How to Create an Effective Event Traffic Management Plan

Organising an event, no matter the type or size, can be a daunting and stressful experience. There are many legal requirements, permits, approvals, and plans to consider to ensure the safety of all involved in the event. Every detail, risk, and hazard must be seriously considered to ensure the successful running of an event and minimise the impact on the surrounding community. To achieve a safe and successful event, both an Event Management Plan and Event Traffic Management Plan are crucial.

At SSTC, safety is always at the forefront of our plans during development and execution. Our team is highly experienced in event traffic management across Sydney. Our traffic controllers are highly trained to avoid and resolve incidents efficiently and come fully equipped.

When participants attend an event, it is an expectation that they will be able to enjoy it safely. The best way to achieve this is through an effective Event Management Plan and Event Traffic Management Plan.

What is an Event Management Plan?

An Event Management plan outlines all the organisational details of an event. It helps the event organiser to fulfil their legal requirements regarding the health and safety of those attending and the surrounding community. 

It is important that an Event Management Plan identifies and ensures plans are in place for any foreseeable risks and hazards associated with the running of the event. On-site safety is paramount, and there is an expectation of the participants that they will be able to enjoy the event in safe and secure surroundings. 

An Event Management Plan may include a detailed production schedule, site plan, run-sheet, communications plan, key information about the event, contact details of key personnel, accessibility for people with disabilities, and a traffic control plan.

Whether the event is staged on the road or not, event traffic management in Sydney is needed. Within an Event Traffic Management Plan, there are a few key factors that need to be taken into consideration. They include safe separation of event patrons, volunteers, and workers from traffic, management of the reduced capacity of the road system, minimising the traffic impact on the non-event community and emergency services. Pedestrian management is vital, particularly when it is a large event being executed, and Safe Work Australia recommends the use of professional workers such as traffic controllers.

An effective Event Traffic Management Plan will need to include traffic control measures (layout of barriers, walkways, and signs), approvals for the event and road closures from police and road authorities, responsibilities of traffic controllers, travel paths for vehicles and pedestrians, entries and exits management, parking arrangements, monitoring and controlling delivery points and vehicles, seamless communication between traffic controllers and event managers in case of an emergency. Event management is typically categorised into three phases: preparation (bump in), event staging, and dismantling (bump out). Each phase's risks, hazards, and control measures should be actively considered and documented in an Event Traffic Management Plan.

Developing and executing an Event Management Plan may seem daunting and quite laborious; however, it is necessary to ensure the safety of the participants, volunteers, and workers and ensure that minimal impact is caused to the surrounding community. A well-designed and executed Event Management Plaphasen the quality of the event.

Who Needs an Event Management Plan? 

No matter how small, any event will need an Event Management Plan. It is usually the responsibility of the event organisers to develop this plan and then share it with all the stakeholders or the wider event team to ensure it is executed professionally. Event Management Plans establish the safety measures in place for the workers and participants of the event and ensure the successful and smooth running of an event. It is important for workers and volunteers to be instructed, trained, and supervised in the execution of the Event Management Plan as well as adequate notification to the participants, traffic, and the surrounding community via signs, text messages, or other means of communication. 

For most public events, an Event Traffic Management Plan will need to be developed and executed by the event organisers. Any events requiring a portion of the roads or road closures must acquire appropriate permits and have an effective event traffic strategy. Events such as sporting events, festivals, or school fetes may not use road space but will still need to consider the impact on traffic with parking, crowd management, increased pedestrian flow, and increased public transport usage. Even without the use of road space or road closures, more often than not, an event will require an efficient plan. 

Benefits of an Event Management Plan

Not only does an Event Management Plan identify the risks and hazards of the event to ensure the safety of the participants and workers, but it also encourages the possibility of a successful event. There are plenty of benefits in developing an effective Event Management Plan, as well as quite a few advantages in utilising specialist companies in the development and execution of traffic strategies. Here are just a few:

Less stressful

With adequate planning, almost anything can become less stressful. An Event Coordinator is rated as number six in the top ten most stressful jobs. No matter the type or size of an event, it will be stressful to organise and execute. There is so much to consider and plan for when organising an event, which may become overwhelming. SSTC can help to take some of the pressure off by developing and executing an effective and efficient Event Traffic Management Plan.

Take care of legalities

There are a lot of legal requirements and guidelines, along with permits and approvals, that need to be obtained to host an event. Failing to meet these requirements can result in quite costly expenses or even serious incidents. Working with a professional and experienced company, such as SSTC, ensures all your t’s are crossed, and your I’s are dotted. SSTC has reliable access to local councils or government bodies to assist in acquiring necessary permits and approvals and developing, submitting, and executing traffic management plans within all the legal requirements.

Ensures the event runs smoothly

Even with the most effective event traffic management in Sydney, there are still things that may go wrong during an event. Although you cannot stop every problem from occurring, it is important to have an operational plan to minimise the impact on the wider event and resolve it efficiently. If an incident does occur, particularly if the event is hosted on council land, the local council will begin to ask questions to ensure adequate risk assessment and planning are in place. It is important to have a detailed Event Management Plan to assure the local councils that all the requirements were met and all actions were taken to avoid incidents. Staff and volunteers trained and educated on the Event Management Plan will be better able to prevent incidents from occurring or act efficiently to resolve an incident.

Streamline communication

Effective and efficient communication between all involved in the event is crucial. This is particularly the case between traffic controllers, participants, and event organisers to ensure the safety of the workers, volunteers, and event participants. SSTC traffic controller’s Utes come fully equipped with all the required signage for effective traffic and pedestrian management and two-way radios for seamless communication.   

Organise Traffic Management for Your Next Event with SSTC

There is so much to consider when organising events, including plans, permits, approvals, and legal requirements. It can become overwhelming without the help of professionals.

At SSTC, safety is always paramount. We can help to take some of the pressure off by assisting with acquiring permits and approvals or developing and executing Event Traffic Management Plans. Effective and efficient event traffic management in Sydney is crucial for a successful event and minimising the surrounding area's impact.

To learn more about how SSTC can assist you with your next event, contact us today!