“I’ve had experiences where I’ve been through roadworks that have been happening for some time and the work has stopped, yet we are still seeing the road management in place,” Lyall said.
“I think it’s a bit of the wild west out there.”
However, Lyall said he understands the need for traffic management when workers are there to keep them safe on the job, or when the road is left in a condition where a reduced speed is needed.
How sites were managed was something the district council could look into, Lyall said at a recent district council transport and infrastructure committee meeting.
Said Lyall: “Perhaps we should have a review and maybe introduce a bylaw.”
The Melbourne code of practice for building construction and work states: “Wherever practicable, you should aim to reduce your public space requirement as the needs of the project change, removing any unused installations and safely reopening space to the community. For example,
removing traffic diversions after hours when they are not required.”
Lyall was also concerned about the cost of traffic management being passed onto ratepayers on local roads, or taxpayers on state highways.
“We are seeing huge costs put on projects for traffic management . . . and I just get a feeling that the companies involved in putting out the road management are a bit laissez-faire.”
He did want to applaud the work by contractors around Kakaha Park on Birchs Rd.
“The road management there has been excellent – they have had it out during the day and on the weekends they pull it back, and that shows common decency.”
A Fulton Hogan spokesperson said the company follows the guidelines set out by the code of practice for temporary traffic management. They did not comment on Lyall’s proposal.
Corde was also approached for comment but did not respond before the Selwyn Times’ deadline.
