Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Transporting New Zealand says improved access arrangements for urgent Tiniroto Road repairs are a positive step after initial closure plans threatened major disruption to freight and the local community.
Membership Manager, Lindsay Calvi-Freeman says getting work underway ahead of winter is important given the poor condition of the road.
“We strongly support this work getting done. Tiniroto Road has been in a very poor state and repairs are critical for safety, resilience, and keeping freight moving.”
However, Calvi-Freeman says the initial plan for a full closure – announced on a Friday afternoon for work beginning the following Monday – left operators with virtually no time to adapt.
“This route is critical for logs, livestock, aggregate and other freight moving in and out of the region. With limited alternative routes, a full closure would have had a major impact on these freight movements and the local economy.”
Following engagement with Transporting New Zealand and the Tiniroto Community Association, changes were made to improve access.
Initially, a stop/go system was used for the first two days of work. Access has improved from two to four daily convoy openings, all of which are open to trucks. The convoy times are 8am, 10am, 1pm, and 2:45pm, providing improved flexibility and certainty for freight operators and local road users.
“We worked closely with council and the community to find a more practical solution, and we appreciate the willingness to respond quickly to those concerns,” says Calvi-Freeman.
Transporting New Zealand says continued collaboration is essential to ensure road maintenance can be carried out without disrupting rural communities or supply chains.
About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter-regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.
Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.
