New commercial vehicle safety centre to be built in Manawatū near Ōhakea

Roadworks are underway on the site near Ōhakea air base.

A commercial vehicle safety centre will be built outside RNZAF Base Ōhakea, replacing the police weigh station on State Highways 1 and 3.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says construction will start soon on the Pukenui Rd facility, one of 12 it is building on high-volume freight routes around the country.

The facilities, which police will operate, are part of the national Commercial Vehicle Safety Programme, which is developing an integrated network of cameras, weigh-in-motion devices and safety centres, aimed at improving road safety, ensuring a level playing field for industry and encouraging compliant vehicle productivity.

The sites screen passing vehicles 24 hours a day using advanced roadside technology, such as weigh-in-motion or in-road scales, automatic numberplate recognition cameras and electronic signs.

Any potentially unsafe or non-compliant vehicles are directed into a centre where police officers can undertake checks on vehicle weight, road user charges (RUC), certificate of fitness, logbook and driver impairment. The information gathered is used to understand trends and focus on operator risk.

The Manawatū location had been chosen because it was a vital link to the central and lower North Island and was a high-volume freight route, with more than 2000 heavy vehicles passing daily, Waka Kotahi said. The construction of a new permanent roundabout, due for completion in mid-2024, on the state highway would mean trucks could enter the site safely from both directions.

“Every-day motorists will not be directed into a safety centre when they’re passing. Light vehicles will have their licence plates scanned and information is anonymised within seconds of being captured to maintain privacy. The exception to this is in the case of stolen vehicles.”

Commercial Vehicle Safety Programme manager Sean Bridge said the programme supported the Road to Zero strategy and Waka Kotahi aimed for a road system free of death and serious injury.

“It will help deliver a more level playing field for the heavy vehicle industry and improve road safety outcomes across the transport system.

“Enforcing weight restrictions and other forms of non-compliance, safe driving practices and road-ready vehicles is an integral part of keeping all road users safe and protecting the road network from damage.”

Downer is the contractor for the Ōhakea centre.

Downer Manawatū regional manager Matthew Tipping said the business was excited for its regional construction teams, Hawkins and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) to be involved in the programme.

“The programme also offers excellent employment opportunities for provincial New Zealand, and our Downer whānau will focus on developing our people’s skills and career paths.”

The safety centres will be used increasingly as multi-agency facilities in joint education, compliance and/or enforcement operations between the police, Waka Kotahi and organisations such as the Environmental Protection Authority, WorkSafe, various ministries, regional councils and rural health providers.