Skip to:

Research and Guidelines Steering Group

 The Research and Guidelines Steering Group has the mandate to be the acknowledged source for industry research and development of guidelines relating to road asset ownership.  Current topics include supporting Glyphosate resistance research, steering a new working group on cycle signage and markings, and wider sector representation.

The Group has three key result areas:

  1. Review and update user requirements;
  2. Prioritise and manage development of research and guidelines; and
  3. Improve use of RCA Forum meetings and best practice guidelines by practitioners.

The group comprises representatives from the stakeholders of the RCA Forum and the convenors of the current working groups.  The Steering Group convenor is Peter Bailey of Porirua City Council (contact at pbailey@pcc.govt.nz).  The other members are: Fiona Vessey of Matamata-Piako District Council, Kaye Clark, Fergus Tate and Bill Greenwood of the New Zealand Transport Agency, Murray Hasler of Gore District Council, Fiona Knight of Cresmere Consulting, convenor of the National Stock Effluent Working Group, and Wayne Newman, also of Cresmere Consulting and convenor of the Stormwater Working Group.  Wayne Newman is also the administrator of the Steering Group (contact at wayne@cresmere.co.nz).

The Group provides regular update reports or presentations to the RCA Forum.  These reports are included in the reports of each Forum meeting, but copies of briefing notes for recent reports are available below.  See also the Group's Meetings page.

Current Topics

Glyphosate Resistance Research

The Group is supporting and contributing to research being led by the Foundation for Arable Research to prevent the development of glyphosate resistance within weed species within New Zealand.  Glyphosate is better known as "Roundup", but is the basis for the most commonly-used herbicides currently used in New Zealand.  The development of resistance, as has occurred in Australia and many other countries, would impose substantial extra costs on arable agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, as well as every organisation currently controlling weed or vegetation growth here.

This is no longer a question of potential risk.  Glyphosate resistance has been confirmed in New Zealand now.  It is more important than ever now that road asset managers have in place appropriate protocols for monitoring roadside spraying and reporting incidences of apparent failure of spray treatments, and for rotating treatments.  Read Glyphosate resistance matters for roading managers or additional information on the glyphosate resistance research project or background information on glyphosate.

Cycling Signs and Markings

A new working group has been established to look at best practice for indicating cycle lanes, current signage and markings for cycles-only and shared lanes, and nationally consistant treatment of signage and markings.  Download more on the cycle lane signage and markings working group and the first cycling signage and markings workshop on 23 November 2012.  Cycle lanes are only one aspect of the need for modern road design to take into account a wider range of personal transport modes than has been necessary traditionally.  Another aspect of this same issue is the increasing usage of mobility scooters on roads and footpaths.  The Group has begun to investigate this issue and expects to establish a working group to consider it further before the end of the year.

Sector Representation

The Group is also working to coordinate sector representation on steering and working groups set up by other agencies.  The role of steering group members is to provide a contact for sector input, review and comment on draft documents and review final documents to ensure all comments have been addressed.  With increasing restrictions on travel, attendance at meetings and workshops is increasingly by teleconference or video-conference wherever possible.  Some budget assistance may be available from the Workgroup research and development budget for participation in workshops.  

 

Meetings & Workshops

Back to top ^