In a bid to reduce the number of road cones on Auckland's roads, Mayor Wayne Brown has announced a four-point plan aimed at tackling what he calls the "unjustifiable economic and social disruption" caused by temporary traffic management.

The mayor's plan includes a six-month trial of a more tailored and targeted approach to roadworks, exploring opportunities for contractors to improve programming and coordination of construction and maintenance work, incentivizing contractors to reduce the road space taken up by temporary traffic management through a system of finance charges and penalties, and an independent report to inform the rollout of a fit-for-purpose temporary traffic management system.

Brown argues that the hundreds of millions spent on temporary traffic management in Auckland is an "absurd and unjustifiable burden" and a "systemic failure."

He is committed to reducing the frequency of lane closures and cones for road works, which he describes as "excessive and unnecessary."

Brown has called for Auckland Transport and other utility and energy companies to reduce their spending on road cones and traffic management to fill a massive budget hole.

According to Brown, contractors appear to take up more space on the road network than is necessary for their own parking, material storage, and lunchrooms, increasing the cost of disruption to road users at a minimal cost to themselves.

He does not accept the mantra "safety at any cost" and believes it cannot continue to hold back safe and reasonable improvements to temporary traffic management, which is currently a costly and annoying imposition on the daily lives of Aucklanders.

Brown's plan will focus on a more targeted approach to risk and will incentivize contractors to reduce the road space taken up by temporary traffic management.

The independent report he has commissioned will quantify the costs and benefits of both the existing temporary traffic management approach and the more flexible trialled approach in terms of road safety, cost, delivery time frames, and user experience.

The agencies involved in the plan include Auckland Transport, Waka Kotahi, Chorus, Vector, and Watercare.

The proliferation of road cones and road safety projects has caused road rage and is a significant issue for Aucklanders.

Brown's plan is a step in the right direction to address this issue and create a safer and more efficient road network for all.