Tasman District Council is urging the public to treat roadworkers with respect after a spate of abuse directed at traffic management staff in Richmond this week.
In a post on Facebook, the council said there had been "lots of incidents" of people yelling at workers stationed at a temporary roundabout on Sailsbury Rd.
"It shouldn't need to be said, but unfortunately it looks like it does – stop abusing traffic management staff," it said
The council acknowledged roadworks could be frustrating but said that did not justify taking it out on staff.
"Would you want someone speaking to your parent or child like that?" the post said, adding that staff were "just trying to help everyone stay safe and get to where they're going".
"Abusing the traffic management team at a roadworks site is like abusing the checkout operator for food prices rising in a supermarket – it's not their fault, and they can't do anything about it."
Salisbury Rd was having a major rebuild, with the key Richmond route undergoing structural repairs rather than resurfacing.
The two-week project, which began earlier this week, included restructuring parts of the road base and laying new asphalt to improve safety and road quality.
The temporary "baby" roundabout, replacing traffic lights at the Arbor-Lea Ave intersection, would be in place throughout the full reconstruction period.
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