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Milford Plan Change 34

Updated Integrated Transport Assessment

May 2011

Project: Milford Plan Change 34

Title: Updated Integrated Transport Assessment

Document Reference: S:\NZPG\001 Milford Plan Change\ITA Report\R1A110527.docx

Prepared by: Michelle Seymour/Sandy Halligan/Bronwyn Coomer-Smit

Reviewed by: Bronwyn Coomer- Smit

Revisions:

Date Status Reference Approved by Initials

27 May 2011 Final R1A110527 B Coomer-Smit

Milford Plan Change 34 Updated Integrated Transport Assessment i

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report provides an update to the Integrated Transportation Assessment (ITA) undertaken by SKM

in 2008 assessing the transport effects of proposed Plan Change 34 which seeks to allow for

intensification at the Milford Shopping Centre through the development of 250 residential units.

The main task undertaken as part of this update has been focused on updating the 2007 Paramics

models which were used to assess the traffic impacts of the proposed Plan Change. This has included

carrying out additional traffic demand surveys in August 2010, calibrating and validating the base

Paramics models in conjunction with Auckland Transport, producing Do-Minimum and Development

models and using the results predicted by the models to assess the traffic impact of the proposed Plan

Change. In addition to this the following matters have been included in this updated ITA to provide

further context and assessment of transportation effects with regard to proposed Plan Change 34.

A review and update of existing transport accessibility conditions of the Milford Shopping Centre

with regard to all modes of travel

A description of the transport planning and policy framework relevant to the proposed Plan

Change

A brief description of the transport aspects with regard to the existing Milford Shopping Centre,

the additional development that has been consented but not implemented, and the extent of

development that could be implemented under the proposed Plan Change

Additional assessments of transport impacts having regard to the relevant requirements of the

Auckland Regional Transport Authority’s ITA Guidelines1 including:

o Safety Assessment

o Accessibility Assessment

o Integration Assessment

o Traffic Assessment including a review of the trip generation and distribution

assumptions contained in the SKM ITA with regard to the peak period traffic generating

potential of a proposed development that could be enabled by the Plan Change and

the testing of this additional traffic using the update 2010 Paramics models

o Parking Assessment.

The assessment concludes that proposed Plan Change 34 is consistent with, and supports the key

national, regional and local transportation objectives and policies relating to site accessibility and

transportation sustainability, in as much as it promotes residential activity in a town centre and is also

situated on a major passenger transport route. The development of such residential opportunities

within town centres encourages more walk and cycle trips and together with the provision of good

passenger transport results in less private vehicular travel than if the activity was located out of a

centre, resulting in strategic transportation benefits.

1 Integrated Transport Assessments: Guidelines and Supplementary Documents, ARTA, October 2007

Milford Plan Change 34 Updated Integrated Transport Assessment ii

The traffic assessment has shown that while the proposed residential development will result in

additional private vehicular trips on the surrounding road network, the Paramics models predicts that

the difference in the operation of the road network during peak commuter periods between the Do

Minimum and Development model results is negligible. Accordingly, and also taking into account the

mixed use nature of the resulting development in the Milford town centre, it is considered that the

transport effects of proposed Plan Change 34 can be accommodated by the road, passenger transport

and walking network in a way that results in a safe and efficient transport environment.

Proposed Plan Change 34 promotes the provision of additional parking to support the proposed

development in accordance with the North Shore City Council District Plan parking requirements for

residential activities in mixed use town centres, including the use of shared parking to accommodate

visitor parking demand. This proposed parking provision conforms to parking demand management

principals through the proposed sharing of parking resources and will therefore avoid the excessive

provision of parking resources. Further the proposed parking provision in the context of serving

various activities in a mixed use environment, is consistent with regional and local parking strategies

and provides the opportunity to better integrate parking in the area.

In conclusion this updated ITA has reached similar conclusions to those reached in the SKM ITA namely

that proposed Plan Change 34 will have no more than minor effects on the safety and efficiency of the

surrounding road network and hence, from a transportation perspective, proposed Plan Change 34

should be supported.

Milford Plan Change 34 Updated Integrated Transport Assessment iii

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1

1.1 Background............................................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Scope of Works ...................................................................................................................... 1

2 SITE LOCATION AND EXISTING ROAD NETWORK ............................................................................. 3

3 ACCESSIBILITY ................................................................................................................................... 6

3.1 Private Vehicle Accessibility ................................................................................................... 6

3.2 Passenger Transport Accessibility .......................................................................................... 7

3.2.1 Passenger Transport Network ...................................................................................... 7

3.2.2 Bus Services .................................................................................................................. 8

3.2.3 Bus Facilities ............................................................................................................... 10

3.2.4 Passenger Transport Conclusions .............................................................................. 10

3.3 Walking and Cycling Accessibility ......................................................................................... 11

4 TRANSPORT PLANNING AND POLICY FRAMEWORK ...................................................................... 12

4.1 National Transport Strategies and Planning Documents ..................................................... 12

4.1.1 New Zealand Transport Strategy (Ministry of Transport, 2008) ................................ 12

4.1.2 Government Policy Statement (MoT, 2009, amended in November 2010) .............. 12

4.2 Regional Transport Strategies and Planning Documents ..................................................... 12

4.2.1 Auckland Regional Policy Statement (Auckland Regional Council, 1999) .................. 13

4.2.2 Auckland Regional Growth Strategy (Auckland Regional Council, 1999) .................. 14

4.2.3 Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy (Auckland Regional Council, 2010) ...... 14

4.2.4 Auckland Spatial Plan: Discussion Document (Auckland Council, 2011) ................... 15

4.3 Local Transport Strategies and Planning Documents .......................................................... 16

4.3.1 North Shore City Plan (NSCC 2009) ............................................................................ 16

4.3.2 North Shore City Walking & Cycling Strategies (NSCC 2009) ..................................... 17

5 THE MILFORD SHOPPING CENTRE .................................................................................................. 18

5.1 Existing Milford Shopping Centre ......................................................................................... 18

5.1.1 Site Layout and Access ............................................................................................... 18

5.1.2 Existing Parking Provision .......................................................................................... 18

5.1.3 Existing Parking Demand ............................................................................................ 19

5.2 Milford Shopping Centre Consented 2007 Redevelopment ................................................ 20

6 THE PROPOSED PLAN CHANGE ...................................................................................................... 22

7 TRANSPORT IMPACT ASSESSMENTS .............................................................................................. 23

7.1 Impact of Growth on Transportation Sustainability ............................................................ 23

7.2 Safety Assessment ................................................................................................................ 24

7.3 Accessibility Assessment ...................................................................................................... 25

7.4 Integration Assessment ........................................................................................................ 26

7.4.1 Planning and Policy Integration ................................................................................. 26

7.4.2 Integration between Travel Modes ........................................................................... 27

7.5 Traffic Impact Assessment ................................................................................................... 27

7.5.1 Traffic Modelling Approach ........................................................................................ 27

Milford Plan Change 34 Updated Integrated Transport Assessment iv

7.5.2 Do Minimum Models ................................................................................................. 29

7.5.3 Development Models ................................................................................................. 36

7.6 Parking Assessment .............................................................................................................. 43

7.6.1 Plan Change Proposed Parking Requirements ........................................................... 43

7.6.2 Parking Demand ......................................................................................................... 44

7.6.3 Parking Provision ........................................................................................................ 44

7.6.4 Parking Conclusions ................................................................................................... 45

8 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................... 45

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

AURECON MODELLING CALIBRATION REPORT

AURECON MODELLING REPORT


Updated Integrated Transport Assessment 1

1 INTRODUCTION

Flow Transportation Specialists Ltd (Flow) has been commissioned by New Zealand Retail Property

Group (NZRPG) to review and update the Integrated Transport Assessment (ITA)2 of a development at

the Milford Shopping Centre which could be enabled through proposed Plan Change 34. The original

ITA (SKM ITA) was completed by Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) in April 2008 and the following provides a

background to the transport assessment carried out and subsequent events which have led to this

piece of work being undertaken.

1.1 Background

In 2008, an application was lodged for proposed Plan Change 34 at the Milford Shopping Centre which

would enable residential intensification of the site to occur. The proposal was supported by the above

mentioned SKM ITA which included the use of a Paramics micro simulation traffic model to quantify

and assess the traffic effects of development scenarios that could be enabled by the proposed Plan

Change.

This application was submitted to North Shore City Council (NSCC) and was publicly notified. As part of

the notification and assessment process, a review of the modelling was undertaken by NSCC and issues

were raised with regard to the accuracy of the base 2008 Paramics models, and hence the accuracy of

the traffic assessment undertaken in the ITA. In addition to this a large number of public submissions

were received, many of which cited traffic effects as a reason to decline the proposed Plan Change.

As a result of these matters, Flow in conjunction with Aurecon have been commissioned by NZRPG to

review and update the Paramics traffic modelling including the development of new 2010 base

models, Do Minimum and Development models, and to deliver an updated ITA for proposed Plan

Change 34.

1.2 Scope of Works

In undertaking the update to the traffic models, Flow and Aurecon have engaged initially with NSCC

and then with the newly formed Auckland Transport with regard to the methodology used in

developing the updated 2010 base traffic models. This has ensured that the validation of the base

models have been thoroughly reviewed by Auckland Transport resulting in Auckland Transport

considering that “the revised Milford Mall models are fit for the purpose of assessing the proposed private

Plan Change at Milford Mall”3.

In updating the SKM ITA, the main focus has been on updating the traffic effects of the proposed Plan

Change using the updated 2010 traffic models. Notwithstanding this and for completeness this

updated ITA also contains the following:

2 “Milford Residential Intensification- Plan Change, Integrated Transportation Assessment”, April 2008, SKM 3 “Milford Mall S-Paramics Model: Review of Revised Models, 2 February 2011 Auckland Transport

Milford Plan Change 34 Updated Integrated Transport Assessment 2

A review and update of existing transport accessibility conditions of the Milford Shopping Centre

with regard to all modes of travel

A description of the transport planning and policy framework relevant to the proposed Plan

Change

A brief description of the transport aspects with regard to the existing Milford Shopping Centre,

the additional development that has been consented but not implemented, and the extent of

development that could be implemented under the proposed Plan Change

Additional assessments of transport impacts having regard to the relevant requirements of the

Auckland Regional Transport Authority’s (ARTA) ITA Guidelines4 including:

o Safety Assessment

o Accessibility Assessment

o Integration Assessment

o Traffic Assessment including a review of the trip generation and distribution

assumptions contained in the SKM ITA with regard to the peak period traffic generating

potential of a proposed development that could be enabled by the Plan Change and

the testing of this additional traffic using the update 2010 Paramics models

o Parking Assessment.

By way of summary, it is concluded that proposed Plan Change 34 is consistent with, and supports the

key national, regional and local transportation polices relating to site accessibility and transportation

sustainability, in as much as it is promoting residential growth in a town centre and is also situated

adjacent to the regional passenger transport network. Further it is concluded that the transport

effects generated by a residential development that could be enabled by the proposed Plan Change

can be integrated into the surrounding transport network in a safe and efficient manner.

4 Integrated Transport Assessments: Guidelines and Supplementary Documents, ARTA, October 2007


2 SITE LOCATION AND EXISTING ROAD NETWORK

The SKM ITA provides a comprehensive description of the Milford Shopping Centre site location and

the existing road network in the Milford town centre area, and since 2008 there have been minimal

changes to this roading infrastructure. For completeness the following section has been provided

(with much of the information being obtained from the SKM ITA) to present context to the proposed

Plan Change.

As shown in Figure 1, the Milford Shopping Centre is located within the Milford town centre bounded

by the road network of Kitchener Road, Omana Road, Ihumata Road and Milford Road.

Figure 1: Location of Site in Surrounding Road Network

The Milford Shopping Centre is located approximately 2.5 km from North Shore City’s sub regional

Takapuna centre with the Kitchener Road/ Hurstmere Road corridor providing the major connection

between these two areas. Access to the strategic motorway system to and from Milford is provided at

the Northcote Road Interchange, located approximately 2.5 km to the south of the Milford town

centre, and accessed via Shakespeare Road and Taharoto Road.


The NSCC District Plan (District Plan) identifies East Coast Road, Shakespeare Road, Kitchener Road,

Ihumata Road and Milford Road as Secondary (District Arterials) with the main function of these routes

being to cater “primarily for traffic movement between major areas of the city and are of strategic

importance.”

As highlighted on Figure 2 , the roads surrounding the Milford Shopping Centre consist of a single lane

in each direction with flush medians being provided on Kitchener Road and Omana Road.

Figure 2: Road Network surrounding the Milford Shopping Centre5

The intersection of Kitchener Road, Omana Road and Shakespeare Road is signalised with free left

turns provided on all approaches. The intersection has full pedestrian provision, with signalised

crossings over all approaches and zebra crossings over all free left turns. Each approach has one

through lane and one right turn lane.

The intersection of Milford Road, Kitchener Road and Dobson Road is also signalised. The Kitchener

Road approaches have shared through and left turn lanes, with short lanes provided for right turn

movements. Milford Road has a free left turn onto Kitchener Road, with a shared through and straight

lane. Signalised pedestrian provisions are also provided, with a zebra crossing on the Milford Road

free left turn.

5 google earth


The intersection of Omana Road and Ihumata Road is controlled with a roundabout, with the southern

approach leading to the parking area of the Milford Shopping Centre.

There is a median lane provided on Kitchener Road, which also provides for right turn bays into the

main entrance to Milford Shopping Mall and to the service lane further east of the entrance. Omana

Road also has a median lane along the length adjacent to the shopping centre, with right turn bays to

the entrances to the shopping centre.

A midblock zebra crossing is located on Kitchener Road, which has planting on either side and is

approximately 5m wide.

On street parking is provided on Kitchener Road and Milford Road surrounding the existing Milford

Shopping Centre.

The majority of landuse activities surrounding the Milford town centre are residential in nature, with

Kitchener Road between the intersection of Shakespeare Road and the intersection of Frieston Road

comprising of strip retail/commercial activities.


3 ACCESSIBILITY

3.1 Private Vehicle Accessibility

As mentioned above the Milford Shopping Centre can be regarded as being well connected to the

surrounding regional and strategic road network. Figure 3 is an extract from the NSCC District Plan

showing the roading hierarchy in the south eastern part of the North Shore.

Figure 3: Regional Road Network surrounding the Milford Shopping Centre6

As can be seen the Milford Shopping Centre enjoys good private vehicle accessibility with various

District Arterial routes travelling through, or starting/ending at Milford. These include:

Shakespeare Road, a District Arterial route linking Milford to the Regional Arterial routes of

Taharoto Road and Northcote Road, which in turn provide access to the Northern Motorway at

the Northcote Interchange

Beach Road/Inga Road/Omana Road/ Ihumata Road/ Milford Road, a District Arterial route

linking Milford to the eastern bays areas in the north

6 NSCC District Plan Appendix 1 Roading Hierarchy

East Coast/ Kitchener/

Hurstmere Roads

Beach/Inga/Omana/

Ihumata/Milford Roads

Shakespeare Road

Milford Shopping Centre


East Coast Road/ Kitchener Road/ Hurstmere Road, a District Arterial route passing through

Milford linking the predominantly residential areas to the north to Milford and to Takapuna in

the south.

Generally traffic flow on these arterial routes around and through the Milford town centre is

uncongested with the exception of certain movements during the peak morning and evening

commuter periods. On site observations has shown that this congestion is not necessarily as a result

of traffic demand travelling to and from Milford but rather as result of traffic travelling through

Milford. In the morning peak period this is most evident in the southbound direction on East Coast

Road/ Kitchener Road/ Hurstmere Road and on Beach Road/Inga Road/Omana Road/ Ihumata Road/

Milford Road with travel demand from the north to Takapuna. During the evening peak period the

northbound direction on these routes are busy but not to the same extent as in the morning peak

period.

Traffic queuing during peak periods is most evident at the signalised intersections in the Milford town

centre and although vehicles are delayed the queuing cannot be described as significant. Indeed the

level of congestion experienced at the intersections and on the arterial routes in Milford during peak

times is typical of what is experienced on numerous other arterial routes though other town centres in

Auckland.

During the off-peak periods traffic flows through Milford are relatively uncongested although delay

occurs at the signalised intersection and at the zebra pedestrian crossing on Kitchener Road. This

however does result in significant congestion and can be viewed as beneficial as it supports slow

vehicle speeds through the Milford town centre.

3.2 Passenger Transport Accessibility

3.2.1 Passenger Transport Network

The Auckland Regional Public Transport Plan (2010) is a document prepared by ARTA that specifies

how ARTA (now Auckland Transport) will give effect to the public transport components of the 2010

Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy (RLTS), and contribute to “achieving an affordable,

integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system in an efficient and effective

manner.”

The Plan is a statutory document which is prepared pursuant to the provisions of the Public Transport

Management Act 2008 (PTMA). It specifies the public transport services which ARTA proposes for the

region, and the policies which apply to those services.

The Plan identifies the following layers of passenger transport provision:

The Rapid Transit Network (RTN ) which forms the backbone of the system and provides fast,

high-frequency service in its own right of way, unaffected by traffic congestion,

The Quality Transit Network (QTN), providing a network of high-frequency, high-quality services,

mainly with buses, with bus priority measures operating between key centres and over major

corridors, and


The Local Connector Network (LCN), providing low to medium frequency bus, ferry and train

services that provide access to local centres and connect with the RTN and QTN.

Figure 4: Strategic Passenger Transport Network

As highlighted in Figure 4, the Milford town centre, and hence the Plan Change site, is located on the

QTN, with Kitchener Road and Shakespeare Road both included as parts of the QTN.

3.2.2 Bus Services

Since the SKM ITA was completed in 2008, there have been several changes to the bus services that

operate in the vicinity of the Plan Change. Figure 5 below shows the bus routes which serve the

Milford Shopping Centre including services that run along Kitchener Road, Milford Road, Shakespeare

Road and East Coast Road. Table 1 summarises the origin/destinations of each route as well as the

frequency of each service. Essentially the services connect Milford with the eastern bays and

Takapuna, and also with Smales Farm Busway Station.

Milford Shopping

Centre


Figure 5: Bus Routes near Milford as per Northern Guide7

Table 1: Bus Services serving Milford Town Centre

Service Origin/Destination Frequency

802/803/804 Milford, North Shore Hospital and Smales Farm

Busway via Takapuna and Belmont

Monday to Sunday: Hourly

822 Midtown to Milford and Takapuna Monday to Friday: Approximately every half

hour in morning and evening peak

837 Midtown to Milford and Takapuna One service – weekday peak – 6 am

839 Midtown to Milford and Takapuna Every 30 minutes in the peak weekday periods

and hourly at all other times

863x Express service to Midtown Every 20 minutes in the peak periods, Monday

to Friday only

858 Midtown via Beach Road, Milford Smales Farm

Station and Takapuna

Every 30 minutes in the peak weekday periods

and hourly at all other times

Overall, based on the frequency and number of services operating through Milford the site is

reasonably well serviced by public transport. Smales Farm Busway station is approximately 1.7 km

from the Milford town centre and is on a level terrain, and Takapuna is slightly further at

approximately 2.5 km from Milford. Both of these urban centres are accessible by bus or walking and

7 Bus Routes as per the Northern Guide supplied by maxx.co.nz accessed on 21 March 2011

Milford Shopping

Centre


provide access to more bus services, in particular Smales Farm Busway Station providing access to the

Northern Busway.

3.2.3 Bus Facilities

As shown in Figure 6 bus stops are provided around the Milford Shopping Centre and are in the same

location as described in the SKM ITA.

Figure 6: Bus Stop Locations in Milford Town Centre

In addition to this a transit/bus lane is located in the southbound direction on Shakespeare Road from

the intersection of East Coast Road/ Kitchener Road/ Omana Road to the intersection of Taharoto

Road/ Wairau Road. The lane is operational during the morning peak period and ensures that buses

and private vehicles with more than two occupants can bypass the southbound congestion that is

experienced on the southern end of Shakespeare Road during the morning peak period.

3.2.4 Passenger Transport Conclusions

As the Milford Shopping Centre is located directly adjacent to the QTN and based on the review of the

bus services currently provided at Milford, it can be concluded that the subject site is well serviced by

passenger transport and there is good accessibility to passenger transport facilities. It is also noted

that the Smales Farm Busway station is also within 1.7 km from Milford and provides access to the RTN

network, with rapid services to and from the Auckland CBD on the Northern Busway.


3.3 Walking and Cycling Accessibility

The provision of walking and cycling facilities in the Milford town centre has also remained essentially

unchanged from that described in the SKM ITA. Footpaths are provided on both sides of the majority

of the roads in the Milford town centre and signalised crossing facilities are provided at the signalised

intersections. As mentioned there is also a midblock zebra pedestrian crossing located on Kitchener

Road in the vicinity of the New World supermarket. In terms of cyclists facilities there are no

dedicated facilities on Kitchener Road or East Coast Road, even though this route has been identified in

the 2009 North Shore City Cycle Strategy as part of the strategic cycle network on the North Shore.

Shakespeare Road, also part of the regions strategic cycle network, has a “share with care” pedestrian

and cyclist facility on the eastern side of the road.

The following figure demonstrates the walking and cycling catchments from the Milford shopping

centre area, with a 2 km catchment for walking and a 5 km catchment for cycling.

Figure 7: 2km Walking (Red) and 5km Cycling (Blue) Access to Milford Shopping Centre


4 TRANSPORT PLANNING AND POLICY FRAMEWORK

4.1 National Transport Strategies and Planning Documents

4.1.1 New Zealand Transport Strategy (Ministry of Transport, 2008)

The New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS) promotes a holistic, multi-modal view of transport with

the over arching goal of the strategy being that:

“By 2010, New Zealand will have an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and

sustainable transport system.”

The five objectives as outlined in the NZTS are:

Assisting economic development,

Assisting safety and personal security,

Improving access and mobility,

Protecting and promoting public health; and

Ensuring environmental sustainability.

4.1.2 Government Policy Statement (Ministry of Transport, 2009, amended in November 2010)

The Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Transport reflects the National government’s priority of

investment in transport infrastructure for economic growth and the modal choices that are realistically

available to New Zealanders.

The GPS was amended in November 2010 to align it with the “Safer Journeys Strategy”, enabling the

funding of several Safer Journeys First Actions. The amendments also reflect the New Zealand

Transport Agency’s (NZTA’s) reviews of the ‘transport planning’ and ‘demand management and

community programmes’ activity classes.

The GPS shows a shift from workplace, community and personal travel planning and other measures

targeted at relieving congestion, and a refocus on road user safety’ and is aligned to the Safer Journeys

strategy.

4.2 Regional Transport Strategies and Planning Documents

It is acknowledged that the policy and planning documents discussed in this section and the following

section on local polices and strategies were developed and published prior to the implementation of

the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009. This aside, the documents assessed here remain

valid policy documents until such time that they are replaced or complemented by the Auckland

Spatial Plan. A discussion document on the Auckland Spatial Plan has been released by Auckland

Council and is further detailed below.


4.2.1 Auckland Regional Policy Statement (Auckland Regional Council, 1999)

The Auckland Regional Policy Statement (ARPS) is the statement about managing the use,

development and protection of the natural and physical resources of the region. The overall goal of

the ARPS is “to achieve an integrated, consistent and coordinated approach to the management of the

region’s resources.”

The current ARPS became operative in 31 August 1999 and was created to fulfil the requirements

under the Resource Management Act 1991. It sets out the broad direction of transport policy,

including managing the effects of transport on the environment and developing an accessible

transport network. Changes to the Auckland Regional Policy Statement were required as a result of

the Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Act and the creation of ARTA. The Appeals Version of

Proposed Change 6 includes the following statements relating to urban structure:

“Urban Intensification is to occur in specified locations (including areas identified in

Schedule 1A) to provide the focus for the Region’s residential, commercial and retail

growth”

“A network of high density centres and corridors is developed which are linked by high

quality public transport ranging from frequent local bus services supplemented by express

services to rapid transit (rail, ferry or bus) on separate rights-of-way”

These paragraphs emphasise the aim of developing town centres, such as Milford, then linking them

with quality passenger transport services.

Section 2.6.11 sets out strategic policies relating to land use and transport integration. These policies

include:

“Land Use and Transport shall be integrated throughout the region to ensure that: a)

within urban areas land use patterns provide communities with improved access to a range

of services and activities and opportunities to work locally; b) within urban areas new

urban development and subdivision provides for improved connectivity for all transport

modes including walking and cycling”

Milford is identified as a town centre and as a high density centre in Schedule 1A. It is noted that (re)

development of the areas in Schedules 1A & 1B are necessary to provide for growth until 2020. A

definition of a high density centres is given as:

“specific localities selected for urban intensification due to physical or locational

characteristics that include the intensity of existing development, the locality’s generation

of, or association with, significant transport movements, and/or passenger transport

nodes, and the locality’s capacity for further growth”.

Taking the above into account it can be concluded that the proposed residential intensification of

Milord as proposed by Plan Change 34 is consistent with, and supports the ARPS.


4.2.2 Auckland Regional Growth Strategy (Auckland Regional Council, 1999)

The Auckland Regional Growth Strategy (ARGS) was published in 1999 by Auckland Regional Council as

a strategy to manage growth in the Auckland region into the future. The purpose of the Regional

Growth Strategy is to “ensure growth is accommodated in a way that meets the best interests of the

inhabitants of the Auckland region”. The strategy provides a vision for what Auckland could look like in

50 years’ time with a population of two million.

The key feature of the ARGS is that growth will be managed by promoting quality, compact urban

environments (intensification). Furthermore it is identified that most urban growth be will focused

around town centres and major transport routes to create higher density communities, with a variety

of housing, jobs, services, recreational and other activities (mixed use).

The strategy sees a shift in land-use patterns towards a more compact urban form which focuses

growth in more intensive mixed-use centres along the northern, western and southern passenger

transit corridors, as well as near main arterial roads. The Growth Concept envisages many people will

consider being close to activities, shops, cafes and possibly work, as well as not having the

responsibility for a large garden, or daily commutes, as a desirable trade-off for living in a busier

environment.

In terms of the Milford town centre, the ARGS details a more specific picture for the northern parts of

Auckland including the following comment:

“Scattered through the North Shore urban area, intensification could be focused in a

number of areas, such as the development of town centres at Browns Bay and Birkenhead,

and more neighbourhood type centres in places like Hauraki Corner, Bayswater, Milford

and Northcote” (emphasis added)

As can be seen the proposed Milford Plan Change 34 is consistent with these policies and goals, and

specifically can be seen to be supporting the objectives of intensification around existing town centre,

and supporting mixed use developments in these areas.

4.2.3 Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy (Auckland Regional Council, 2010)

The 2010 Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy (RLTS) sets the direction for the region’s

transport system for the next 30 years. The RLTS identifies what is needed “to achieve an affordable,

integrated, safe, responsive, and sustainable land transport system that can cope with population

growth and the changing economic environment.”

The RLTS identifies six strategic priorities as follows.

Continuing to improve public transport

Integrating transport and land use to support a compact and contained urban form

Changing travel behaviours

Improving the operation of existing roads

Building limited additional roads


Reducing the impact of travel on the environment and communities.

Plan Change 34 supports integrating transport and landuse to support a compact and contained urban

form, and will result in changes to travel behaviour and reduce the impact of travel on the

environment communities.

4.2.4 Auckland Spatial Plan: Discussion Document (Auckland Council, 2011)

A spatial plan document is required for Auckland City by the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act

2009, and is envisioned to have broad objectives with a long term scope that will influence city and

regional direction and growth. The Auckland Plan is currently a discussion document that has been

released to develop a comprehensive spatial plan for the Auckland Region. The Auckland Plan is

intended to include a range of outcomes, the following being the most pertinent to this proposal:

The long-term social, economic, environmental and cultural objectives for Auckland and its

communities

The role of Auckland in New Zealand

Existing and future land use pattern (residential, business, rural production and industrial use)

Existing and future location of critical infrastructure such as transport, water supply, wastewater

and stormwater, other network utilities, open space and cultural and social infrastructure, how

Auckland might develop, including the sequencing of growth and provision of infrastructure,

policies, priorities, programmes, and land allocations to implement the strategic direction and

indicate how resources will be provided to enable that to happen.

Figure 8 below copies Map 8 from the Spatial Plan discussion document and shows the location of

Milford and its proposed category as a town centre. As can be seen, Milford town centre is identified

as having “Market Potential”, which is defined as:

“Those centres where the market has identified potential and the Council considers

growth is desirable. Attributes may include existing market momentum, good accessibility

and connectedness, availability of appropriate land and infrastructure, and high amenity.

The Council can consider what it does to enable the market to perform at these locations,

eg prioritise stormwater upgrades or plan changes and urban design guides.” (emphasis

added)

Other centres indentified as having Market Potential on the North Shore include Takapuna and

Birkenhead.


Figure 8: Spatial Plan: Possible Re-categorisation of Town Centres Map 8

4.3 Local Transport Strategies and Planning Documents

4.3.1 North Shore City Plan (NSCC 2009)

The North Shore City Plan replaces the Council's 2006-2016 Long Term Council Community Plan

(LTCCP). The LTCCP has been prepared in response to the requirements of the Local Government Act

2002) and must describe the activities of the local authority; describe the community outcomes;

provide integrated decision-making and coordination of the local authority's resources; provide a long-

term focus for decision-making; provide an accountability basis; and provide an opportunity for public

participation in the decision-making process.

In terms of managing growth Module 2 of the North Shore City Plan states:

“A number of smaller ‘town’ centres are distributed around the city, being locations for

future growth and development serving suburban areas. These include Milford, Highbury,

Browns Bay, Northcote, Glenfield, Sunnynook and Devonport.(emphasis added)... The

potential for change in the scale, form and height of buildings in and around these town

Milford Town

Centre


centres is significant, reflecting their role along with Takapuna and Albany as 'growth

centres'. These centres are well located on or near major arterial routes and the quality

transit networks (bus routes).”

To move in this direction the Council identifies that it will:

Improve the viability, attractiveness, operation and economic activity of existing centres

Maintain local and neighbourhood centres and enable some of these centres to develop more

local living and employment opportunities

Identify and provide for new local or neighbourhood centres in the City where there is a need

Develop and intensify business and residential development in and around key Town Centres.

Figure 9 shows the various growth centres and identifies Milord as a Town Centre for growth.

Figure 9: North Shore City Plan: Growth Centres

4.3.2 North Shore City Walking & Cycling Strategies (NSCC 2009)

The former North Shore City Council provided strategies for walking and cycling throughout the North

Shore. Overall, the strategies were created to encourage more walking and cycling trips to occur on

the North Shore. Intensification at town centre locations can encourage a reduction in vehicle trips

particularly in locations with mixed use developments. Proposed Plan Change 34 supports this and will

encourage residents to use local facilities and complete trips by walking or cycling.

Milford Town

Centre


5 THE MILFORD SHOPPING CENTRE

5.1 Existing Milford Shopping Centre

5.1.1 Site Layout and Access

The site layout and the extent of the existing Milford Shopping Centre are shown in Figure 10. As can

be seen the site is served by various vehicular access points from the surrounding road network

ensuring that traffic to and from the centre is well dispersed onto the road network.

Figure 10: Existing Milford Shopping Centre Site Layout

5.1.2 Existing Parking Provision

The site is presently served by 797 parking spaces located in three main parking areas as follows:

At grade parking area to the east of the site and predominately accessed off Milford Road and

the roundabout junction of Omana Road and Ihumata Road (95 spaces)

Covered and at grade parking on Level 1 predominately accessed off Omana Road (222 spaces)

Council parking

area

Service Access

Omana Road Ihumata Road

Milford Road

New World

supermarket


Covered parking on Level 2 predominately accessed off Omana Road and the roundabout

junction of Omana Road and Ihumata Road (378 spaces plus 22 spaces on the driveway between

Level 1 and Level 2).

In addition to this there is a public parking area located to the west of the shopping centre (91 spaces)

which is used by customers to the shopping centre, to the New World supermarket and the other

various shops, restaurants and commercial activity on Kitchener Road. On street public parking is also

provided on Milford Road and Kitchener Road (approximately 56 spaces).

5.1.3 Existing Parking Demand

Comprehensive parking surveys of the use of the parking spaces in the Milford Shopping Centre site

and within the public parking area were completed by SKM on Thursday 22 March 2007 between 4 pm

and 6 pm and on Saturday 24 March 2007 between 11 am and 1 pm. The results of these surveys as

given in the SKM ITA identified the following key points.

The peak demand for onsite parking on a Thursday afternoon /evening occurred at 4 pm when a

demand of 439 parking spaces was recorded. This resulted in a peak parking occupancy rate of

around 49%

The peak demand for onsite parking on a Saturday midday period occurred at 11 am when a

similar demand of 439 parking spaces was recorded, resulting in a peak parking occupancy rate

of around 49%.

Similar parking occupancy surveys were undertaken again by Flow in August 2010 to identify if any

changes to the recorded 2007 parking demands have occurred over the ensuing 3 years. Similar to the

SKM surveys these surveys were completed on a Thursday and a Saturday but included longer time

periods namely 10 am to 6 pm on Thursday 26 August 2010 and 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday 28 August

2010.

The results of these surveys are summarised in Figure 11 below. From these results it can be

concluded:

During Thursday 26 August 2011, the peak demand for parking occurred at around 1 pm when a

demand of 598 spaces was recorded. This results in a peak parking occupancy rate of around

67%. At 4 pm, a demand of 520 spaces was recorded which when compared to the 2007 SKM

survey shows an increase of about 80 spaces at this time has occurred over the past 3 years.

During the Saturday the peak demand for parking occurred at around 3 pm when a demand of

540 spaces was recorded. This results in a peak parking occupancy rate of around 61%. At 11 am

a demand of 505 spaces was recorded which when compared to the 2007 SKM survey shows an

increase of about 65 spaces at this time has occurred over the past 3 years.


Figure 11: Milford Shopping Centre On site Parking Demand August 2010

While the spot parking surveys suggest that there has been an increase in the peak demand for parking

on the site over the past three years, the 2010 parking surveys have shown that there is still a vast

amount of parking provided on the Milford Shopping Centre site which is not being used. This appears

to be as result of the provision of too much parking on the site and not the under performance of the

centre, as the Milford Shopping Centre (including the New World supermarket) peak parking demand

of 1 parking space per 23.2m2 GFA is consistent with the recently measured peak parking demands of 1

parking space per 22.5m2 GFA at Westfields St Lukes and 1 parking space per 22.7m2 GFA at Sylvia

Park.

5.2 Milford Shopping Centre Consented 2007 Redevelopment

In 2007, resource consent was granted by NSCC for the extension and redevelopment of the Milford

Shopping Centre including a retail/commercial extension of 2,590 m2 GFA and 15 residential units.

As shown in Figure 12 the location of this extension is on the north-eastern potion of the site with the

following changes to parking provision and access included in the application.

The existing north eastern at-grade parking area is proposed to be excavated to provide an

additional basement parking level (Level 2). Access to this basement parking area is proposed to

be gained primarily via the existing site accesses at the Omana Road/Ihumata Road roundabout

and at the Omana Road accesses


A new rooftop parking area (Level 4) above the proposed retail/commercial uses to be accessed

via a ramp adjacent to the Omana Road/Ihumata Road roundabout

All vehicle accesses for the shopping centre will not change, with the exception of the Milford

Road access which will be closed resulting in the provision of 12 additional parking spaces on

Milford Road

Once completed the parking provision on the site will be 844 spaces which together with 91

public parking spaces referred to above results in an overall parking provision for the Milford

Shopping Centre and New World supermarket of 935 parking spaces.

Figure 12: Consented Development – Ground Level: (Level 3)

Vehicle access to

Level 2 parking

Vehicle access to

Level 4 parking

Pedestrian

access

Milford access

closed and on

street parking

provided


6 THE PROPOSED PLAN CHANGE

A proposed developed that could be enabled by the Plan Change is described in the SKM ITA and

includes the implementation of 250 residential units. Figure 13 shows a site plan of the proposal

together with the main transport aspects of the proposal, namely parking and access provisions, with

vehicular access points shown in blue and pedestrian access shown in red.

Figure 13: Site Plan of Proposed Development that could be enabled by the Plan Change

As shown no changes are proposed to the vehicular access points with the Omana Road/Ihumata Road

roundabout serving the parking levels on the north east corner of the site and the northern most

Omana Road access serving the parking levels proposed for the western side of the site. Overall it is

proposed that the Plan Change will be supported by an additional 375 parking spaces. Further details

with regard to this parking provision are given in Section 7.6.

Additional

parking

levels

Additional

parking

levels

Access to parking

levels

Access to parking

level 2

Access to parking

levels

Access to parking

level 1

Pedestrian access


7 TRANSPORT IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

7.1 Impact of Growth on Transportation Sustainability

As outlined previously the Auckland region is expected to accommodate significant growth over the

next 50 years and as such the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy (ARGS) has been developed (by the

Auckland Regional Council) to identify how this growth is going to be accommodated within the region.

The Auckland Regional Policy Statement (ARPS) identifies that 70% of this population growth will occur

within the existing Auckland metropolitan area. This population growth requires development of

intensive housing (as proposed under this Plan Change) and also the provision of employment,

education, retail and entertainment facilities to serve this growth. This intensification is earmarked to

occur predominately within town centres and along transport corridors. Milford is identified as a town

centre and as a high density centre in Schedule 1A of the ARPS, with Kitchener Road and Shakespeare

Road being classified as a part of the Quality Transit Network serving Auckland.

The increase in development at any town centre will inevitably lead to additional vehicular traffic on

the surrounding road network in the short term. The resulting traffic congestion and improvements to

passenger transport infrastructure and services within the town centres will be catalysts in continuing

to encourage change in people’s travel behaviour to more sustainable transport modes and hence

result in the most efficient and economic way to accommodate growth in Auckland in the future.

Accordingly there is a need to accept the short term traffic effects of intensification and growth at

town centres in exchange for an integration of land use and sustainable transportation modes in the

medium and longer term.

The assessment of transport effects associated with residential growth in town centres (such as

proposed by Plan Change 34) also needs to acknowledge that the behaviour of the public regarding

traffic is currently changing, (and will continue to do so at an increasing rate) in response to increasing

traffic congestion, the improvements in the provision of public transport services, the price of fuel, the

provision of mixed use developments and other steps being taken by various authorities in response to

the polices of the ARPS. These behavioural changes include:

Increased use of passenger transport

Increased walking and cycling

Increased variability to the times of travel (resulting in peak spreading)

Changes to where people choose to live in regard to where they work, shop, go to school etc

Changes to operating hours of commercial, retail and educational facilities

The changing of travel routes.

Behavioural changes in transport usage are fundamental in accommodating future growth in centres

and along corridors in Auckland as it will not be possible to continue to add private vehicles to the road

network in response to population growth without these travel behavioural changes occurring.

Therefore while this proposed Plan Change will inevitably result in additional traffic generation and

traffic congestion in the Milford town centre, especially during peak commuter times, the effects of

this must be assessed against the longer term beneficial transport effects provided by proposed Plan


Change 34 as it results in the provision of high intensity residential activity in a town centre which is

well served by passenger transport.

7.2 Safety Assessment

An extensive crash analysis was completed for the Milford town centre in the SKM ITA for the five year

period from 2001 to 2005. The NZTA Crash Analysis System (CAS) database was used for this

assessment and is continuously updated based on police records from incidents reported however

crash data from 2006 was not included as it was unsure if there was a complete year of data for this

time period. The following key points were made in regards to the crash history for 2001 to 2005:

67 crashes were recorded, of which none were fatal, four were serious injury, 12 were minor

injury and the remaining 51 were non injury accidents

Of the 67 crashes reported approximately 50% (33 crashes) occurred midblock and 50%

occurred at intersections (34 crashes)

Of the four serious crashes, three involved pedestrians and there was one minor injury crash

involving a cyclist. There were seven crashes overall involving pedestrian and one overall

involving a cyclist

The intersection of Kitchener Road and Shakespeare Road was identified as the worst crash site

within the assessment area and suggestions were made for an increase in signposting such as

“stop for red signal” or similar. Also longer all red times were suggested for the right turn from

East Coast Road into Shakespeare Road. It was however concluded that this movement was

away from the proposed development and therefore the development envisaged by the

proposed Plan Change was unlikely to contribute to an increase in crashes

No singular safety issue was identified in regards to pedestrians or cyclists, therefore it was

concluded that the proposed Plan Change was unlikely to result in an increase in the number of

these incidents

All other crashes reported were found to be typical of town centre environments with large

parking areas and on street parking. It was noted that the parking area at Milford Shopping

Centre was recently reconfigured and that this may have reduced crashes related to

manoeuvring and parking in these areas.

In order to assess the crash history with more recent data, an updated search of CAS was completed

for the time period of March 2005 to March 2010. The following commentary can be made with

regard to this updated assessment.

86 crashes were reported in the time period measured. Given that the exact location and

boundaries of the SKM search were not provided, it cannot be ascertained if this is an increase in

reported crashes, or if the search area for this updated search was larger. The overall split in

terms of the type of crashes reported appears to be relatively consistent with no fatal crashes,

four serious injury crashes, 22 minor injury crashes, and the 60 remaining crashes being non

injury

There were ten crashes recorded that involved cyclists. Of these ten accidents, four were due to

vehicles turning right failing to give way to oncoming cyclists, three due to changing lanes or


merging, two due to parked vehicles opening doors on cyclists and one due to cyclist failing to

give way to oncoming traffic. This is a large increase in cyclist related crashes, and may be

attributed to an increase in cyclist numbers and popularity. It is noted that six of the ten crashes

would indicate a lack of awareness from motorists in terms of seeing cyclists

There were six pedestrian related crashes in the search area. Of these six crashes, five were due

to crossing at midblock locations, two of which were due to pedestrians stepping into the

roadway from behind parked vehicles. There was one crash that occurred with the pedestrian

on a zebra crossing

Again the intersection of Kitchener Road, Shakespeare Road and East Coast was noted as having

the highest number of crashes. The type of crashes recorded were also the same as the initial

assessment.

Overall, whilst the number of crashes that have occurred between 2005 and 2010 in the Milord town

centre is slightly higher than the previous assessment the vehicle crashes recorded are similar in type

and cause and do not indicate any inherent concern that will be exacerbated or worsened by the

development. There is an increase in recorded cyclist crashes and this may be attributed to the

increase in popularity for cycling and the incomplete cycle network on these parts of the road network.

7.3 Accessibility Assessment

As outlined in Section 3 above the Milford Shopping Centre presently enjoys excellent accessibly for all

modes of transport. This means that the residential activities anticipated under proposed Plan Change

34 will also be afforded this high level of accessibility including:

The use of various private vehicle access points to enter and egress the site

Accessibility to the QTN and RTN passenger services on Kitchener Road, Shakespeare Road and

the Northern Busway

Accessibility to walking and cycling facilities both for recreational and commuter purposes

Accessibility to retail, entertainment, restaurant and commercial activities which does not

require the use of the private vehicle.

Specifically vehicular access for the site is proposed to remain unchanged from the consented

development. The primary vehicle accesses for the parking supporting the apartments will be either

via the Omana Road/Ihumata Road roundabout or via the northern access off Omana Road. It will

however, also be possible to access apartment parking via other existing shopping centre accesses

thereby ensuring that the traffic generation can be spread evenly overly all access points.

Pedestrian access for the residential units is proposed to be provided via three locations as indicated in

Figure 13 previously. Pedestrian access will be greatly improved on and along the Omana Road

frontage of the site with the Milford Road entrance also providing access to a pedestrian atrium

bordered by retail activity.


Residents the Plan Change development will have excellent accessibility to public transport, retail,

services, bars and restaurants, and also recreation areas such as Milford Beach and Lake Pupuke. The

proposed residential units are located within:

Immediate proximity to Milford Shopping Centre and Milford Town Centre and associated retail,

services, bars and cafes/restaurants

Approximately 100 m to 300 m of bus stops on Kitchener Road and Milford Road

Approximately 500 m to 700 m of Milford Beach

Approximately 400 m to 500 m of Sylvan Park and Lake Pupuke

All of the above activities are located within easy walking distance.

7.4 Integration Assessment

7.4.1 Planning and Policy Integration

Following on from Section 4 of this report which described the various regional and local transport

planning and policy documents relevant to proposed Plan Change 34, Table 2 below assess the

integration of the proposal within this planning framework.

Table 2: Planning and Policy Integration

Planning Document Integration with Proposed Plan Change 34

Auckland Regional Policy Statement

(Auckland Regional Council, 1999)

Milford is identified as a town centre and as a high density

centre in Schedule 1A of the ARPS. It is noted that

(re)development of the areas in schedules 1A & 1B are

necessary to provide for growth until 2020.

Auckland Regional Growth Strategy (ARGS)


Milford is identified as a potential intensification location for

the northern areas in Auckland. The strategy aims to

encourage a more compact urban form which focuses growth

in more intensive mixed-use centres along the northern,

western and southern passenger transit corridors, as well as

near main arterial routes. The Plan Change is therefore

consistent with this strategy as it proposes to provide

residential activities in a town centre.

Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy


Plan Change 34 supports the notion of integrating transport

and landuse to result in a compact and contained urban form.

The proposal is located on the QTN and by providing for mixed

use activities (ie residential activities in close proximity to

retail/ commercial/ entertainment activities in the town centre)

will support and encourage changes to travel behaviour from

the private vehicle to passenger transport and walk and cycle

trips thereby reducing the impact of travel on the environment

communities.


Auckland Spatial Plan – Discussion Document

(Auckland Council, 2011)

Milford town centre is identified as having Market Potential in

the Spatial Plan. Market potential centres are defined as

“centres where the market has identified potential and the

Council considers growth is desirable. Attributes may include

existing market momentum, good accessibility and

connectedness, availability of appropriate land and

infrastructure, and high amenity.” The implementation of Plan

Change 34 should therefore be encouraged and supported by

Council.

North Shore City Plan (North Shore City

Council, 2009)

The City Plan identifies areas that are appropriate for growth

and development and states that: “The potential for change in

the scale, form and height of buildings in and around these

town centres is significant, reflecting their role along with

Takapuna and Albany as 'growth centres'. These centres are

well located on or near major arterial routes and the quality

transit networks (bus routes). “A number of smaller ‘town’

centres are distributed around the city, being locations for

future growth and development serving suburban areas. These

include Milford, Highbury, Browns Bay, Northcote, Glenfield,

Sunnynook and Devonport.”

As shown above, the Milford town centre (and the site of proposed Plan Change 34) has been

specifically identified in the majority of regional plans and policies over previous years, and continues

to be seen as a place that should accommodate growth. Accordingly, it is found that the proposed

Plan Change integrates well with existing transport policy and is consistent with the objectives of the

policy frameworks.

7.4.2 Integration between Travel Modes

By providing additional residential development in the Milford town centre, this will encourage a

mixed use environment which in turn provides an opportunity for residents to walk or cycle to local

facilities and services.

Further, the locations of six bus stops within the vicinity of Milford town centre are placed within close

proximity to the Milford Shopping Centre and provide an accessible passenger transport option for

people to travel to and from Takapuna, and to and from Smales Farm Station (and further afield on the

Northern Busway) with little difficulty.

7.5 Traffic Impact Assessment

7.5.1 Traffic Modelling Approach

The impact of the additional traffic expected to be generated by a development as envisaged by

proposed Plan Change 34 of 250 residential apartments has been undertaken with the use of the S-

Paramics microsimulation software package. This S-Paramics (Paramics) software is able to evaluate

entire street networks where the individual interactions between vehicles and hence intersections can


be distinctly modelled. The added advantage of using microsimulation is that the behaviour of vehicles

and the ability of the street network to handle these vehicles can be visually observed.

Typically in using microsimulation, a “base” model is developed which accurately represents an

existing traffic situation. This uses detailed surveyed information, typically vehicle counts at

intersections, queue lengths and travel times, gathered in the field. The process of matching modelled

outputs with those obtained in the field is commonly known as calibration/validation. The degree of

fit of the modelled outputs with observed data determines the legitimacy of the model to be used to

predict future traffic scenarios such as roading or land use changes.

To this end two base models were developed for the weekday morning peak period (6:30 to 9 am) and

the weekday evening peak period 3:30 to 6 pm) which cover the periods where the effects of the

proposed residential development on the operation of the surrounding road network would be

highest. These base models were developed from surveyed information collected in August 2010 with

the model area being shown in Figure 14 below.

Figure 14: Modelled Road Network

Following the development of the base models, the files and accompanying draft calibration/validation

report were submitted to Auckland Transport so that an independent review of the development and

validation of the base models could be carried out. Some modifications were recommended by

Auckland Transport and updates to the base models were finalised, resulting in Auckland Transport

considering that “the revised Milford Mall models are fit for the purpose of assessing the proposed private

Plan Change at Milford Mall”8.

A separate report, included as Appendix A, has been produced by Aurecon outlining the level of

calibration/validation achieved for these base models. This report concludes that:

8 “Milford Mall S-Paramics Model: Review of Revised Models, 2 February 2011 Auckland Transport


“the Milford Mall models are appropriately calibrated for both the peak hours and the full

model periods. The models replicate existing conditions to an acceptable level of accuracy

and are appropriate tools for future option testing.”

The traffic modelling approach has involved the following methodology:

The development, calibration and validation of the base (2010) weekday morning and evening

simulation models (Base models)

The development of future traffic models (5 to 10 year) to reflect the morning and evening peak

period traffic conditions without the implementation of proposed Plan Change 34 and including

the already consented additional retail and residential development at the Milford Shopping

Centre (Do Minimum models)

The development of future traffic models (5 to 10 year) to reflect the morning and evening

traffic conditions with the implementation of proposed Plan Change 34 (Development models)

Comparison of model outputs.

7.5.2 Do Minimum Models

7.5.2.1 Do Minimum Models: Traffic Demands and Distribution

Development Demands

As mentioned above the Do Minimum models represent a future 5 to 10 year scenario reflecting the

morning and evening peak period traffic conditions without the implementation of proposed Plan

Change 34, and including the already consented 2,590 m2 GFA retail activities and 15 residential units

additional development at the Milford Shopping Centre. Accordingly the following peak hour trip

generation demands for this consented development as given in the development’s Integrated

Transport Assessment9, has been included in the Do Minimum Model. These trips where distributed

onto the surrounding road network as given in the ITA.

Table 3: Milford Shopping Centre: Additional Consented Vehicle Trip Generation

Time Period Trip Generation (vehicles per hour)

Inbound Outbound Total

Morning Peak Hour 2 7 9

Evening Peak Hour 95 113 208

This consented development also includes the closure of the Milford Road shopping centre access and

therefore this has been included in the Do Minimum models resulting in traffic currently using this

access being generally relocated to the Omana Road/Ihumata Road roundabout shopping centre

access.

9 SKM. Integrated Transport Assessment: Milford Shopping Centre Redevelopment – Stage 2. September 2007.


Traffic Growth

In addition to these changes to the peak period traffic demands and road infrastructure resulting from

the implementation of the consented development at the Milford Shopping Centre, the Do Minimum

models also need to include any changes to the 2010 measured background traffic that may occur into

the future.

It is noted that the SKM ITA assumed a 1% per annum growth for background traffic from the 2007

base traffic model to the future year 2011. SKM, however, do not provide any basis for this assumed

level of traffic growth and accordingly Flow has further investigated this matter as the over estimation

of base traffic demands in a future model can result in overplaying traffic issues. This in turn can

create induced traffic demand by the provision of excessive roading based mitigation increasing traffic

capacity beyond what is required to accommodate the additional traffic flows generated by the Plan

Change.

In undertaking this assessment guidance has been taken from other recent Plan Change applications10

in which the primary means of assessing the future growth factor has been to assess the historical

traffic growth (during peak periods and over a day) through a specific area in the recent past.

Traffic data has been supplied by the former NSCC for a traffic counting site located on Hurstmere

Road between Minnehaha Avenue and Tiri Road. This is a permanent count site which collects a

continuous stream of traffic volume data throughout the year, and hence is an excellent source of data

to assess the historical growth in peak period traffic travelling on the main route through the Milford

town centre.

Hourly data for each direction of travel, for weeks commencing on the following dates:

Monday 11 and Monday 18 September, 2006

Monday 6 August, 2007



Monday 2 August, 2010.

Figure 15, below, demonstrates the annual variation in 7 Day Average Daily Traffic (ADT) obtained

from the permanent traffic count station on Hurstmere Road. It is evident that both August and

September are appropriate months representing the average traffic flow on the route.

10Appendix E Brett Harries (Traffic Design Group) evidence to the Council Hearings for Westfields St Lukes Plan Change

8 and The Warehouse Balmoral Propose Plan Change ITA, February 2010, Flow Transportation Specialists


Figure 15: Annual Variation 7 Day Average Daily Traffic

Transfund’s New Zealand Research Report 205: Guide to Estimation and Monitoring of Traffic Counting

and Traffic Growth, 2001, has been used as a reference in this analysis. Report 205 indicates that

where four or more historical data points exist over the past six years, they may be plotted and a linear

trend line obtained. The slope of this trend line gives the annual arithmetic change in traffic volume,

and from this a percentage change can be obtained.

Table 4 to Table 6 documents the traffic volumes used in the analysis, as well as the percentage

increases each year. It can be seen that traffic volumes are decreasing in both directions during both

peak periods, as well as across the day as a whole.

Table 4: Morning Peak Period Traffic Volumes (7:00 to 9:00 am)

Northbound Traffic

Volume

Percentage

Change

Southbound

Traffic Volume

Percentage

Change

2006 844 2,468

2007 791 -6.3% 2,583 4.7%

2008 669 -15.4% 2,465 -4.6%

2009 654 -2.2% 2,404 -2.5%

2010 691 5.7% 2,477 3.0%

Annual Arithmetic Change -44 -6.4% -16 -0.6%

Hurstmere Road Permanent Counter

Annual Variation in 7 day ADT

October 2009 to October 2010

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

% A

AD

T

Northbound Southbound Total


Table 5: Evening Peak Period Traffic Volumes (4:00 to 6:00 pm)

Northbound Traffic

Volume

Percentage

Change

Southbound

Traffic Volume

Percentage

Change

2006 2,028 1,085

2007 2,009 -0.9% 984 -9.3%

2008 1,942 -3.3% 982 -0.2%

2009 1,770 -8.9% 974 -0.8%

2010 1,706 -3.6% 946 -2.9%

Annual Arithmetic Change -88 -5.2% -29 -3.1%

Table 6: Average Daily Traffic Volumes

5-Day Average Daily Traffic Percentage Change

2006 18,086

2007 17,279 -4.5%

2008 16,553 -4.2%

2009 16,006 -3.3%

2010 15,970 -0.2%

Annual Arithmetic Change -551 -3.5%

The annual arithmetic change in traffic volumes in the above tables has been obtained from the

relevant trend line in each of the graphs presented in Figure 16 and Figure 17, below. The annual

percentage change has also been calculated, relative to 2010 traffic volumes.

Figure 16: Hurstmere Road Peak Hour Traffic Volumes

Hurstmere RoadMorning Peak Northbound

y = -44x + 89684

500

600

700

800

900

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Ve

hic

les

/Ho

ur

Hurstmere RoadMorning Peak Southbound

y = -16x + 34808

2200

2300

2400

2500

2600

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Ve

hic

les

/Ho

ur


Figure 17: Hurstmere Road Average Daily Traffic Volumes

As shown, the traffic flows on the Kitchener Road/Hurstmere Road corridor during both peak periods

in both directions as well as on the average daily traffic is experiencing negative growth. The reasons

for this generally negative growth in daily and peak hourly traffic flows on this corridor are varied but

potential reasons for this ongoing decrease may include:

Capacity increases to alternative north-south routes including the Wairau Road/ Taharoto Road

corridor

Increased use of public transport, walking and cycling

Increased fuel prices and vehicle running costs resulting in different travel choices or time of

travel

Bottlenecks and capacity restrictions on the wider network that restrict the access of traffic to,

and on the corridor particularly during peak periods.

Hurstmere RoadEvening Peak Northbound

y = -88x + 179197

1400

1600

1800

2000

2200

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Ve

hic

les

/Ho

ur

Hurstmere RoadEvening Peak Southbound

y = -29x + 58825

800

900

1000

1100

1200

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Ve

hic

les

/Ho

ur


On this basis it is considered incorrect to apply a generic daily growth rate factor to the background

traffic in the Paramics peak period models developed for assessing the traffic effects of the Milford

Plan Change. Rather given that the peak periods and daily traffic flows on Kitchener Road/ Hurstmere

Road corridor (the main route through Milford), have over the past 5 to 6 years experienced negative

growth rates, it is considered that the background traffic in the Do Minimum models be taken as the

2010 traffic volumes. This methodology also allows a thorough understanding of the traffic effects of

the proposed Plan Change to be obtained, as traffic effects caused by growth (or in this case a lack of

growth) will not be included in the traffic assessment.

7.5.2.2 Do Minimum Models: Results

Section 2 of the Aurecon modelling report (Appendix B) provides the detailed results from the Do

Minimum models as well as a comparison of the Do Minimum and Base models. The following

summarises these results and highlights key conclusions with regard to the peak period operation of

the road network under the Do Minimum scenario (ie without the Plan Change development).

Network Statistics

As would be expected the Do Minimum models predict that with the additional traffic demands

resulting from the consented Milford Shopping Centre retail and residential development, the overall

performance of the road network in the model area will experience an increase in total delay when

compared to the Base (2010) model results. The model predicts a:

4% increase in overall network delay during the morning peak hour

5.2% increase in overall network delay during the evening peak hour

Journey Time Comparisons

Three key routes passing through the modelled area have been selected for comparing changes in

travel times which are predicted by the future models. Figure 18 shows the three routes which have

been assessed in each direction of travel and include:

Route 1: East Coast Road/ Kitchener Road between Wolsey Avenue and Saltburn Road

Route 2: Omana Road between Inga Road and Kitchener Road/Shakespeare Road/East Coast

Road intersection

Route 3: Omana Road/ Ihumata Road/ Milford Road between Inga Road and Kitchener/ Dobson

Avenue intersection.


Figure 18: Journey Time Routes

The Aurecon report concludes:

“Journey time results for the morning peak indicate that the Do Minimum scenario will

result in some minor increases to the average journey time for several routes. The largest

of these increases is for Omana Road southbound route, for which the average journey

time is predicted to increase by 20 seconds. Results for the evening peak indicate that the

three routes are predicted to have an increased journey time, the most significant of which

is the Omana Road northbound route, which is shown to have an average increase travel

time of 22 seconds.”

These results are consistent with the effects that would be excepted as a result of the closure of the

Milford Road access together with additional traffic demand rerouting to the Omana Rod access to the

shopping centre.


Level of Service and Queues at Intersections

The Aurecon modelling report also contains details on the predicted performance of the Base and Do

Minimum model scenarios, for key intersections within the model area, as well as for all access points

to the Milford Shopping Centre. For each movement through a specific intersection, the volume of

traffic, the average delay and corresponding level of service (LOS) as well as the average and 95%

percentile queue lengths are given (See Tables 6,7,8,and 9 in Appendix B).


“Results for the morning peak hour indicate a similar level of performance for the Base and

Do Minimum scenarios. In both instances the greatest levles of delay are experienced on

Shakespeare Road. The evening peak results indicate that the level of performance at the

Kitchener Road intersections with Shakespeare Road/ Omana Road and Milford/ Dobson

Avenue remains similar between the Base and Do Minimum scenarios. A reduction in

performance is noted for the Ihumata Road/Omana Road roundabout , which is a result of

the combined effect of existing traffic being allocated from the Milford Road access (which

will be closed) to the roundabout, as well as additional trips generated by the consented

development.“

7.5.2.3 Do Minimum Models: Results Conclusion

The above Paramics modelling has shown that the operation of the Milford town centre road network

during peak times is likely to operate at a similar level once the consented development at the Milford

Shopping Centre has been implemented when compared to the present day operation. The main

changes to the operation of the road network during both peak periods is as a result of the closing of

the Milford Road access to the shopping centre which in turn routes traffic that presently uses this

access, to the access from the Ihumata Road/Omana Road intersection.

In addition to this it is noted that the Do Minimum models predict LOS E and F for certain movements

showing that that even without the implementation of proposed Plan Change 34 these movements

will experience delay and congestion during certain peak times.

7.5.3 Development Models

7.5.3.1 Development Models: Traffic Demands and Distribution

Trip Generation

The SKM ITA at Section 4 contains a detailed description of appropriate peak morning and evening trip

generation rates for residential apartments in town centres based on the RTA Guide to Traffic

Generating Developments. This section has been reviewed and it is considered that the proposed trip

generation rate of 0.6 trips per unit per hour as given in the SKM ITA is appropriate to assess the traffic

expected to be generated by proposed Plan Change 34. It is noted that this trip generation was used

by SKM in the ITA assessment relating to the additional 15 residential units and as this application had

been approved and consent granted by NSCC, it is assumed that NSCC also accepted this rate to be

appropriate.


Applying the typical residential activity directional split to this trip generation rate of 20% inbound and

80% outbound during the morning peak hour, and 80% inbound and 20% outbound during the evening

peak hour, results in the following trip generation in association with proposed Plan Change 34.

Morning Peak Hour: 30 inbound trips and 120 outbound trips, resulting in a total trip generation

of 150 trips

Evening Peak Hour: 120 inbound trips and 30 outbound trips, resulting in a total trip generation

of 150 trips.

It is noted that no reduction in the traffic modelling has been made to this vehicular trip generation as

a result of the passenger transport that is presently provided on Kitchener Road and Milford Road, nor

the fact that Milford is within walking and cycling distance to Takapuna, a major employment area on

the North Shore. It is expected that residents will use the bus transport and other active modes to

travel during the peak periods (which is usually associated with resident’s employment or educational

trips).

In addition, no reduction has been made to the above vehicular trip generation as a result of the

proposal being located within an existing town centre. For example it can be concluded that as a

result of this, residents of the proposed development no longer need to use the private vehicle to visit

retail and commercial activities that are located in the Milford Shopping Centre.

Therefore it can be concluded that the above peak period trip generation and hence the results of the

Paramics modelling can be viewed as a worst case assessment and it is likely that the actual traffic

effects resulting from proposed Plan Change 34 will be less than identified through the Paramics

modelling assessment.

Trip Distribution

With regard to the expected distribution of these trips onto the surrounding road network, the SKM

ITA assumed that this would be based on existing traffic distributions to/from the Milford town centre.

during peak periods. However the existing trips to/from the Milford town centre are generated by a

combination of activities and therefore the resulting trip distribution is not necessarily relevant to

residential trips, as proposed by Plan Change 34. Rather information has been obtained from the

North Shore TRACKS regional transportation model with regard to the trip distribution for residential

trips to and from the Milord town centre zone. The resulting trip distribution for residential trips to

and from the Milford town centre town is given in Table 7.


Table 7: Trip Distribution from Auckland Council TRACKS Model

Origin/Destination Morning Peak Hour Evening Peak Hour

From Milford To Milford From Milford To Milford

East ( Frater Avenue) 1% 1% 3% 3%

North (Inga Road) 8% 19% 19% 10%

North west (East Coast Road ) 13% 29% 27% 24%

South west (Shakespeare Road) 34% 24% 25% 21%

South east (Hurstmere Road) 43% 27% 27% 43%

The results show consistency with a common sense approach whereby during the morning peak period

the main destinations of residential trips from the Milford town centre is to the south via Shakespeare

Road (34%) or Kitchener Road/Hurstmere Road (43%). Similarly during the evening peak period the

distribution highlights that the majority of trips destined for Milford town centre is from the south

(64%).

7.5.3.2 Development Minimum Models: Results

Section 3 of the Aurecon modelling report (Appendix B) provides the detailed results from the

Development models as well as a comparison of the Do Minimum and Development models. The

following summaries these results and highlights key conclusions with regard to the peak period

operation of the road network under the Development scenario.

Network Statistics

As would be expected the Development models predict that with the additional traffic demands

resulting from the proposed development of 250 residential units, the overall performance of the road

network in the model area will experience an increase in total delay when compared to the Do-

Minimum model results. The model predicts a 12% increase in overall network delay during both the

morning and eveing peak hours.

Journey Time Comparisons

With regard to the effect on journey times along the three previously identified routes, the Aurecon

report concludes:

“Results for the morning peak indicate that the Plan Change scenario would have a small

effect on four of the six journey routes measured. Of those that do change, the Omana

Road southbound route is predicted to increase by 23 seconds (17%), while the Milford

Road southbound route is forecast to increase by 45 seconds (34%).

Results for the evening peak suggest that all journey times would increase by less than 10%

under the Plan Change scenario, with the exception of Milford Road southbound route

which is predicted to increase by 37 seconds (30%).”


As would be expected the models are predicting additional travel time for the Omana Road and

Milford Road routes, as these are the routes onto which the additional traffic generated by the

proposal are likely to access. It is noted however that these additional travel time on these route

range between 23 and 45 seconds and when taking into account the travel time of the entire journey

cannot be regarded as significant. Further the main bus route through the Milford town centre of East

Coast Road/ Kitchener Road (Route 1) experiences very small increases to travel time as a result of the

proposal and hence it can be concluded that proposed Plan Change 34 will not affect the travel time of

passenger transport through the town centre.

Level of Service at Intersections

The LOS tables for the three main intersections in the model area from the Aurecon modelling report

are copied below as Table 8 and Table 9.


The morning peak LOS results indicate that the Kitchener Road intersections with

Shakespeare Road/Omana Road and Milford Road/ Dodson Avenue retain similar levels of

service under the Plan Change scenario when compared with the Do Minimum.

Examination of the predicted average delays do however indicate several locations where

the Plan Change does have an effect, including the Shakespeare Road and Omana Road

approaches to the intersection with Kitchener Road/ East Coast Road. The northern

Omana Road access, which will provide the principal access for Plan Change traffic, will

continue to operate with minimal delay under the proposed scenario.

The evening peak results for the East Coast Road/ Kitchener Road/ Shakespeare Road/

Omana Road signalised intersection indicate that the increased traffic associated with the

Plan Change may result in increased delay on the Shakespeare Road approach. The LOS of

movements at the Kitchener Road/ Milford Road/ Dodson Avenue intersection will

generally remain the same, although the Plan Change is forecast to increase delay to the

through and right turn movements on the Milford Road approach. The modelling results

indicate that the Plan Change may result in the reduced performance of the site access

approach to the Ihumata Road/ Omana Road roundabout. As with the morning peak hour,

the modelling indicates that the northern Omana Road access may continue to operate

with minimal delay during the evening peak under the proposed scenario."


Table 8: Morning Peak Hour - Predicted Performance at Key Intersections for Consented Do Minimum and Plan

Change Scenarios


Table 9: Evening Peak Hour - Predicted Performance at Key Intersections for Consented Do Minimum and Plan

Change Scenarios

Queuing at Intersections

Predicted 95 percentile queue lengths for the consented Do Minimum and proposed Plan Change

scenarios are reported below in Table 10.


Table 10: Predicted 95 Percentile Queue Lengths (m)

Intersection Approach Morning Peak Hour Evening Peak Hour

Consented

Do

Minimum

Proposed

Plan

Change

Consented

Do

Minimum

Proposed

Plan

Change

Kitchener/Shakespeare Omana North

(left/through)

58 60 52 54

Omana North (right) 32 34 80 87

Kitchener East 41 47 57 57

Shakespeare South 92 94 121 142

East Coast Road 178 216 54 54

Kitchener/Milford/

Dobson

Milford North

(through/right)

42 61 43 48

Milford North (left) 83 91 24 24

Kitchener East

(left/through)

65 65 110 113

Kitchener East (right) 29 29 50 55

Dobson South 27 29 33 33

Kitchener West 73 77 51 51

Ihumata/Omana/Shopping

Centre Access

Omana North 0 0 0 0

Ihumata East 21 21 47 65

Shopping Centre Access 0 0 94 122

Ihumata West 23 25 91 93


“The above results indicate that proposed scenario has a similar level of queuing to the Do

Minimum for the majority of approaches, the exception being the East Coast Road

approach to Kitchener Road/Shakespeare Road, which is predicted to increase for 95th

percentile queues from 178m to 216m. A slight increase is also observed on the Milford

Road approach to its intersection with Kitchener Road/Dodson Avenue.

The queue comparison results above indicate that the Plan Change is predicted to result in

increased queuing at the Shakespeare Road and Omana Road approaches to their

intersection with Kitchener Road/ East Coast Road. The level of queuing for each

movement at the Kitchener Road/ Milford Road/ Dodson Avenue intersection remains

similar under the Plan Change scenario, other than for the thru/right turners at Milford

Road, where a slight increase is predicted. The queue comparisons also indicate that the

proposed scenario will result in increased queuing at the Ihumata Road/ Omana Road

roundabout, when compared to the Do Minimum.”


Taking into account the LOS and queuing results predicted by the models, it can be seen that while

certain movements at certain intersections do experience additional delay which results in a change in

LOS, the majority of these movements are likely to be congested anyway even if the Plan Change is not

implemented. For example during the morning peak period the Shakespeare Road approach to the

East Coast Road/ Omana Road/ Kitchener Road intersection is predicted to operate without the Plan

Change in place at LOS F, with an average delay of 101 seconds per vehicle and a 95% percentile queue

of 92 m. As a result of the Plan Change this movement is predicted to remain at LOS F with an average

increase in delay of 31 seconds and an increase in 95% queue of 2 m (less than one vehicle).

It is noted that the most significant effect to traffic operation as a result of the implementation of the

Plan Change is predicted to occur at the egress from the shopping centre during the evening peak

hour. Specifically the 95% queue is predicted to increase from 15 to 20 vehicles which may affect the

internal operation of the site. While this clearly does not result in effects to the surrounding road

network it is suggested that when the consented development is implemented (and the Milford Road

access is closed), this movement should be monitored and if significant queuing during the peak period

is observed then the shopping centre egress onto the roundabout should be widened and/or remarked

to allow for a two lane egress.

7.5.3.3 Development Models: Results Conclusion

The following key conclusions are reached in the Aurecon modelling report:

“The above Paramics modelling has shown that overall, the Plan Change scenario is

forecast to result in a minor reduction in overall network performance.

The above results predict that the proposed Plan Change may result in additional delay for

several movements during both morning and evening peak periods.

Journey times are predicted to remain similar for Do Minimum and Plan Change scenarios,

with the exception of the Omana Road southbound and Milford Road southbound routes,

which are predicted to increase under the proposed scenario.

In summary the results of the Paramics modelling indicate that although the traffic generated by

proposed Plan Change 34 is likely to result in increased travel time and queue lengths for certain

movements through the Milford town centre and for certain movements at the main intersections

during both the morning and evening peak periods, this increase over the Do Minimum conditions is

not significant and likely to result in less than minor traffic effects on the operation of the road

network.

7.6 Parking Assessment

7.6.1 Plan Change Proposed Parking Requirements

The SKM ITA contains a through and detailed discussion with regard to an appropriate rate of parking

for residential development such as that proposed under the proposed Plan Change. Guidance on the

matter is taken from the NSCC District Plan parking requirements for residential activities in mixed use

town centres which include the following parking requirements:


Studio/1 bedroom residential unit: 1 space per unit

2 bedroom residential unit : 1.5 spaces per unit

3 or more bedroom residential unit: 2 spaces per unit

Visitor parking spaces shall be required at the rate of 1 space for every 5 units

It is considered that these rates proposed by SKM are appropriate and correct to be applied to the

residential development envisaged by Plan Change 34.

7.6.2 Parking Demand

Applying the above parking requirements to the residential development anticipated by the Plan

Change, results in a parking requirement of 375 parking spaces for residents and 50 parking spaces for

visitors.

7.6.3 Parking Provision

As mentioned previously the additional resident parking is proposed to be provided in various levels on

the western side of the site as well as on the north eastern side of the site. The visitor parking is

proposed to be provided within the existing Milford Shopping Centre parking provision on the site.

This sharing of retail parking resource to cater for residential visor parking is considered to be

appropriate and desirable in a town centre environment when the demand for parking for various

activities peak at different times at the day, and hence with sharing of parking resources a more

efficient and sustainable outcome is reached.

Notwithstanding this, it is noted that surveys of the parking demand at the existing Milford Shopping

Centre has shown that even at the time of peak parking demand associated with the retail activities

there is around 289 parking spaces vacant on the site. With a visitor parking demand generated by the

proposed Plan Change of 50 parking spaces, there is more than sufficient existing parking provision on

the site to be able to accommodate this demand. Indeed as shown below in Table 11.

even with the additional development contemplated by the already consented expansion to the

shopping centre, and assuming the unlikely event that the peak demand for visitor parking associated

with the Plan Change residential units occurs at the same time as the peak parking demand associated

with retail activities, there is still likely to be around 132 parking spaces vacant on the site.


Table 11: Milford Mall Shopping Centre (excluding New World supermarket and NSCC Parking areas): Parking

Assessment

Activity Peak Parking

Demand

(Measured 1 pm

Weekday 2010)

Additional Parking

Demand

(As per District Plan

& Plan Change 34)

Total

Parking

Demand

Total On-site

Parking

Provision

Surplus/

Shortfall

Parking

Retail :Milford

Shopping Centre

508 n/a 508 797 +289

Plus 2007

Consented

development

508 117+38=

155

663 884 +182

Plus Proposed Plan

Change 34

508 375+50=

425

1,088 1,219 +132

7.6.4 Parking Conclusions

Overall it is considered that the provision of 375 additional onsite parking spaces is more than

sufficient to meet the parking demand of the entire Milford Shopping Centre under Proposed Plan

Change 34. The proposed parking provision conforms to parking demand management principals

through the proposed sharing of parking resources and will therefore avoid the excessive provision of

parking resources. Further the proposed parking provision in the context of serving various activities

in a mixed use environment is consistent with regional and local parking strategies and provides the

opportunity to better integrate and manage parking in the area.

8 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

This report provides an update to the 2008 SKM ITA including an update to the Paramics modelling and

associated assessment of traffic impacts during peak commuter periods, as well as additional transport

related assessments with regard to safety, accessibility for all modes, integration and parking.

In terms of the wider strategic transport effects, proposed Plan Change 34 is consistent with, and

supports the key national, regional and local transportation objectives and policies relating to site

accessibility and transportation sustainability, in as much as it will promote residential activity in a

town centre and is also situated on a major passenger transport route. The development of such

residential opportunities within town centres encourages more walk and cycle trips and together with

the provision of good passenger transport results in less private vehicular travel than if the activity was

located out of a centre.

The Milford town centre is identified in various regional and local planning documents as a growth

centre with the Milford Shopping Centre site of this proposed Plan Change having excellent

accessibility for all travel modes though various district arterial roads as well as being located on the

Quality Transit Network serving the North Shore of Auckland.


The traffic assessment has shown that while the proposed residential development will result in

additional private vehicular trips on the surrounding road network, the Paramics models predicts that

the difference in the operation of the road network during peak commuter periods between the Do

Minimum and Development model results is not significant. Accordingly, and also taking into account

the mixed use nature of the resulting development in the Milford town centre, it is considered that the

residential development of 250 units that could be enabled by proposed Plan Change 34 can be

integrated into the road, passenger transport and walking network in a way that results in a safe and

efficient transport environment.

Proposed Plan Change 34 also ensures that sufficient parking spaces will be provided on the subject

site to serve the expected parking demand generated by the proposed development, and also allows

for the use of parking demand management principals through the proposed sharing of parking

resources.

In conclusion this updated ITA has reached similar conclusions to those reached in the SKM ITA namely

that proposed Plan Change 34 will have no more than minor effects on the safety and efficiency of the

surrounding road network and hence from a transportation perspective, proposed Plan Change 34

should be supported.



APPENDIX A Aurecon Modelling Calibration

Report


Updated Integrated Transport Assessment 2



APPENDIX B Aurecon Modelling Report