Traffic doesn’t stop when there’s an emergency, and ensuring the safety of motorists, pedestrians, workers, and everyone else in the vicinity is crucial. Traffic management is the term used to describe the management of the road network and its users to maximise safety, efficiency and reliability. Emergency traffic management refers to the strategies taken to safely manage road traffic during a crisis situation or out-of-the-ordinary event. Natural disasters, car accidents, fires, roadwork, and public events are all situations that require emergency traffic control.
In NSW, emergency traffic control can be the responsibility of emergency services personnel, the local council, Transport for NSW and even local businesses. Persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must comply with workplace health and safety duties to manage the risk of traffic in or around their worksites. There are extra risks to consider if you work on or near public roads.
Emergency traffic management has to meet certain requirements. It has to allow ambulances and other emergency vehicles unobstructed access to reach the scene as fast as possible, divert traffic away from the emergency area and involve communication systems and devices so personnel can liaise with one another quickly and efficiently.
There’s a lot to plan for, but SSTC has decades of experience doing it. Here is our guide to emergency traffic control and the key components to carry it out.
A number of situations require emergency traffic control, including:
Thousands of Australians are hurt or killed in traffic accidents every year, mostly while travelling in cars or on motorcycles or bicycles. It’s essential to have a traffic management plan (TMP) in place for construction sites and other worksites that interrupt the usual traffic flow. A traffic management plan identifies both the risks of working in a traffic zone and the steps that need to be taken to protect workers and the public from those risks.
Natural disasters can put even the strongest emergency traffic management plan to the test and require both a highly detailed level of traffic control and a high level of adaptability. A strong traffic control team needs the ability to think quickly in any situation, whether it’s a bushfire, severe storm or flood.
An infrastructure failure is any incident that interrupts one of the utilities needed to meet the basic needs of society, including power, water and sewerage. Infrastructure can also fail due to design flaws. The relationship between traffic management and strong infrastructure goes both ways. Poor traffic management, such as congested roads, can more quickly degrade infrastructure. Likewise, infrastructure failures like bridge and tunnel collapse, roadway sinkholes or cracks or traffic signal failures require a swift emergency traffic control response.
If you suspect your event will impact motorists or pedestrians, you’re required to develop a traffic management plan (TMP). You’ll need to work closely with the relevant agencies like NSW Police, Transport for NSW and your local council to address all relevant concerns and make plans for road closures, alternative traffic routes and other factors.
Traffic management is necessary to maintain a smooth flow of traffic during planned roadworks and upgrades. Necessary measures can include warning signs, planned diversion routes, lane closures and traffic signals. Many planned roadworks also take place late at night in order to minimise disruptions to the usual traffic flow.
Emergency traffic control needs the right people, plans, devices and other components in order to function properly. Here’s a quick look at the key elements of emergency traffic management:
Traffic control device is a broad term for various pieces of equipment, including:
The bright orange traffic cone is the most commonly used tool for directing motorists around hazardous areas. Traffic cones are the most widely used indication of traffic hazards and interruptions and commonly designate “no access” areas.
Barriers and bollards are two commonly used methods of traffic control. Barriers are large structures used to contain or redirect traffic. They can be made from concrete or steel, but the orange and yellow water-filled ones are a common sight. Bollards are short, sturdy, removable posts designed to restrict the movement of traffic.
We all see road signs on a daily basis, but certain kinds of road signs are valuable tools for traffic management. Warning signs notify drivers that they’re approaching construction work or other risky areas, while ‘detour’ signs are used to redirect drivers around the area of action. Road signs are made of reflective material and come in high-contrast colours, which makes them easy to spot at night.
Road traffic controllers are essential for directing drivers and pedestrians during road closures or emergency situations. Employees in this industry need a SafeWork NSW training card. Their duties include setting up, removing and managing temporary traffic control schemes and signs, directing vehicles and pedestrians around areas of disruption, monitoring the flow of traffic to make sure safety is always maintained and communicating with other personnel.
A traffic management plan is an important document that details the work you need to undertake, the risks involved with that work and how best to minimise them. If you’re carrying out work on or near a public road, you’ll typically need one before you apply to the council. Traffic management plans need to contain certain elements, including:
This is the part of the strategy that focuses on potential dangers and preventing them before they occur. Examples include planning detours and designating access routes for emergency vehicles.
Meeting safety standards requires you to adjust your strategy as new incidents or developments unfold. Using tools like traffic cameras and GPS data, you can assess whether it’s time to open or close lanes or modify your detour route.
Working closely with emergency services is essential. They need to be able to access the scene of an incident, even on a congested road, and communicate with you in real-time.
If you’re holding a major event, have a construction project that disrupts traffic flow or are required to have emergency traffic control procedures in place, it can be difficult to know where to start.
As a leading traffic control planner with over 25 years of combined experience, SSTC can take control of your traffic management services in Sydney. Our professional service covers all aspects of traffic management from start to finish, from the creation of traffic management plans to the supply of control personnel and equipment. We’re trusted by some of Australia’s largest construction companies and SafeWork NSW accredited with a suite of fully equipped Utes.
Our traffic management services include traffic control planning and design, installing and maintaining traffic signals, roadway construction, traffic control for special events, and providing an emergency response team that is available 24/7.
Safety is our highest priority, and we ensure that both the public and your team are well-protected while you carry out your event or undertaking. We can liaise with the authorities to make sure you have all the right permits and documentation before your event begins.
To find out more information about our emergency traffic control services, contact the SSTC team for a free quote.