Strategies and plans contributing to our NLTP

Regional land transport strategies

Regional councils develop regional land transport strategies to set out their highest priorities for land transport over the short to longer term - up to 30 years. Strategies need to include an implementation and funding plan that guides how the council will achieve its priorities and targets.

These strategies are statutory documents - the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA) (external link) describes their content and the process for developing them. Councils must also ensure that their regional land transport plans are consistent with these strategies.

See the requirements regional councils must meet when developing these strategies.

National state highway strategy

Our Strategy takes a 30-year view in providing a link between national transport strategies, legislation such as the LTMA and programmes of state highway activities. It also promotes integrated planning of state highways, local land use and different transport modes. It sets out eight principles for planning, building, operating and managing the state highway network, and re-introduces state highway categories for route planning. The Strategy also recognises that highways must respond to differing and sometimes conflicting expectations.

Sub regional and inter-regional strategies

'Sub-regional' strategies provide a greater level of detail or a tighter focus on land transport aspects than is provided in a regional land transport strategy. Inter-regional transport strategies can ensure a more national focus on state highways than might be brought out in a regional land transport strategy.

Mostly, we produce these strategies in conjunction with councils and others who have an interest in a particular strategy or those likely to be involved in implementation. Terms of reference typically guide these strategies.

Our Planning, programming and funding manual describes the process for developing these strategies.

Asset management plans

We develop asset management plans to set out one-off and ongoing transport activities that deliver agreed land transport services and infrastructure that operate well and reliably. Often supported by technical reports, these plans describe how we'll ensure state highways perform well for the least possible cost, in the short and long term.

Asset management plans cover all aspects of the state highway network including:

• motorways, expressways and other state highways
• cycleways and footpaths we operate
• street lighting
• traffic markings, signs and signals
• retaining walls, tunnels and bridges
• road drainage
• safety barriers
• road shoulders and planted areas
• street lighting equipment.

The plans reflect costs of:

• operating transport infrastructure, eg street cleaning, power for street lighting, and the staff time spent operating traffic signals
• responding to events, eg traffic management at accident sites, clearing slips after a storm
• maintaining and renewing existing infrastructure, eg repairing potholes, repainting faded road marking, re-surfacing roads or walkways
• improving transport infrastructure, eg by constructing a new motorway or widening an existing one, and building a two lane bridge to replace a one lane bridge.

Some of the things we consider when developing these plans include:

• how extensive and good the transport services and infrastructure needs to be, taking into account what the community wants and is prepared to pay for
• likely future traffic volumes and use of transport services
• the current quality of services and the condition and remaining life of transport infrastructure
• possible impacts on asset condition or service quality, considering risks such as natural hazards, like storms or floods, and how rapid and complete any response to rectify damage should be.
• the funding available.

Our asset management plans provide a robust base for the transport activities we submit for inclusion in regional land transport programmes.