Tracey Berkahn: AT Group Manager of Road Corridor Access and Coordination on AT spending $63 million on road cones

Auckland Transport has spent more than $63 million dollars on traffic management and road cones in the past year. 

Mayor Wayne Brown is criticising the figure - saying it equates to about 3 percent rates rises across the city. 

But AT says it isn't too much considering its over $1.2-billion infrastructure programme. 

Road Corridor Access and Coordination Group Manager Tracey Berkahn says new Government guidance may lower costs. 

"Now there's a lot more thought put into a principles-based approach to it. And so, necessarily, you'll have fewer devices out there."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Together due for Cellen.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Now, Auckland Transport has spent in eye watering sixty three
million dollars on traffic management and road cones in the
last year. The mayor has slammed the cost, saying it
equates to about three percent rates rise across the city.
Tracy Burkhan is with Auckland Transport high Tracy Hi Heather,
mayor says it's too much, is it?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
It's it's not too much if you think about it
in context. Fundamentally, we agree with the mayor. We agree
that there's still more work to do. So sixty three
million is a big number, but you have to put
that in context of a one point two plus billion
dollar infrastructure program, and that equates to roughly five percent.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Okay, but hold on hold to what is in this
infrastructure program. Is that is that one point two billion
dollars just for roading?

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Not all of Auckland Transport's capital program last year was
around the one point two billion.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
But that's that's what does that include. That's not just
roading and cycle ways.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
So you've got things that will Obviously the Eastern Busflow
project is roading, but it's a public transport major benefit
for the city. So yeah, that what else all sorts
of capital, Yeah, foot paths, all.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Of road cones need temporary traffic management for foot paths.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yes, sure, so if you've got people concrete trucks pouring concrete,
odd foot paths where people need to be diverted to
the other side of the road so that they're not
walking by heavy machinery, and those sorts of things, that
will be a much life some of those.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
If you're spending one point two billion dollars in a year,
then that means that you're spending one hundred million dollars
in a month, which means that you're spending what is that,
three million dollars in a day, which means that every
hour you're spending about two hundred Every light hour, you're
spending about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. You're seriously
telling me that is how much money you people are
spending two hundred and fifty thousand dollars every hour.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yes, we're delivering huge infrastructure benefits to the city every year.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well I find that amazing to anyway. Okay, now tell
me which of the two guidances are you using for
the temporary traffic management are you using the old one
or are you using the new one that the government
wants you to use.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
So we're still transitioning to the new one, but we've
embraced the new one. It's an excellent change too.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, why aren't you just doing it? How hard does that?
Just ditch the old ones start using the new one.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
This is really a once in a generation change for
the construction industry in New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
I've explain to me why you can't just get rid
of the old guidance and use the new guidance from today.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
So we're working with all of the suppliers to do that.
But we've got contracts that specify the old way of
doing things. We're changing those all over to the new
way of doing things. And we're supporting the construction companies
out there who've got obligations under their health and safety
at work to requires to keep their people safe and
to keep the road users of Wookland safe.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
So how much is it going to reduce the cost
of temporary traffic management by when we switched to the
old one to the new one?

Speaker 1 (03:13):
So realistically, we've had the cost we've spent on temporary
traffic management.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
And I'm asking you how much is it going to
reduce it by when we completely switch to the new one.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
We're not really sure because what the new guide does
is it actually looks at each site specifically and says
what's the right amount of temporary traffic management for this site?
The old one said you must have twenty five cones
and they must be one meter apart. So now there's
a lot more thought put into a principles based approach

(03:45):
to it, and so necessarily you'll have fuer devices out
there and lower cost, but anticipations you may still have
the same.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, I know. Do you understand yet? When do you
anticipate that we will be completely switched to the new
one and the old one is gone?

Speaker 1 (04:00):
So Auckland Transport is only going to consider the new
approach from the first of July twenty twenty six. We
won't be looking at the old applications, will only be
looking at the new application.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
And when will all the contracts that contain the old
one be out and finished and we're only looking at
the new one and the new one is the only
one in effect.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
So the government's put a line in the sand about that,
and Auckland Transport supports the minister. That's by the first
of July twenty twenty seven, fully all old contracts transferred across.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Thank you, Tracy, that's what I was after. I really
appreciate it. Tracy Burkhan, Manager of Road Corridor Access and
Coordination at Auckland Transport. Basically, what that means is you
need to get used to paying the sixty three million
dollars or so that we're paying at the moment for
the transport traffic management, because we will be paying this
much at least until halfway through twenty twenty seven when
we switch to the new system. For more from Heather

(04:54):
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