AT pushback on ‘sea of red cones’

Transport exec puts in plea to MPs for less red tape around traffic management rules

An Auckland Transport manager has put in a plea for less red tape around costly traffic management rules, saying in other countries there was an onus on drivers to be careful around roadworks rather than a “sea of red cones”.

Mark Banfield, AT’s general manager of infrastructure project delivery, was speaking to the transport select committee about the cost of traffic management around roadworks.

It was part of a briefing on the $490,000 overall cost of the Williamson Ave raised pedestrian crossing in Grey Lynn. Of that, about $142,000 was on traffic management alone.

Banfield said he was not happy about that cost, labelling it “burdensome”

on the public and AT’s coffers.

AT had come under pressure for the cost of installing pedestrian crossings and other roading projects, and Banfield said it was working to bring that down as well as trying to reduce traffic disruption time.

Asked what could be done to reduce the cost without affecting safety, Banfield said less red tape would be helpful.

He pointed to a recent review by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) of temporary traffic rules to take a site-specific approach based on risk rather than using the same measures for every project.

“Just keep moving in that direction would be my feedback on that.”

He said in countries such as Britain, roading projects did not involve “this sea of red cones”.

“It’s because there’s a huge onus and obligation on drivers to be careful around road workers.

“Whereas here, we seem to have a situation where we almost set up our sites as if everybody is drunk and under the influence of drugs and alcohol on the roads and we have to stop [road workers] being killed.”

Teresa Burnett, AT’s general manager of transport safety, also agreed with National MP Grant McCallum’s suggestion that stiffer penalties for speeding through temporary speed limit areas would be helpful.

Banfield also spoke of the difficulties in getting skilled workers. There were “managers for Africa” but they were no use when it came to pouring concrete to a certain specification.

“That’s a broad industry issue. Some examples are concrete work, drain layers are a dying breed, gas fitters. Trying to get good people on the ground in these areas.

“And grader drivers. What used to happen in New Zealand is a grader driver would be a grumpy old grader

We almost set up our sites as if everybody [driving] is drunk and under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Mark Banfield Auckland Transport

driver who was the boss on a site, and he would train up a couple of young people underneath him and develop that skill. It’s not sexy enough now. Nobody wants to be a grader driver. So you start losing that.”

Banfield said steps were being taken to try to bring down the cost of traffic management which had resulted in the cost dropping from an average of about 18 per cent of a project to 11 per cent.

Traffic management costs on major roading projects were around 10 per cent of the total cost, but on pedestrian crossings such as on Williamson Ave, it had been between 25 and 35 per cent. For the Eastern Busway, it was about 5 per cent. “So it’s starkly different.”

Banfield said other steps taken included using temporary lane reconfigurations instead of stop-go operators “for endless days on end”.

Burnett said the upgrade of the Williamson Ave crossing, and others, were the response to a report showing 20 per cent of pedestrian accidents in Auckland had happened at zebra crossings. About half of deaths and serious injuries in the city were people outside vehicles, such as on bikes or pedestrians. The social cost was estimated at $2 billion.

The cost of the Williamson Ave crossing itself was $33,000 while the rest was in associated work, such as traffic management, substantial storm water upgrades, new street lighting, bus stop upgrades, road markings and signs.