Chapter 19 - Land Transport Policy 1.9 Where proposed allotments have access from a public road require that access be suitable for the safe and efficient carriage of vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. The Council has a responsibility to manage the adverse effects of activities including effects on the land transport infrastructure. The Council seeks to ensure that activities are appropriate to the speed and function of adjoining roads. This may mean that in some locations, for reasons of transport safety and efficiency, activities that have specific effects on the transport infrastructure will need to be modified or even prevented from occurring. It is a normal expectation, in today’s society, that households will use motor vehicles. The Council considers that it is reasonable to expect that new allotments will be provided with vehicle access from public roads. That access should be provided between the road kerb line and the property boundary and should be constructed in a way that does not disrupt the safety or convenience of pedestrian use of footpaths. The Council is committed to minimising accidents at rail crossings and road intersections. The design of all future road intersections will therefore be required to incorporate safe sight distances appropriate to the local environment and location within the roading hierarchy. Road marking and traffic signs are an important component of the transport infrastructure. The Plan provides for essential traffic safety and directional signs and road names. Public roads provide a certain amount of kerb-side vehicle parking. It is important to maintain vehicle carriageways for the free movement of vehicles and cyclists and to ensure that parked vehicles do not compromise pedestrian safety. Where activities give rise to demand for vehicle parking they will be expected to make provision, clear of public roads, for that parking. Public roads will continue to be available for supplementary parking for extraordinary events and, particularly in commercial areas, where kerb-side parking maximises convenience for visitors to premises without compromising road safety. 19.8 Methods of Implementation Rules The Plan adopts the current District roading hierarchy as the determinant of the status and function of all roads in the Wairau/ Awatere Plan area. Rules are included that: • Generally permit construction of new roads and railway lines; • Require all new allotments and development sites to be connected to a public road by a suitable vehicle access way formed to a standard appropriate to the rural or urban circumstances, except allotments with their only access to the coast; • Permit essential road markings and signs subject to standards controlling their size and location; • Require all subdivision of land to be assessed against criteria which includes the safety and efficiency of transport routes; 19 - 9