Weigh Station Woes: Technical Glitches Hit Rakaia Site

Thursday, 27 June 2024, 6:25 pm
Article: Jonathan Leask - Local Democracy Reporter

Trucking companies will need to factor in potential delays after the controversial north Rakaia weigh station in Canterbury opened on Wednesday.

But while compliance checks have begun, technical issues meant it was not working at full capacity, police national deployment manager – commercial vehicle safety team inspector Scott Richardson said.

An NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) spokesperson said the on-site weighbridge was not ready to be used yet, with police able to use static weigh plates on-site instead.

Both police and NZTA notified industry bodies in advance of the commercial vehicle safety centre becoming operational.

“We’ve liaised with relevant stakeholders from trucking companies on the issues we currently face and will provide updates as they come to hand on when the [site] will be fully in service,” Richardson said.

When the location for the project was finalised last year, Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown was vocal in his opposition to the site, describing it as a “huge safety risk”.

He was concerned about trucks entering and exiting the site, between two bridges, even with now-implemented speed reductions.

A local trucking representative, who asked not to be named, said it would take time to know the impact of the weigh station on driving times.

“We are unsure of how much time to factor in, especially if there is a problem that needs to be rectified, as there is so much they can look at.”

They also questioned whether the reported $5m facility was “good value for money”.

“Especially when we can’t keep our ferries on the water or fix the potholes on the roads.”

According to NZTA, an average of 70 heavy vehicles pass the Rakaia location every hour and it was estimated that between 4-6% of those would be flagged by the weigh-in-motion device and requested to enter the facility.

That would equate to around three to five trucks per hour using the centre.

A standard check takes around 10 minutes, allowing for six per hour, and the site can accommodate up to 10 trucks parking at a time.

The site only captures southbound traffic and NZTA will be building a second Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre to capture northbound traffic near Weavers Road. That is expected to open in 2025.

The police safety team operating the site will also have the ability to enforce an ‘all trucks stop’ operation.

The trucks exiting and re-entering State Highway 1 have always been a safety concern for those opposing the site, even with the speeds recently reduced to 80kph, and a variable 60kph zone is in place when a truck is using the North Rakaia Road intersection.

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