Clarifying The Cone Tale Changes Are Coming

By John Freer

Road cones – maybe one of the biggest topics of conversation, not just around our region, but across the country.

Sad thing is I recently picked up some friends at the airport after returning from three months in Europe, low and behold before even hitting the motorway, the question of road cones arose – more so about the lack of them in Europe at work sites.

But alas there is more as I have even heard of people having road cone counting contests around our local roads – well there has been no shortage of them over the past couple of years.

Best story though is that the traffic management companies actually get paid by the cone. We can now report this is not the case – as our contact at the New Zealand Transport Agency told us – read on and thanks NZTA for clarifying this.

“Here’s a bit of a cone explainer! Unlike a beachside dairy in Whangamatā, we do not charge by the cone.

“Temporary Traffic Management (TTM) is an important part of the planning required to make sure a work site is safe before our contractors start their work. 

“NZTA Waka Kotahi pays our construction contractors for the total cost of the TTM setup, as a portion of the total cost of completing a road works job.

“Project sites vary depending on how many people and volume of equipment required. Seasonality also impacts on TTM costs – for example there are higher costs in summer when we have lots of static setups like stop/go and closures for road renewals. Much lower costs in winter when we have more mobile setups.

“The requirements for traffic management, including the space requirement between road cones, are prescribed in the Code of Practice on Temporary Traffic Management (CoPTTM).”

Now there are changes ahead, back to the transport agency.

“NZTA introduced new guidance in 2023 which takes a risk-based approach and will change the way TTM is delivered via the New Zealand guide to temporary traffic management (NZGTTM).

 “NZTA is working with construction contractors and TTM suppliers to roll out the risk-based approach to TTM at worksites on state highways. It aims to change the way we plan and manage people’s safety at TTM sites by putting risk assessment and planning first.

“This means contractors have more flexibility in the way they manage sites and use TTM measures, such as road cones.

 “NZTA’s move to the risk-based approach to TTM (the NZGTTM) gives construction contractors the opportunity to right-size their TTM setups to achieve safer, more efficient and effective TTM.

 “More information about this work can be found on our website: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/roads-and-rail/new-zealand-guide-to-temporary-traffic-management/”

We will watch this one with some interest.