This award is open to Traffic Engineers from the public or private sectors in New Zealand to submit highly innovative, traffic safety project which they have recently developed that stand out from standard, everyday road safety treatments or practice and deliver significant improvements in road safety in New Zealand.

2013 Award Winner

The 2013 Winner of New Zealand’s prestigious 3M Traffic Safety Innovation Award was recently announced at the Institute of Professional Engineer’s (IPENZ) Group Conference in Dunedin.

Bound for the USA: Winner of the 2013 3M Traffic Safety Innovation Award, Brian Ward (right), accepting his award from Storm Robertson, Traffic Safety Business Development Manager, 3M Australia & New Zealand (left).

Brian Ward won the 3M award on behalf of Timaru District Council, Invercagill City Council and Dunedin City Councils for his innovative project on Active Traffic Warning Signs. This project included unique, rural warning signs designed to improve road safety near dairy herds crossing roads.

View Brian’s presentation on his winning project

2013 Finalists

There were also three finalists commended at the conference for their innovative projects. Click on the links below to learn more about these:

Mario Vulinovich, Lightknight International Ltd

Project: Increasing Safety at Night and at Poor Visibility Conditions in Highway Work Zones

Mark Lilley, NZ Transport Agency

Project: Rural School Variable Speed Limits Trial

Neil Garnett, Opus International Consultants

Project: Milford and Knobs Flat VMS in Fiordland National Park

The Grand Prize

The team leader of the winning project receives a trip to the USA to attend the ITE Conference, and a variety of industry visits in the USA, including a trip to 3M’s Customer Innovation Centre and Traffic Safety Systems Headquarters in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

3M’s Customer Innovation Centre (above) and 3M Headquarters (below), Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA