Chapter 18 - Land Transport Roads are public spaces heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists, as well as by vehicles. Roads have different safety characteristics at night compared to the daytime. It is important that roads be designed to maximise personal safety of all users. Street lighting and separation of road users enhances safety for all users of roads. Access along public roads is unrestricted and provides wide community benefit. That community-wide benefit is reflected in the funding of road maintenance from Council rates. Where new roads are extended specifically to connect new subdivisions or developments to the existing road network, the capital cost of that construction should be met by the principal beneficiary of the access being: the subdivider or developer. Public roads will be designed and maintained to enable their use by public passenger transport services and the Council will continue to provide facilities where demand necessitates. The current state of vehicle technology in New Zealand means that there are minimum levels of noise and vehicle emissions that must be expected from the operation of vehicles on roads. There is little the Plan can do to modify those conditions. The Plan can control the extent of these effects by adopting a roading hierarchy which encourages higher volumes of traffic and heavy traffic movements on certain routes and discourages them on others. 18.3 Issue The adverse effects of activities on the sustainable management of the land transport infrastructure. Land use activities can have adverse effects on the safe and efficient operation of the land transport network. Adverse effects on the land transport infrastructure from activities include inappropriately sited entrances that restrict site lines for traffic; road-side stalls that distract and disrupt traffic flows; buildings and trees that shade roads and contribute to ice and reduced vision; activities generating high vehicle movements that increase the chance of intersection accidents; night lighting and glare from buildings that reduce visibility of road users; vehicle loading and delivery that interferes with pedestrians’ free and safe use of footpaths; advertising signs that distract motorists; and activities that demand off site vehicle parking cause congestion on adjacent roads. Maintaining safe rail crossings is an issue for the few rail crossings within Picton. One of the issues that has not been resolved is the question of how to fund such road upgrading works and whether contributions should be sought from the industry sectors which place particular wear and tear demands on the roads. No conclusion has been reached on this issue nation-wide and research is continuing by a number of agencies into the appropriateness of such contributions. Discharges and accidental spills from vehicles onto roads create slippery or hazardous road surface for other road users and are an environmental and safety issue. The enforcement provisions of other transport legislation are available to control these incidents. 18 - 5