Traffic Management Challenges Unique to Sydney

Sydney is a city that’s renowned for its quality of life, world-famous icons, spectacular beaches and exciting events. But the downside of living in such a bustling place is dealing with heavy and often unpredictable traffic. Congestion is common, especially in the Central Business District, and roadworks and traffic control worsen the delays during large events. Australia’s largest and most popular city has one of the slowest global average speeds during peak hour at 23km/hr. Traffic congestion causes stress, which can impact health. The longer one has to sit in it each day, the worse the stress can become and the longer the exposure to risks.

Sydney traffic also presents a challenge to event organisers or business owners who need to carry out work on or near public roads, re-routing traffic if necessary.

In New South Wales, you’ll need to apply for a road occupancy licence for any activity likely to impact the flow of traffic, even if it takes place off the road. In the construction industry, working on or near a public road is considered high-risk construction work, and before commencing it, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) needs to write a Safe Work Method Statement. When you’re working on or near public roads or footpaths or engaging in any activity that could disrupt traffic flow, having traffic management in place is a requirement.

Traffic management means coordinating the vehicles and people in and around your event, and ensuring the safety of all pedestrians, drivers, cyclists and staff. Traffic management is essential for safety, but it also helps maintain the ease and efficiency of traffic flow in order to reduce congestion.

Effective traffic management in Sydney means dealing with challenges that are unique to Sydney. If you need a traffic manager that’s up to the task, SSTC can help.

Traffic Challenges Unique to Sydney

As a global city with the highest population density in Australia, Sydney is a challenging place for anyone to manage traffic, regardless of experience. A growing population of over five million, a sprawling urban area and car dependence in the outer suburbs all make the situation more difficult. Some Sydney-specific challenges you’ll find in this city include:

Sprawl and car dependence

The Greater Sydney area stretches out over 12,000 square kilometres and is made up of 34 local councils. The vast number of people commuting into the city for work, especially from suburbs on the outskirts, contributes to the increased congestion.

Tolls

Every day, the Warringah Freeway provides access to Sydney for over 250,000 vehicles via the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel. This freeway is part of Sydney’s extensive toll road network. Rising toll costs have been a source of frustration for commuters. While toll roads can save time and provide an efficient alternative, they can also shift traffic elsewhere to create new bottlenecks.

The Sydney CBD

The Sydney CBD is the busiest area of the city, due to the concentration of businesses in the vicinity and its complex road network. Traffic control is always a challenging endeavour, but Sydney’s Central Business District is as tough an environment as gets for maintaining vehicle and pedestrian safety.

The Rozelle interchange

While it was intended to reduce traffic, Sydney’s $3.9bn Rozelle Interchange caused chaos on the roads for months after it opened at the end of 2023. The development funnelled 10 lanes of traffic into four lanes on the Anzac Bridge, pushing cars back onto Victoria Road and boosting congestion in surrounding local streets. Despite mitigation measures being put in place to address the issue, problems such as bottlenecks and safety hazards for pedestrians persist.

Why Managing Traffic in Sydney is Challenging

Sydney’s already large population is continuously expanding, leading to even more traffic on the roads and greater congestion. This growing demand means the infrastructure continually needs upgrading, while preserving the local environment remains a concern.

Traffic coordination is a complex endeavour that takes a trained professional to handle. It involves in-depth planning and strategising in order to direct traffic through routes and detours, even during peak hours. It requires working with local authorities and adhering to legal requirements. When you already have a worksite to run or an event to organise, it’s a lot of work and there’s always the danger of forgetting something vital.

Sydney’s high population and complex and congested road network make traffic management an even more high-stakes affair. It takes a traffic management professional with extensive experience to meet the demands of the occasion.  

How to Deal With Traffic Management Challenges

Here are some common issues you’re likely to face when implementing traffic control in a city the size and scale of Sydney:

Provide parking

If you’re hosting an event, a lot of motorists are going to be parking near the venue in a limited amount of space. To accommodate the extra cars, designate parking areas and implement traffic control to direct parking effectively.

Provide more public transport

Having to redirect traffic around your worksite or event will further slow traffic that’s likely to already be congested, especially during peak hours. Working with the council to provide additional public transport during your event helps to take cars off the road.

Use traffic control services

Traffic management personnel are aware of the rules, regulations and dangers, and can use their knowledge, experience and good judgment to direct the flow of traffic safely. Traffic control professionals have the training and the certifications to direct traffic properly using the right signs and equipment.

Plan thoroughly

The best way to be prepared for dealing with traffic management in Sydney is to cover all your bases as much as possible. Have a pre-approved traffic management plan (TMP) in place for your event, ensure the public is well-informed through social media and apps and use real-time incident response teams to stay prepared for emergencies.

Avoid Traffic Management Challenges with SSTC

SSTC provides a comprehensive approach to traffic management that covers everything you need, including traffic management plans, diagrams, controllers and equipment. A trusted name among some of Australia’s largest construction companies, SSTC has a range of traffic management services to maintain the smooth, safe flow of traffic on the roads.

Effective traffic control starts with the right planning, and SSTC has an in-house planning division that allows us to provide clients with detailed CTMPs, TCPs, vehicle management plans and more. With experience liaising with the appropriate authorities, we can take the stress out of applying for permits from organisations like the council or police.

SSTC’s fleet of Utes comes fully equipped with the latest traffic control equipment, which our trained traffic controllers use on your worksite. We have all the signs, equipment and communication devices needed to maintain safe operations no matter how heavy the traffic.

SSTC’s more than 50 years of combined experience have equipped us with the skills and knowledge to manage traffic in demanding environments, including those as challenging as the Sydney CBD. We’re fully trained in the use of traffic signals and have extensive experience providing traffic control services for special events, including festivals and sporting matches. If anything goes wrong, our emergency response team is available to spring into action 24/7.

To find out more, contact the SSTC team on 1300 007 782 or request a free quote from us online.