Skip to main content

Road-weather information aids New Zealand road safety measures

As part of their efforts to reduce the number of people killed and injured in road crashes, the New Zealand Government and NZ Transport Agency have recently installed a MetService decision support service for the Transport Operations Centres (TOCs) in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. TOC staff, as well as key Agency staff and road network contractors, are now receiving Severe Road-Weather Advisories prepared by MetService meteorologists, warning of weather events that could impact road safety, traf
March 10, 2017 Read time: 1 min
As part of their efforts to reduce the number of people killed and injured in road crashes, the New Zealand Government and NZ Transport Agency have recently installed a MetService decision support service for the Transport Operations Centres (TOCs) in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

TOC staff, as well as key Agency staff and road network contractors, are now receiving Severe Road-Weather Advisories prepared by MetService meteorologists, warning of weather events that could impact road safety, traffic flows and mobility.

The advisories include warnings of high wind events, heavy rain, floods and slips, tidal inundation, reduced visibility and the likelihood of freezing conditions and ice formation. The advisories enable TOC staff and other teams to proactively make informed decisions about their assets and the safe operation of the State Highway network.

Related Content

  • Pile-up prompts Gulf States to counter fog menace
    September 23, 2014
    David Crawford investigates a promising development to counter the problem of fog in the Gulf States. Despite being a largely desert area with low rainfall, fog is a major driving hazard in countries on the Arabian peninsula, such as the UAE. The fog is the result of moist air moving across from the neighbouring Gulf during the afternoon and evening, and experiencing radiation cooling at night.
  • Cold efficiency
    July 24, 2012
    Tools to support operational decisions in winter maintenance can remove subjectivity and increase efficiency; Vaisala's Danny Johns talks about latest developments Even the presence of trees at the roadside can have an effect on temperature An effective Road Weather Information System (RWIS) network can save a local road authority or jurisdiction tens of thousands of dollars or Euros'-worth of labour and consumables in a single night. Get those winter maintenance operations right over just three or four nig
  • Researchers helping to reduce New Zealand’s congestion
    April 7, 2015
    Researchers at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand claim the impact of congestion in the country’s major cities could soon be greatly reduced. They are exploring how the movement of vehicles on New Zealand’s city roads can be more efficiently managed after accidents and breakdowns. University of Canterbury transport engineer Professor Alan Nicholson says their research shows drivers tend to divert off the motorway in large numbers only after a slow queue becomes visible. Along with Dr Glen Koorey and
  • CRASH Predicts ‘unpredictable’ in traffic incidents
    November 11, 2015
    Road crashes are not as random as they may appear and analysing data can reveal patterns that can help various authorities target their resources more accurately. David Crawford reports. Figures from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that in 2013 there were 32,719 people killed on American roads and 2.31 million injured. While these form part of an overall 25% drop over the decade from 2004, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx continues to stress that reaching the procl