Ryan Bridge: Cone Overkill Must Stop

Chris Bishop says we're sick of over-the-top cone use and expensive traffic management plans. 

And he'd be right. They are so annoying and often, to the untrained eye at least, completely pointless. 

They take a $100 job and make it a $1000 job. 

So why is this till happening?

Why are there still cones everywhere, when the government says NZTA's code of practice for traffic management rick assessment - is no longer being used? Obsolete?  

Well, the problem is many councils are apparently still using this code of practice as their north star. 

As a response, the government's now threatening local council funding. 

They have to threaten funding to get these council to change their ways.

What this shows us is just how far and deep the overly cautious, safety-at-any-cost mentality has set in. 

And also, it shows you how scared they are of worksafe coming in a going them if somebody gets hurt or injured.

You have to make sure people are safe, especially when working with dangers. 

But you can't keep everybody safe from harm in all places, at all times and for any reason. 

Fencing every waterway is impractical. So is covering every street in road cones. 

We need to find a sensible middle ground and make sure the officials told to carry out the changes, actually do so.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chris Bishop says that we're sick of this is us
the public apparently sick of over the top road cone
use and expensive traffic management plans. Well, yes, he'd be right.
They are so annoying and often, at least to my
untrained eye, they're completely pointless. They take a one hundred
dollar job and they make it one thousand dollar job.
And for what So why is this still happening. We've

(00:23):
had a hotline, we've had an election campaign, we've had
promises up the wazoo. Why are there still cones everywhere
all over the road when the government has said that
they've told ZTA to get rid of and this is
apparently like the Devil's Playbook, NZTA's Code of Practice for
Traffic Management Risk Assessment, that apparently is the document that

(00:45):
has been doing our heads in and the government's told
ins NTA to basically get rid of that thing, make
it obsolete. While the problem apparently is that many councils
are still using the Devil's Workbook, the Devil's playbook, this
code of practic as their north star. So as a
response the government's now threatening local council funding, you have

(01:06):
to literally threaten their funding to get them to change
their ways. And what this shows us is just how
far and deep the overtly cautious safety at any cost
mentality has gone. Also, it shows you how scared they
are of work safe, coming in and going after somebody
should you know an injury happen. You have to make

(01:29):
sure people are safe, of course, especially when working with dangers,
but you can't keep everybody safe from all harms in
all places, at all times and for any reason. Fencing
every waterway is impractical, so as covering every street in
road cones. We need to find a sensible middle ground
and make sure the officials told to carry out the

(01:49):
changes actually do so. For more from early edition with
Ryan Bridge. Listen live to news Talks at be from
five am weekdays, or follow the podcast asked on iHeartRadio