TTM ISG responds to Draft GPS on land transport 2024-34

The Temporary Traffic Management Industry Steering Group recognises the importance of ensuring value for money in temporary traffic management (TTM), as outlined in the draft GPS for Land Transport.

It is imperative that this is done in a way that ensures the right balance between cost-effectiveness and ensuring the safety of everyone who works on or travels through our TTM sites. This will require integrating TTM earlier in the planning of work activities, rather than treating it as an afterthought at the end.

TTM is used to keep people safe while the work gets done. Effective TTM should be no more – and no less – than what is required to keep everyone safe.

The industry is already making progress in ensuring TTM is fit for purpose through the transition from the compliance-based Code of practice for temporary traffic management (CoPTTM) to the more risk-based approach described in the New Zealand guide to temporary traffic management (NZGTTM). This approach will better enable TTM that is safer for the specific risks at each site. 

CoPTTM is prescriptive and can sometimes be implemented as a ‘one size fits all’ approach, which has its challenges, particularly across such a diverse roading network. Currently, it can often be difficult for the public to see the correlation between the TTM in place and the risks to themselves, other road users and our frontline people. The move to a more risk-based approach under the NZGTTM will allow the industry to apply more targeted TTM solutions, and will result in a reduction of unnecessary TTM.

The Industry Steering Group looks forward to working with central and local government and alongside the sector to improve both the real and perceived value of TTM by empowering the industry to manage risks at TTM sites effectively.