Corridor Solutions Limited

Great project in Kinloch to improve pedestrian safety. We completed the detailed design Safe System Audit on the designs produced by Blueline Consulting NZ so it's great to see this project almost complete.

We are proudly sponsoring one of the prizes in this great initiative by Taupō District Council. If you are based in Taupō get your kids involved in the Clean Up Week and compete against other schools for the great prizes on offer. https://lnkd.in/gU_DA6Fs

Recently I reviewed a TMP for a local road closure which required detoured traffic to make a right turn at a T-intersection with reduced sight lines. This could have been avoided by utilising a roundabout and detouring back along the route, however, this was not considered by the planner and the planner had not identified any risks along the detour route that needed to be managed. With the increased adoption of GTTM across the country, we are noticing more contractors wanting to use road closures. However, detours often put traffic on lower standards of roads and can turn minor intersection into major intersection during works.  These risks created by this elimination control are not always thought about or managed during works. PCBUs have a responsibility to manage risks they create thus the principle of lowest total risk within GTTM. Detours can be great but here are some considerations when considering detours: -         Is the detour going to achieve desired outcome? - If resident/business access is still required these vehicles need to be managed through the work site. If volumes are high, then safety benefits of the detour may be lower than expected. -         What standard of road is the detour? - If the road used for the detour is of lower standard than the usual route traffic is at a higher risk whilst traveling, how is this risk being managed? -         How long is the detour? – Any additional time travelled is increased exposure to road risk. If the detour is long this could create significant additional risks to traffic and may even create undesirable driver behaviour. -         Does the detour significantly change the characteristics of the detour route including intersections? – Often detours can significantly change the way intersections operate due to the increased volume of traffic. How are the risk associated with this change going to be managed?

There is a road safety crisis unfolding in New Zealand, the country where I started my road safety career and where most of my family still live. Government is proposing to increase speed limits at locations where they were recently reduced. These locations were selected due to their high crash risk, and the reductions in speed limits resulted in immediate and significant safety and other benefits. Even better, there was minimal negative impact on journey times given the design and use of these roads. Unfortunately, there is more bad news. Government plans to dramatically reduce the road safety capacity within government agencies, eliminating most of the current workforce who are dedicated to improving road safety outcomes, and the $10bn of costs per year these bring to the New Zealand community. Eric Howard and I have produced an open letter to the NZ Minister for Transport, Simeon Brown, regarding these issues, urging that an evidence-based approach be taken to speed limit policy, and highlighting that New Zealand needs to increase its capacity to organize road safety activity in New Zealand, not eliminate this expertise. If you have connections to New Zealand and are interested in this issue, there is a public consultation on the new speed limit policy, available from the Ministry of Transport Website (https://lnkd.in/gB_7Cftb).

We are very proud of our team Ashley Green Tayla Porter who have been working with Taupō District Council & Mātanga Projects to update the Taupō road maintenance contract. This involved helping to validate a forward works programme to re-writing many parts of the contract including technical specifications and basis of payment. It is always amazing when your client trusts you and takes on board your suggestions especially when can have as much impact as this project will on Taupō roading. Time will tell if what we aimed to achieved will actually happen but we are sure many contractors are now trying to understand the documents. Thank you once again Izelda Cruz and Claire Sharlan for allowing our team to be part of this project and know we all had sense of achievement when the document got published last Friday. https://lnkd.in/dpitstDQ

Roundabouts are the solution for all intersection. Or are they? The Safety Practitioner Group are delighted to bring to you a webinar on Roundabouts. We have brought together four safety practitioners, Patrick Chan, Sam Ni, James Hughes and Keith Weale, to discuss how they’ve designed for active users, how they've dealt with all types of vehicles, property challenges, and how the audit process can help achieve good outcomes for all users. Chaired by David Rowland. An event not to be missed! Register here 👇 https://lnkd.in/gB9petiG #safety #safesystems #roundabout