Wairau/ Awatere Resource Management Plan 5 March 2015 • Cul-de-sacs to incorporate an area where light vehicles (cars) can turn without reversing manoeuvres, and to enable larger vehicles to enter and leave in a forward direction after using reversing manoeuvres. Policy 1.8 Require all crossing places connecting sites to public roads to be constructed between the kerb line and the property boundary in such a way as to avoid, remedy or mitigate any adverse effect on the safety or convenience of users of public footpaths. Policy 1.9 Ensure that buildings in commercial areas, located adjacent to pedestrian footpaths, provide overhead shelter for users of those footpaths (e.g. overhead verandahs). Policy 1.10 Enable use of public roads for a range of community activities. Policy 1.11 Ensure that the cost of new roading, which is needed to provide access to new subdivision or development, is met by the developer, and that upgrading of existing roads that is needed as a result of development is contributed to by the developer. These policies recognise the adverse effects that can be caused by the transport infrastructure and transport activities and intend that adverse effects be avoided, remedied or mitigated as appropriate. Construction and maintenance of the land transport network will be subject to the same procedures as similar land use activities in order to avoid, remedy, and mitigate adverse effects on the environment. The Council has prepared a Regional Land Transport Strategy which defines the hierarchy of significant roads within the District. The roading hierarchy represents the intended status and function of roads and determines their design and speed characteristics. It would be inappropriate for new roads to be incompatible with the hierarchy. Future subdivision and development of land serviced by roads should have those roads consistent with the roading hierarchy. Assessment of the necessity, appropriateness, and efficiency of all new roads is an important consideration in achieving sustainable management of the roading infrastructure. Road surface and gradient are particularly important to road safety and environmental effects including discharge of water and contaminants. Where higher volumes of traffic are expected, on urban roads, road surfaces should be hard-surfaced for long-term wear and tear and ease of maintenance. Rural roads which carry lesser volumes of traffic will not always warrant the cost of hard surface finish at construction. However, maintenance of road surfaces needs to avoid, remedy or mitigate any adverse effects. As a matter of public safety and convenience all new roads, except those which are very short no-exit roads or are low-speed residential lanes, should be capable of carrying two lanes of traffic. The design width of a road will depend on its status within the roading hierarchy but must be sufficient to accommodate the services and facilities usually expected within roads. Roads provide the servicing trenches for several essential public services. In some circumstances facilities such as footpaths, cycle lanes, vehicle parking, and landscaped berms may be appropriate. It is important that the road’s future function be fully understood at the time of its design and that it be sufficiently wide to accommodate that function. 19 - 4