Transport Minister Chris Bishop is requiring councils nationwide to switch to a new traffic management guide or lose key transport funding.
He says the new guide will replace the current traffic management code of practice, which is overly prescriptive and leads to too many road cones being used.
“We still see ridiculous temporary traffic management measures on local streets, such as quiet cul-de-sacs covered in road cones because of minor work on a footpath,” he told RNZ.
“Each location must be assessed individually and the appropriate level of safety devices applied.
“That said, we are putting more focus on ensuring that unattended work sites, or areas where cones have been left out unnecessarily, are reduced through increased on-street monitoring and checks.”
Wright also could not provide the amount spent on temporary traffic management (TTM) in the past year when asked by The Star.
“The council does not currently track total spending on temporary traffic management because it is delivered through a range of mechanisms and business units across the organisation,” he said.
TTM can be used for transport projects, but is also used by the parks and events teams, among others.
Wright said financial reporting for individual capital projects is being updated to more accurately identify TTM costs at the project level.
The city council has not formally adopted the new TTM guide yet, but some contractors have been trialing the new rules.
Wright could not say when the guide would be used in all roading projects.
“The focus of the new guide is to have the right-sized temporary traffic management relative to the hazards and risk presented by the works.”
The exact amount of road cones used is up to contractors and is not mandated by the city council, said Wright.
The city council does not track how many road cones are used at any given time or know how much is spent on them.
