What is road traffic management?

Road traffic management, also known as traffic management, refers to measures and systems designed to direct vehicles and pedestrians around a road obstruction safely and efficiently. Traffic management must always take into account the safety of all road users, including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and road workers, aiming to minimise disruption to traffic while also reducing the risk of accidents as much as possible.

Road traffic management relies on a wide range of systems, strategies and equipment, including lane closures, traffic convoy systems, mobile works, give and take systems, and the placement of temporary traffic lights, traffic cones, bollards, speed bumps, rising kerbs, barriers and other road blockers. Keep reading to discover more about what these traffic management systems entail and when they’re typically used.

What is traffic management and why is it important?

When there’s an obstruction on the road, traffic management is needed to minimise disruption to traffic flow while keeping everyone on the road safe. There are many different types of road obstructions, including construction sites, tree removal, hedge trimming, road resurfacing and accident and emergency situations, which all need to be dealt with appropriately. 

So why do construction sites and other obstructions need to be secure? In addition to protecting workers from oncoming high-speed traffic, road traffic management makes road users aware that an obstruction is up ahead and slows down or either stops traffic, reducing the risk of accidents. Plus, planning traffic flow around these obstructions helps to reduce congestion. Without these systems, our roads would be much more unsafe and inefficient.

NHSS and TMOs/TROs

NHSS, which stands for National Highways Sector Schemes, is a certification that any company needs to work on the road, so this includes traffic management companies, landscapers and road maintenance companies. The NHSS certification is designed to ensure that all road work is carried out to the highest standards, with minimal disruption to road users if possible.

If disruptive work does need to be carried out, the company needs to get a traffic management order (TMO), also known as a traffic regulation order (TRO). This is a legal document that allows you to stop or limit vehicle or pedestrian traffic on a road for a set period of time.

What is a road traffic management system?

Want to know more about road traffic management systems? Here are the most common traffic management systems used to manage accidents, construction work, road maintenance and other disruptive events like marathons or bicycle races. 

1. Portable traffic lights

Portable traffic lights are very commonly seen at short-term road obstructions such as diversions, minor maintenance and construction work, and accidents. They’re especially useful when one side of the road is closed, making it safer for vehicles to pass on the other side of the road when the way is clear. 

Traditionally, these portable lights operate on timers, giving each side a certain amount of time on green. However, some newer lights use technology to monitor traffic conditions and adjust timings accordingly. So if traffic is heavier in one direction, this side will get longer on green to reduce congestion and make traffic flow more smoothly. 

2. Temporary traffic lights

Although these traffic lights are also temporary, they’re used for a longer period of time than portable traffic lights. These lights look more sturdy and permanent but work just like portable traffic lights to control traffic flow when a portion of the road is closed. 

3. Give and take traffic management

Another road traffic management solution for when one side of the road is closed is a give and take system. With this system, drivers decide themselves when it’s safe to pass on the other side of the road because there are no temporary traffic lights.

As you can imagine, a give and take traffic management system is only appropriate for very small road closures (less than 50 metres), as this enables drivers to see far enough ahead to make a safe decision about when to pass. Plus, these systems are only allowed on roads where the maximum speed limit is 30 mph, and they shouldn’t ever be used on high-traffic roads. 

4. Stop and go boards

Instead of using temporary traffic lights around roadworks, you could choose to use stop and go boards. As the name suggests, these boards have the word ‘stop’ on one side and ‘go’ on the other, allowing workers to control the flow of traffic safely around the site. 

These boards can either be remotely controlled or turned manually by one of the construction workers. This is a very simple and portable traffic management method, and for very small sites (20 m or less), you can even use just one board at one side of the site instead of one at each end.

5. Lane closures

On motorways and dual carriageways, lane closures are frequently used to deal with accidents or undertake regular maintenance and repairs. There can be fixed, temporary and rolling lane closures.

In some cases, an entire road could be closed, but it can’t be closed for more than 8 hours within a 24-hour period.

Rolling road closures

Rolling road or lane closures are short-term closures around a moving obstruction. For example, parades, marathons and cycle races can all cause rolling road closures, meaning that the road closure travels along with the obstacle as it progresses. This minimises traffic disruption on busy roads by ensuring that the road doesn’t have to be entirely closed.

6. Active traffic management

Active traffic management is a method to increase peak capacity on busy major roads using techniques like hard-shoulder running, variable speed limits and ramp-metering. Traffic flow is controlled by variable message signs, helping to reduce congestion in very busy areas while ensuring safety at all times.

7. 15-minute temporary obstruction

For very minor roadworks, personnel can put up a 15-minute obstruction sign to reduce disruption as much as possible. The road must be opened again in 15 minutes, although it can be opened sooner if work is completed early.

8. Mobile works

Similar to a rolling road closure, mobile works need a moving traffic management system. These mobile works can include things like hedge-cutting and weed-spraying vehicles, which are slow-moving and need systems in place to allow traffic to pass them safely. Signs, lights or other vehicles can be used to warn drivers of the obstruction.

9. Traffic convoy systems

When a vehicle is used to guide traffic, this is called a traffic convoy system. These specialised vehicles are used less frequently than lower-maintenance road traffic management systems like temporary traffic lights, but they may be necessary for narrower roads that can’t fit more conventional systems.

10. Contraflow

Contraflow is when traffic is moved to the opposite side of the carriageway due to an obstruction, so there are vehicles moving in both directions on one side. This may be needed on a motorway due to extensive roadworks on one side of the carriageway.

To clearly separate the two flows of traffic, cones can be used for a temporary solution. If the contraflow solution is needed for a longer period of time, sturdier poles or bollards may need to be installed for safety. Plus, the speed limit should not exceed 40 mph with a contraflow system due to the higher risk of accidents with one side of the carriageway closed.

11. High-speed traffic management

Contraflow systems fall under the category of high-speed traffic management, which covers road traffic management on motorways and dual carriageways. Traffic management is even more crucial in these dangerous high-speed environments, which is why traffic management operatives employ a wide range of measures to improve safety and efficiency, including lane closures, rolling road closures, contraflow systems, hard shoulder closures, variable message signs and impact protection vehicles. 

Road traffic management software

As technology continues to develop, more and more road traffic management software solutions are becoming available, further improving traffic efficiency and safety. Using data from speed sensors, CCTV cameras and ANPR cameras, traffic management centres can monitor current traffic patterns and adjust traffic management measures accordingly. This allows them to anticipate issues and address them before they develop, which can help prevent accidents and traffic jams. 

Looking for physical traffic management systems like steel bollards, road blockers and barriers? Check out the Expert Security website for an extensive range of high-quality security solutions. You can also head over to our blog for in-depth security and traffic safety advice, such as tips on how to improve construction site security and a full car park security checklist.