount budgeted for the following:

   * Road maintenance (operational expense).

   * Road maintenance (capital cost).

   * Proportion of road maintenance budget allocated to cycle lanes
(operational expense).

   * Proportion of road maintenance budget allocated to cycle lanes
(capital cost).

 

2a. For the dollar amounts budgeted above, is the actual spending tracking
near the budget?  i.e., are there any significant deviations as at the
time this OIA request is being responded to?

 

3. Once cycling infrastructure is constructed (be it a cycle lane,
cycleway, or shared path) and based on the most well used example in the
Tasman District Council region, what is the dollar cost per km per year
from the physical damage to the surface caused by bicycles.

 

4. In general, does cycling infrastructure (be it a cycle lane, cycleway,
or shared path) improve safety for road users and therefore reduce the
likelihood of a crash?  Please provide links to research or case studies
that support your position on this.

 

5. The specific location mentioned in Elected Member Geoff Upston's
Facebook post is 40°56'00.0"S 172°49'43.8"E (plus code on Google Maps
3R8H+MG8 East Tākaka) which is near 532 East Tākaka Road.  Did Elected
Member Geoff Upston raise the uneven road as a safety issue with the
Tasman District Council?
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 28 February 2024 being 20 working days after the
day your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request
by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe. For
requests that are likely to involve substantial collation and/or research,
there may be a charge for staff time, however if this is the case, we will
advise you before we process your request.

Your request is being handled by the Legal and Democracy Services team. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact the team on
[11][email address]. If any additional factors come to light which
are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us so that
these can be taken into account.

Yours sincerely,
Legal Services Officer

 

show quoted sections