Carterton District Council [CDC] is saving up to $3000 per day per job by closing roads temporarily instead of using stop-go traffic management. 

The new approach is not a formal policy, but does give “immediate savings”, a council spokesperson said. It has also found favour with Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. 

Brown, who is also the Transport Minister, said the government expected councils to work with their communities to find the most efficient and cost-effective ways to maintain local roads, which may include targeted closures to get things done quickly and cheaply. 

“Value for money is one of the key priorities of the recently released Government Policy Statement on land transport,” Brown said.

“Reducing expenditure on temporary traffic management is one of the ways that road controlling authorities, such as councils, can make better use of transport funding.” 

The CDC spokesperson said benefits of closing roads temporarily, instead of using stop-go traffic management included higher quality of work, less time required for projects and therefore less disruption for the community, improved safety, and financial savings.

“The savings will be different for every job but could range from $500 to $3000 per day depending on the activity and location of work.”

Typically, road closures will result in 40 to 50 per cent improvement in productivity, the spokesperson said.

CDC has used the approach recently while repairs were made on Lincoln Rd and when removing a parking space on Pembroke St.

“This approach is not suitable in all situations, so the public can still expect to see stop/go traffic management on our roads,” the spokesperson said.

“Of course, it does mean more detours than a stop-go so we thank our community and drivers for their patience and cooperation but in the long term it benefits our community in terms of time taken, and therefore costs.”