Peter Bathgate has been working on the Southern Motorway, currently commissioning the Over Height Detection and Warning System (OHDWS) to protect Penrose Rd over bridge from damage.

New full colour VMS’s will display large text and flashing indicators to advise illegal drivers to leave the motorway.

The system will be connected to ATOC Smales control room to alert Operators so that they can advise Police and dispatch AMA incident response.

In a recent AMA ‘Motorway Matters’ session attended by Brett Gliddon, a photo of the new ‘OVERHEIGHT LOAD DETECTED’ sign was shown along with a video of the first successful activation of part of the system, where trucks triggered two of the VMS, at Panama Rd over bridge and Mt Wellington (northbound) which displayed, ‘LOAD TOO HIGH TAKE NEXT EXIT,’ followed by the truck leaving the motorway as instructed.

The project also won an innovation award for the new bridge-mount structures, which allow technicians to maintain the sign from the local road, eliminating the need for costly traffic management and inconvenience to road users.

Senior Consultant Karen Fehl recently attended a seminar in Auckland presented by the NZTA National Cycling Team, a group designed to promote and streamline planning and procurement, cycle safety and the optimisation of transport networks.

Cycling is currently the fastest growing mode of transport in Auckland and with the government announcement in March of a further $100 million in funding for cycling through the Urban Cycleways Fund (UCF), there is now an associated emphasis on delivering cycle projects.

The seminar was aimed at assisting future programming and planning for cycle projects in light of this investment and was attended by people from a range of backgrounds, including consultants, cycling advocates, coordinators and educators, project managers and funding specialists.

Topics of discussion included the current state of play with cycling and cycle strategy in NZ, funding and the business case approach, types of people on bikes and their needs, overview design concepts, community involvement and promotion, and evaluating the benefits of cycle schemes.

Karen, who worked on cycle facilities early in her career in Wellington, and is interested in how different road user’s needs are managed on arterial road projects such as the bus lanes project on Great North Road, found the seminar both stimulating and worthwhile.