Why is it Essential to have a traffic management design?

If you are a contractor, you know how stressful it is to manage a construction site. You are required to look after the progress of the project, safety of your workers and make sure there is no or minimum inconvenience to road users. You need to take care that people commuting or walking past the construction site are safely and comfortably able to do so. In order to carry a smooth operation, you should get a traffic management plan in place.

Why do you need to manage traffic around a construction site?

A construction site can become a chaotic place if not looked after and you need to ensure that your project runs efficiently without any hassle. Firstly, it is the law which demands you to have a plan to manage traffic on paper in order to get the necessary permits. It is also your responsibility to look after the safety of your staff and the people passing by the site. Causing inconvenience to road users can have major consequences on your work if left unattended. Thus, to avoid all this you need to implement a traffic management plan.  

Now, that you know it is absolutely necessary to manage traffic around your construction site properly, you should be aware to cover some key issues such as:

• Minimising vehicle movements: You can minimise vehicle movement around the site with good planning. Providing parking for the workforce away from the site and controlling entry to the work site are some of the ways to do so.
• Safe separations: Inadequate separation between pedestrian and vehicle is the reason for construction transport accidents. Your traffic management design should have separate entrance and exit for vehicles and pedestrians, walkways for pedestrian, lit crossing points, minimise obstructions and install proper barriers.
• Visibility: You can act better in situations only when you can see things clearly. To improve the visibility in and around such sites, you could go for proper lightning, driver aids and plant and vehicle marshals.
• Turning Vehicle:  The need to reverse vehicle in and around a construction site is a major cause of fatal accidents. You should implement a one-way system and turning circle to reduce this risk.
• Signs and instructions: The use of proper signs and instructions to direct the traffic should be taken into consideration in the traffic management design. If required trained professionals should hold the signboards and divert the traffic appropriately.

After knowing the importance of managing traffic around a construction site, you should take care of it in the very beginning. So if you are planning to construct a property in Australia along the road, feel free to contact us at Traffic Engineering Australia to get the best traffic management plan. With over 15 years of experience, we have a dedicated and friendly team providing a comprehensive solution to traffic planning, procedures and safety. Come to us for a zero harm planning strategy adhering to the hierarchy of control.