| 39 T T Virginia Wright Helping keep regions’ motorists safe Now one of the last remaining independent, family-owned, road and line marking contractors in New Zealand they have bases in New Plymouth and Whakatane serving the communities of Taranaki and Bay of Plenty. Mark Roads CONTRACTING When Bruce Belton started working for a road marking business owned by his neighbour 40 plus years ago, he liked it straight away having already tried his hand at several other occupations. “I’d been a freezing worker, worked on fishing trawlers, cut scrub, sprayed gorse, built fences and shorn sheep. I really liked the travel, being at different places every day and being on the move, and 40 years later here I am still doing it,” he says. Bruce sold his original road marking business in 2008, then worked in the central North Island before returning to New Plymouth in 2018 and setting up Mark Roads Limited with his partner, Sandra Egan. Now one of the last remaining independent, family-owned, road and line marking contractors in New Zealand they have bases in New Plymouth and Whakatane serving the communities of Taranaki and Bay of Plenty. Over the years the level of regulation and complexity of the contracts has increased. At the same time the technology has vastly improved for both the plant and product. High-pressure airless spray has taken over from atomised spray gear, and the latest technology is a snap-dry paint that uses ultraviolet light. “There’s great job satisfaction when you’re driving back over the road at the end of the day and you’ve got those beautiful white and yellow lines everywhere. “ Working in shorts, singlet and jandals has given way to high-vis vests and safety gear but at heart the work is the same, delineating lanes and marking intersections to keep drivers safe. “If I go back to the 80s and 90s a lot of state highways didn’t even have edge-lines which studies have shown are a key safety aid, giving people that visual edge,” says Bruce. “I like to think we’re showing the way, putting the lines down. Our company motto is ‘Arrive Safe’, and we like to think that’s a positive intent not just for us but for all the drivers that come through our work sites and use our painted lines thereafter.” Bruce firmly believes that like any small, family, specialist business they’re an asset to their industry not least because of the time they spend on training and upskilling those who join them. “There’s great job satisfaction when you’re driving back over the road at the end of the day and you’ve got those beautiful white and yellow lines everywhere. “It’s a good feeling knowing you’re helping keep people safe,” he says. Another thing Bruce believes in is prompt service and being able to supply local talent in specialized plant for a wide range of projects: on time, to spec and to budget. He’s grateful for the support he’s had over the years from different councils and Tier One companies like Fulton Hogan and Downers, and no doubt that’s because anyone who chooses Mark Roads knows that when they need a professional road marker to do the relatively minor, but all important, last part of the job, Bruce’s team will be there without delay.
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