Govt Implements Risk-Based Approach to Reduce Road Cone Usage and Traffic Management Costs

The government is rolling out a new risk-based approach to TTM aimed at reducing the number of road cones on the roads.

The Coalition Government is taking action to reduce expenditure on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM) while maintaining the safety of workers and road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced.

The government is rolling out a new risk-based approach to TTM aimed at reducing the number of road cones on the roads. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) will be required to publicly report in October on the annual expenditure for TTM over the past three years and to begin quarterly reporting on TTM costs, with the expectation that this expenditure will decrease. Additionally, independent members will be appointed to the Road Efficiency Group to oversee the reduction in TTM expenditure.

"Road maintenance is essential, and some level of TTM is unavoidable. However, the current approach is out of control. Excessive use of road cones and temporary speed limit reductions—sometimes left in place even when work is complete—simply increases cost, forces people to slow down, and frustrates drivers," said Minister Brown.

In February, a review by NZTA of TTM at 800 maintenance worksites on the State highway network found that 145 of these sites were unnecessary, highlighting the excessive use of road cones and TTM.

To address this, NZTA is rolling out a new risk-based TTM guidance at worksites on State Highways, modeled after the Australian approach, which relies less on road cones. This new approach will involve changes to contracts, a new training system, and monitoring to ensure both safety and cost efficiency. NZTA is also continuously reviewing current TTM on the network and instructing its suppliers to remove unnecessary TTM.

Minister Brown emphasized the importance of reporting and measuring the effectiveness of these changes. "When I became Minister of Transport, I asked NZTA to outline how much money had been spent by NZTA each year for the past three years on Temporary Traffic Management and was advised this information was not compiled and so was unavailable," he said.

The government will now require NZTA and all Road Controlling Authorities to report quarterly on TTM expenditure to ensure transparency for taxpayers. The first of these reports will be produced in October and will establish a baseline for TTM spending over the last three years. Minister Brown expects that expenditure on road cones and TTM will decrease each year going forward.

The government has already delivered a $3.9 billion funding boost to fix and prevent potholes on State Highways and local roads. Over the next decade, NZTA will implement an increased road renewals program efficiently to reduce the number of road cones and overall TTM costs.

To maximize the effectiveness of maintenance work across New Zealand, independent members will be appointed to the Road Efficiency Group (REG), which was started under the previous National Government to find efficiencies in road maintenance spending and deliver more value for taxpayers' investment.

Furthermore, the government is reviewing the Health and Safety at Work Act and its impact on TTM practices to ensure a balance between the safety of road workers and cost control, without unnecessarily inconveniencing motorists.