The New Zealand government is tightening regulations on the use of road cones in temporary traffic management, aiming to reduce unnecessary costs and improve efficiency. Minister of Transport Chris Bishop announced that from July 1, all local councils are required to adopt a risk-based approach rather than relying on outdated, prescriptive codes of practice when managing traffic around roadworks.

Bishop criticized the previous standard for being excessively detailed and inflexible. He noted that many councils still adhered to a 500-page code dictating specific spacing between cones and other rigid requirements, which often resulted in unnecessary complexity and expense. Instead, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), also known as Waka Kotahi, has been encouraging contractors to assess actual site risks and implement traffic management appropriate to each situation.

“NZTA has demonstrated that it is not necessary to have large numbers of contractors painstakingly measuring cone gaps,” Bishop said, highlighting that the agency has reduced spending on temporary traffic management by approximately NZD 46 million in the past financial year, while maintaining safe working environments.

Several councils have already shifted to this practical framework, including Auckland Transport, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch, and Porirua city councils, as well as district councils in Marlborough, Tasman, Whangarei, and New Plymouth. Bishop urged all other councils to follow suit, emphasizing that continued access to national land transport funding for local projects will depend on adopting the same common-sense approach used successfully on the state highway network.

While safety remains a top priority, Bishop underscored the need to differentiate between necessary precautions and overly cautious measures that treat minor street repairs like major motorway projects. The move aims to strike a balance between effective safety and cost efficiency in temporary traffic controls across New Zealand’s road network.