Posts Tagged ‘road closures’

Situations like road repairs, closures, constructions, and the like cause traffic problems which need a plan to be developed before it worsens. A traffic management plan will come into place and be implemented by a team of skilled and highly trained specialists. Their objective is to get the commuters and the public in gene4al home early and safely.

The goal of this team is to get everyone home safely and quickly in the shortest time that’s possible.This team are highly motivated people with the right skills to do the job. Experience will tell us that with situations like road closures or repairs, traffic will build up and may extend several miles in both directions. Without a traffic management plan and no diversion of traffic, the traffic back-ups that may extend a distance already, will cause many trips to be cancelled or delayed. If a traffic management plan is not implemented on time, the traffic jam can cause many trips to be delayed or even outright cancelled. The traffic management plan must be all-inclusive and time efficient. A good part of this plan could be the use of buses or trains which will reduce significantly the number of vehicles on the road.

Public safety must be the most important consideration of the traffic management plan. It must ensure that appropriate lane markings and directional signage are installed so that the public are aware of the road closures, repairs or constructions that are going on. The company implementing the plan should also consult with the local officials to identify methods of creating public awareness of alternative routes available during the construction or repair phases. Regular updates should also be given to the public on new closures and detours and subsequent alternate routes so they can plan their trips more efficiently. This comprehensive plan is intended to alleviate the effects of road closures to traffic by maintaining traffic access in the area.

The traffic management plan also has to identify strategies to facilitate good planning, management and evaluation of the construction or repairs to be done whilst ensuring good traffic control and providing the public access to the area. A safe and efficient flow should be planned by providing alternate routes, better signage, markings and efficient traffic control.

The local officials can be a great help to this traffic plan. Their traffic operations personnel can make adjustments to their traffic signal timings in order to improve vehicle capacity at intersections. The company should also disseminate information to the public, conduct discussions and provide updates on the progress of the repairs or constructions.

In order for this plan to be completely effective a crisis or incident management plan has to be included. The company must coordinate with the local police and fire stations. A traffic management plan will be effective if all these aspects are taken into account.