Caution needed over road cone hotline
With road cones once again taking centre stage with the launch of WorkSafe’s road cone hotline, Temporary Traffic Management Industry Steering Group (TTM ISG) Chair Darren Wu says the public needs to be patient and talks to work that is already underway to combat the ongoing debate around “excessive” temporary traffic management.
“While we understand Ministers’ desire to remove temporary traffic management equipment from our roading networks, we are cautious over the impact the public will see as a result of the hotline,” said Darren Wu.
“Early feedback from the hotline suggests that while there are some genuine cases where excessive road cones are used, the majority of equipment is in place for a legitimate reason and appropriate to keep the public and road workers safe.”
In the first week, WorkSafe received 375 notifications, with most focused on our main centres – Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch – and our state highways (NZTA).
The TTM ISG worked closely with both WorkSafe and the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) in providing feedback on the hotline proposal. A WorkSafe representative recently joined the TTM-ISG, and the group will continue to stay across learnings from the hotline.
“While many reports may not result in the need to remove temporary traffic management equipment, the feedback received through the hotline will provide the sector, along with councils and NZTA, a better understanding of public perception of temporary traffic management.
“We view this a great learning opportunity and look forward to reflecting on what we learn from the hotline,” said Darren Wu.
The TTM-ISG also issues caution over public expectations around how quickly their concern is responded to, and note that WorkSafe, along with councils and NZTA, are committed to responding to the best of their ability in a timely fashion.
“Temporary traffic management is all about safety, we need people to remember that it is more important that sites are adequately assessed rather than a rushed response.”
“With the industry going through a once-in-a-generation change from a very prescriptive code to a more risk-based approach, we know that that's going to take some time, so the public may not visibly see the results of this transition as quickly as they’d like,” said Darren Wu.
“As an industry we understand public frustration and we want to do something that is more immediately visible to help address the issues.
“We acknowledge that there are times when equipment, which is no longer needed, is left out and have partnered with suppliers across New Zealand to implement a ‘use it or remove it’ campaign, whereby suppliers actively pick up ‘stray’ or ‘redundant’ equipment.”
TTM-ISG supplier representative, Wayne Clarke, said “As suppliers, we are the experts in identifying equipment that is no longer required and can ensure key safety controls are not inadvertently removed.
“We felt that as an industry we should proactively do our part to collect as much redundant gear as possible across the network to help reduce driver frustration, without impacting worker and driver safety.
“We ask that people don’t take matters into their own hands and remove critical safety equipment themselves. Please leave it to the experts.”
The TTM-ISG is also concerned that road worker abuse could be an unintended consequence that may arise from the road cone hotline.
“When we see negative commentary around ‘road cones’ and ‘road works’ take centre stage in our news cycle, we also see an increase in road worker abuse. A similar trend occurred last year when the pothole hotline was launched.
“We encourage people to see the face behind the cone, or stop / go paddle, and treat road workers with respect,” says Darren Wu.
“It’s also important to remember that temporary traffic management is in place to keep both road workers and those travelling through the road works safe. Respecting the controls in place not only keeps people safe but can make for a smoother, less disrupted journey.”
Between 2019 and 2023, 356 people were killed or seriously harmed at road work sites, most of whom were road users.
Photo: Danny Wood
Date: 26 June 2025