Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is asking why it took ministerial intervention to rein in NZTA’s excessive road cone and traffic management spend for state highway maintenance and capital projects, totalling $786 million over three years.

This figure does not include additional expenditure by local councils on local roads.

Transporting New Zealand policy and advocacy lead Billy Clemens said that while ensuring safety for all road users was a top priority for the road freight industry, NZTA’s excessive road cone and temporary traffic management spend had been obvious to its members for some time.

“The road freight sector has been consistently raising frustrations about road cone and traffic management practices that are way out of proportion to the risk NZTA are managing,” he said.

“Transporting New Zealand is concerned that temporary traffic management staff and equipment is being deployed for too long, and in excessive quantities, to maximise revenue for contractors. Due to the Minister’s direction to NZTA, we know just how much it’s been costing taxpayers. Now it’s measured, it can be managed.

“We’re very supportive of the Minister setting firm expectations around NZTA taking a risk-based approach to temporary traffic management implementation, as part of their focus on value for money. No road users want to see excessive use of temporary speed limits and road cones, or traffic management measures being left in place long after a project is finished,” Clemens said.

“NZTA’s road cone and temporary traffic management spend over the past three years could have built a second Ashburton Bridge six times over. It’s vitally important that the Agency and its contractors are taking a risk-orientated approach to protecting road users’ safety, rather than simply slowing everyone down over the busy summer roadwork period.”