What is Traffic Management?

What is Traffic Management?

Traffic management is the act of directing vehicles and pedestrians around disruption. This is usually road works or a road closure, but it can also be an accident, community event, or traffic congestion.

It involves supporting workers on the road by providing safety equipment such as cones and barrier fences, as well as putting up traffic lights and diverting traffic through a series of road closures and diversions.

By managing these potential risks, the risk of accidents and disruption is minimised, increasing safety.

Why is Traffic Management Important?

Traffic management is necessary for the safety of both road workers and those using the roads.

A traffic management company will plan, implement, and control the traffic throughout the event or road closure using traffic lighting, signage and fencing on the carriageway.

Without traffic management operatives, the roads would be hazardous for teams tasked with the jobs and users of the roads.

There are times when traffic management teams are called out in emergencies, such as burst water mains on a road or when the police require their help after an accident. Traffic management teams can be on the scene to provide support, diverting traffic away from the area while the authorities and specialist teams get to work on making repairs without the dangers of fast-moving, free-flowing traffic all around them.

Proper traffic management decreases further risks to road users and ensures repairs and attention can be carried out as quickly as possible.

Who are traffic management operatives?

A traffic management operative must be trained in order to control traffic. Any company that works on the road network needs the relevant NHSS (National Highways Sector Schemes) certification. That includes traffic management firms, road maintenance companies, fencers, and landscapers.

Individuals may be trained with an NHSS certification, or the whole team may be certified, but only those who are certified can control the traffic.

What types of Traffic Management are there?

Traffic management may include:

• Lane closures on motorways or dual carriageways
• Diversions which close a road
• Diversions which reduce a road to one lane and "Stop and Go" boards are used
• "Give and Take" traffic management tapers traffic, but drivers pass at their own discretion
• Forming barriers around an obstacle but maintaining safe traffic flow

It completely depends on what the hazard is, what the road layout is like, how much traffic is using the road at the time, and how practical it is to close the road.

Traffic management operatives are assigned with choosing the correct management approach, and correctly enforcing it to minimise disruption yet offer maximum safety to workers, construction sites, and drivers/pedestrians.

How to keep traffic management operatives safe in winter

Being on the front line puts traffic management operatives at increased risk of injury during the winter months, often being out of the van and putting up cones in the dead of night while the roads are quiet – but not entirely empty. During these periods, and – of course – during the daytime and rush hours in particular, there are a number of ways in which traffic management operatives can be kept safe:

• Hi-vis clothing. This is a given and a form of PPE, but it should never be overlooked. Hi-vis jackets and trousers help operatives stand out to oncoming headlights when closing lanes or roads or implementing diversions.
• Safety helmets with lights are another important piece of safety equipment, with a handy addition. A safety light on the top of your helmet will not only illuminate the immediate surroundings but also make operatives more visible to other road users.

FAQs

What is "Give and Take" Traffic Management?

Give-and-take traffic management involves closing one side of a road and tapering traffic into one lane. Thus, one direction is stopped while the other can go. Operatives don't control this, and it is up to the drivers to decide when it is safe, so it is only for roads with speeds of less than 30MPH or low traffic levels. Drivers must also be able to see both ends of the closure.

This is common when work is being carried out on one side of the road. Stop-and-go boards or traffic lights must be used for roads with speeds over 30MPH or busy roads.

What is the difference between temporary and portable traffic lights?

Portable traffic lights are designed to be manoeuvred from site to site regularly. So, traffic passing through temporary road works, an accident, or emergency works can be controlled by portable lights.

Many have traffic sensor technology, automatically controlling which side passes through based on the number of people or cars waiting.

Temporary traffic lights are designed to be a bit longer-term, for work which could take up to a few months.

What are mobile works?

Mobile works are roadworks that move as the work is done. They can involve cutting back trees or hedgerows or maintaining streetlights.

These roadworks need traffic management solutions which can move along with them. This often involves a slow-moving vehicle and traffic-calming equipment which can be moved regularly - think road signs and handheld boards.