Traffic Control

Traffic Controller Requirements for Safe and Productive Sites

Compared to normal road operations, roadwork sites are particularly hazardous for all road users. Traffic controllers provide traffic control services for personal safety, public convenience and job management when signs and roadwork devices are insufficient.

Traffic controllers are critical to productivity, safety and success on roadwork sites. As frontline representatives of organisations, traffic controllers need to carry out all work to certain high standards – as detailed in Main Roads Western Australia’s Traffic Controllers’ Handbook.

The Seven Requirements

Be Properly Dressed and Prepared

Being properly dressed and prepared shows respect for yourself and your job while increasing respect and recognition from motorists and road users. Traffic controllers’ high visibility clothing must comply with AS/NZS 1906.4 and AS/NZS 4602 for Types D, N or D/N. Safety footwear must comply with AS/NZS 2210 – Occupational Protective Footwear and you may be required to wear a Type N garment for night works.

Understand Your Authority and Responsibilities

All traffic controllers must have successfully completed a ‘Traffic Controller’ course provided by an MRWA accredited training provider. Traffic controllers must also hold a current accreditation and need to be re-accredited every three years.

Warp Training Australia provides a number of accredited traffic controller courses delivered by experienced, qualified and specialised professionals. WTA’s courses equip you with the skills, knowledge and practical know-how to enter the workforce with confidence.

View the full Main Roads Western Australia’s Traffic Controllers’ Handbook for complete guidelines on authority and responsibility.

Know the Correct Procedures

As a traffic controller, you must have a thorough understanding of correct procedures. Hand-held ‘STOP’ and ‘SLOW’ signs can be mounted back-to-back on a timber or aluminium pole. The bottom of the sign should be 1.8m from the bottom of the pole. The diameter of the disc is generally 600mm.

For more on traffic control protocol and requirements, refer to the Main Roads Western Australia’s Traffic Controllers’ Handbook.

Be Properly Located

Traffic controllers must be clearly seen. Do not stand in shady or dusty areas or areas where the sun may obstruct you or the on-coming driver’s vision. When possible, stand where you can see both ends of the work area (your end and the end where the other traffic controller is positioned). Traffic Controllers must also make sure that they have an escape route in case a vehicle appears not to be stopping.

Communicate Effectively

Communicating directions

• Use the hand-held ‘STOP/SLOW’ sign
• Use positive hand signals (see section 3.4)
• Communicate confidently
• Utilise eye contact with drivers
• Present yourself neatly and professionally
• Demonstrate an engaged and interested work ethic

Communicating with the public

• Remember your position as a frontline representative
• Be polite and brief if asked questions or when giving verbal directions
• Make accurate statements
• Avoid jargon
• Never engage in arguments or use abusive or impolite language

Communicating internally with portable two-way radios

• Ensure you know what channel you are on
• Speak clearly and accurately
• Provide enough clear and concise information for other traffic controllers
• Establish standard messages
• Keep dialogue to a minimum

Assess Changes in Traffic Patterns

Traffic controllers should be alert to changing conditions and traffic patterns. Regular assessments should be made, including:

• Consideration of sun angles that may result in a shaded traffic control station or hard-to-read signs for drivers
• Poorly set up, vandalised, damaged, blown over, old or dirty signs
• Peak hour traffic and road users
• Staying alert for near misses, which may indicate a problem
• Communicating with supervisors if problems are suspected

Know Emergency Procedures

As a traffic controller, how you respond in an emergency is important. If a crash occurs, never leave your post unless your own safety is threatened. Warn co-workers and your supervisor as soon as possible, secure traffic behind the incident, radio for assistance and follow instructions.

If incident reports are required, ensure that you complete them thoroughly and accurately.

For incidents involving hazardous loads, you need to take extra care. Alert your supervisor and follow instructions to evacuate the area. Implement the appropriate emergency action plan and cooperate with further instructions from your supervisor and authorities.

Traffic Management Training in Perth

Warp Training Australia offers a variety of traffic management training courses in Perth. As an MRWA accredited training provider, we equip students with relevant industry skills, expertise and practical knowledge in traffic control.

Become an accredited traffic controller with Warp Training Australia. Find out more about courses today.

Contact WARP Group Today

WARP Group provides comprehensive traffic management services for projects of all sizes in Perth. To find out more about accredited traffic control training courses in Perth, contact Warp Training Australia on 1300 019 304.

How long do you think you should spend commuting to and from work? Ten minutes? Forty-five minutes? In March 2016, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull unveiled his vision for Smart Cities, which involved plans for “30-minute cities”, where people would take no longer than 30 minutes to commute to work each day. But how can traffic be controlled to achieve this in such big cities, especially where many jobs exist in the CBD and the urban sprawl has caused many to rely on personal vehicles to get around?

Our Cars Are Exhausted

The 30-minute city, as described in Mr Turnbull’s Smart Cities Plan, is a city where “no matter where you live, you can easily access the places you need to visit on a daily basis.” However, one of the biggest setbacks in achieving Mr Turnbull’s vision is the widespread use of cars as a means of getting to work each day.

At the moment, less than 10% of people take public transport or walk to their jobs, so we need to look at why these options aren’t more appealing to the working population. At WARP Group, we think one way to encourage people to leave their cars at home is to make public transport the more attractive option. This can be achieved by making public transport schedules frequent and convenient, improving security on services and stressing the money that people could save by leaving their car at home.

If you have more people using public transport, or even better, cycling or walking to their jobs, you will reduce congestion on the roads and commute times will improve.

Smart Cities Need Smart Traffic Management

The idea of the 30-minute city comes from a broader idea of “smart cities” – cities or communities that are designed to be more sustainable and efficient. The term “smart city” is one that is connected to the internet of things (IOT) and therefore, it could be defined as a community of any size, part of a larger unit, that employs the IOT to respond to the communities changing needs, collaborates with other communities and the like.

Smart cities aim to:

• Invest in the cities’ infrastructure;
• Coordinate and drive smarter city policy, and, most importantly;
• Drive the take up of smart technology, to improve the sustainability of our cities and drive innovation.

The use of technology in traffic control plans leads to smarter traffic management, with the use of things such as CCTV footage to detect incidents, variable message signs to warn drivers of incidents and hazards, and even distraction detection to identify fatigued or distracted drivers.

Take Note, Australia                         

Australia can take notes from cities such as Amsterdam, who is leading the way as a smart city. Amsterdam already has its own ‘virtual traffic manager’, which allows a person to view any road in the area, through a combination of cameras, sensors and vehicle detection.

Amsterdam has seen some great improvements in their mobility and transport, with:

• 32% of traffic movement in Amsterdam is by bike
• 63% of Amsterdam’s inhabitants use their bike on daily basis;
• There were nearly 29,000 registered electrical car owners in 2016; and
• Since 2008, car sharing has increased 376%

While smart traffic management is a start to making our cities more efficient, there is still a long way to go. The next step the rollout of Mr Turnbull’s Smart Cities plan, which will see Sydney revitalised to become Australia’s first smart city. This will be an exciting time for the nation, with other metropolitan and regional cities following suit to become safer and more efficient over time. At WARP Group, we have 20 years of experience in providing and executing traffic control plans to make our cities and towns safer. Make sure you contact WARP Group today for more information on how our traffic management and traffic control plans can help you!