Infrastructure Strategy Access for remote locations crop production and be a health and safety issue. Council has increased the unsealed Council has a number of bridges on roads with very low traffic numbers, which means road maintenance budget for dust suppression in areas of particular concern. it is difficult to justify the cost of replacing these bridges. In addition, NZTA subsidies 1.3 Multiple road users for these types of bridges can be limited. The costs of bridge replacements need to be weighed up against the importance of Overview access for remote properties and land uses, and for ensuring all accessible bridges are The increases in viticulture, forestry and tourism, as well as people choosing to move safe to use. to sunny Marlborough to retire, is resulting in parts of our road network being used for many different purposes. This creates potential conflicts on the network. There are also 36 fords on the road network. Due to the impacts on water quality of traffic through the fords they now require resource consent if they are to continue to be Campervans are a key mode of transport for visiting tourists. In addition, logging trips used. The fords may need to be replaced by bridges or culverts on waterways of high in our rural areas will increase by 30% over the next six years, and several other significance. It is estimated that this may affect around 10% of all fords primary industries including viticulture are predicted to grow. Council focuses its bridge replacement programme to the areas of greatest need to Cyclists and pedestrians are another key road user group. The Marlborough Walking ensure restrictions do not have a major impact on the primary industries. and Cycling Strategy has the objective of integrating their stakeholder interests into a cohesive transport strategy for the region. The strategy aims to develop more off-road 1.2 Levels of service pathways and incorporate better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists into new road projects and upgrade works. This will contribute to levels of service improvements in Most of the unsealed roads within Marlborough were formed as original earth bridle road safety, reduction in emissions and urban traffic congestion and some wider social paths, which have been progressively upgraded using base course metal. For this goals. reason, the roads are not based on a formal design, and there isn’t any reliable data on the age of the roads. Safety Marlborough’s unsealed roads include the ends of the Northbank and Awatere Valley Safety is an increasing focus with more tourists contributing to more general activity on Roads, and all the main feeder roads to French Pass, the Kenepuru and Pelorus the roads. Road safety is likely to improve even more over the next 30 years through Sound region, the Port Underwood routes, the Wairau Plains and the Flaxbourne improvements in road design, layout and materials, car design and potentially through region. the use of self-drive cars. Heavy vehicles This may be particularly beneficial on some of our narrow, windy roads such as the Sounds, which are being driven on by tourists who are not experienced in driving on Heavy vehicle usage and truck sizes have been steadily increasing on the region’s such roads or following New Zealand road rules. Improvements to alignments and unsealed roads as forestry, aquaculture, viticulture and farming industries increase special attention to higher risk sections of these roads will be an ongoing necessity production and are using heavier vehicles to cost-effectively move their produce. because injury crashes at bends involving loss of control or head on collision continue to be a feature of rural crashes. Most of the unsealed roads have an adequate pavement depth and are reasonably durable. However, these roads can rapidly deteriorate in response to any significant 1.4 Natural Hazards increase in heavy vehicle movements, in particular during wet weather. Overview Residents Marlborough’s road network is susceptible to significant disruption from slips and Rural residents and road users are increasingly intolerant of dust from unsealed roads, flooding. This is particularly the case in the Marlborough Sounds which has long roads especially where traffic is increasing, or where long periods of dry weather lead to with minimal detour options and unstable geology. more dust generation. Dust is a general nuisance, but it can also adversely impact on 2018-2028 Long Term Plan Page 181