Marlborough District Council Roading Assets - Activity Management Plan 2015 - 2018 SECTION 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i. Do nothing differently i.e. continue with the existing budget and management practice. Providing the budget is adjusted for escalation this option should be able to maintain the current level of service. ii. Status Quo, i.e. maintaining current level of service. With no asset deterioration involved, this is the same as doing nothing differently. iii. Desired Level of Service i.e. increasing the level of service to meet higher expectations of council and/or consumers. A desire for an improved level of service may be an outcome from consultation over this AMP. An option for improving the level of service would be: iv. Sawing of heavy vegetation in environmentally sensitive areas in lieu of current slashing techniques (eg. Queen Charlotte Drive) (estimated cost +$100k/yr). v. Reduced Level of Service, i.e. consider reducing the level of service to reduce costs. The existing level of service would be considered ‘the minimum’ by most consumers therefore it is considered that reducing the level of service would not be a popular or viable option. 1.6.6.3.6 Verges Issues and Risks The following issues and risks have been identified with this activity; Control of noxious weeds – failure of Council to meet its own control policies as network owner and to enforce standards on adjoining properties. Control of fire risk – failure to minimise risk of fire starting on the road reserve and moving onto adjoining private property causing substantial damage. Maintenance of visibility sight lines – failure to meet safety requirements on bridge approaches, at intersections and to signs. Rank vegetation growing into the safety envelope on any road is an issue but is not one that arises due to the effect on the growth by vehicles sweeping past. Portions of D’Urville Island are the only areas likely to suffer from overgrowth. 1.6.6.3.7 Disposal Plan There is no disposal in this activity as there are no physical assets. 1.6.6.4 Incident Response Incident Response on the Marlborough road network describes the attendance at unplanned emergency events. Incident Response is an activity and there are no physical assets. Incident Response covers callouts to assist with traffic control at the scene of motor vehicle accidents, the locating and controlling of wandering stock on the roads, the first response to slips, washouts and flooding during the onset of storm events and calls to spills on the road or rubbish dumping in public areas. An incident response is normally commenced after a call from the Police or a member of the public to one of the 24 hour emergency numbers maintained by the Council and the maintenance contractors. The call centres do not prioritise calls. All calls engender a response. Any call which involves road integrity or public safety must be responded to within 20 minutes and the first unit must be at the scene to establish traffic control within the shortest safe driving time from Blenheim. The maintenance contractors are encouraged to employ persons who live in the more remote parts of the region who are able to respond to calls in the outer areas while the Blenheim based crews travel to the scene. The incident response framework requires an emergency signs trailer to be maintained by the contractor in each contract area. During widespread weather related damage the first response is to address public safety and then to get the roads open to a basic level. This is discussed in the Section 6.20 Emergency Works. 1.6.6.4.1 Level of Service The road maintenance incident response environment struggles to replicate the twenty four hour a day, seven day a week Police and Ambulance callout service because it is a call centre based activation system which takes time to get sufficient personnel on the ground with the appropriate equipment. Any escalation in the ability to respond would require a manned response centre rather like a fire station. 30 September 2014 Page 86 of Section 1