Auckland Transport told to report costs of road cones, other traffic management methods

Transport Minister Simeon Brown sees red over cones. Photo / Jason Oxenham NZH 03Feb20 - Has Auckland Council got a sideline making those orange cones? Photo / Jason Oxenham NZH 15Aug20 - Traffic backs up due to roadworks along Quay St. Photos / Jason Oxenham

Auckland Transport will have to begin reporting regularly on how much it spends on road cones and other temporary traffic management methods.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown says his road-cone measures will curb temporary traffic management costs.

Brown said the current level of temporary traffic management was “out of control”.

“Excessive use of road cones and temporary speed limit reductions - sometimes left in place when work is complete - simply increases cost, forces people to slow down, and frustrates drivers.”

Transport Minister Simeon Brown. Photo / Michael Craig

Among the measures is requiring the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and road controlling authorities to report quarterly on the amount of money spent on temporary traffic management.

AT receives government subsidies through NZTA for traffic management costs.

“The first of these reports will be produced in October and will determine a baseline on how much NZTA has spent on [the issue] in the past three years,” Brown said.

He said AT estimates it spends at least $145 million annually on such costs.

AT declined to comment on the regular reporting of temporary traffic management costs, but general manager infrastructure project delivery Mark Banfield said the council-controlled organisation is continuing initiatives on reducing costs.

“More broadly, AT is working collaboratively with Auckland Council, NZTA-Waka Kotahi and other key stakeholders to look at further ways to improve efficiency and bring down the cost of temporary traffic management.

“Initiatives include risk-based management and not a one-size-fits-all approach – which in some cases, lends itself to cost savings,” Banfield said.

He said the $145m figure is approximate, and dated. He expected AT would have an updated figure in the coming weeks.

Banfield made a plea for less red tape around costly traffic management rules when speaking to the transport select committee in April.

Traffic management costs for a new pedestrian crossing and related work at Williamson Avenue in Auckland was about $142,000. Photo / Alex Burton

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

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

The AT manager 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 was about 10 per cent of the total cost, but on pedestrian crossing projects such as on Williamson, it had been 25-35 per cent.

For the Eastern Busway, it was only at about 5 per cent. “So it’s starkly different.”

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

Bernard Orsman is an award-winning reporter who has been covering Auckland’s local politics and transport since 1998. Before that, he worked in the parliamentary press gallery for six years.