What Exactly Does a Traffic Management Company do?
Overview Road traffic management involves directing both pedestrian and vehicular traffic around road disruptions (such as construction and maintenance sites or road accidents) so as to ensure the general safety of construction workers, emergency response teams and the general public. This also involves the use of local or state traffic monitoring means such as CCTV cameras to manage and provide advice on the flow of traffic so as to ease congestion. Managing traffic involves traffic controllers commonly known as “lollipop men”, although this moniker only applies to those help pupils in road crossing near schools. This is generally an outdoors activity that involves long hours and high accident risk from passing motor vehicles. The worksite involves reserving part of the road in which the work is being done. This is usually done depending on the road type; multiple lane roads usually have one of the lanes closed off and traffic directed onto the remaining lanes using chevron signs, cones and arrow boards as a guide to motorists. On wide roads, traffic is normally diverted around the work area to a new centerline or entirely detoured. What does traffic management involve? Traffic management companies are responsible for controlling and directing traffic on accident or work sites. Active traffic management on a busy motorway may not involve widening the road to increase capacity, ATM will be installed instead. This involves: • Rap metering – this involves the installation of temporary traffic signals at the entry of traffic signals in order to control traffic flow entering the motor way. • Traffic sensors/loops are embedded just beneath each lane on the road surface at regular intervals with several CCTV cameras so as to determine the speed and density of traffic. • Electronic variable message signs (VMS) – these are erected on high gantries at given intervals above the motorways to relay directional information to motorists and other road users. • Installing lay-bys or emergency refuge areas at frequent intervals along the hard shoulder with sufficient space for motor vehicles and emergency phones • Off site control room – this is a computerized system at the control centers that links the above equipment ensuring that they all work effectively.
How it works Most of the time motorways are supposed to function as normally as on any other day.
With increase traffic flow, the cameras and loops will monitor the amount of traffic and other details such as the traffic composition i.e. the number of passenger cars, coaches, HGV’s etc. when the traffic reaches a given level and starts to show signs of building up, slowing or suffering stop start jams, then flexible speed limits are shown on the overhead gantries using the electronic VMS. This is to improve traffic flow since lower speeds ensure vehicles move closer together and thus more smoothly. This translates to more vehicles for exactly the same road space. If these changes are not effective, then the traffic management steps up and the ramp metering is switched on. This mechanism limits the number of vehicles joining the motorway to a given number by using slip-road traffic lights. This eases congestion on the motorway. If all this does not work, then the traffic management party piece is removed, the VMS will then indicate which shoulder to be used as a running lane thereby providing ample stopping places. The VMS can also be used to close up lanes for emergencies and provide hazard warnings.
Overview Road traffic management involves directing both pedestrian and vehicular traffic around road disruptions (such as construction and maintenance sites or road accidents) so as to ensure the general safety of construction workers, emergency response teams and the general public. This also involves the use of local or state traffic monitoring means such as CCTV cameras to manage and provide advice on the flow of traffic so as to ease congestion. Managing traffic involves traffic controllers commonly known as “lollipop men”, although this moniker only applies to those help pupils in road crossing near schools. This is generally an outdoors activity that involves long hours and high accident risk from passing motor vehicles. The worksite involves reserving part of the road in which the work is being done. This is usually done depending on the road type; multiple lane roads usually have one of the lanes closed off and traffic directed onto the remaining lanes using chevron signs, cones and arrow boards as a guide to motorists. On wide roads, traffic is normally diverted around the work area to a new centerline or entirely detoured. What does traffic management involve? Traffic management companies are responsible for controlling and directing traffic on accident or work sites. Active traffic management on a busy motorway may not involve widening the road to increase capacity, ATM will be installed instead. This involves: • Rap metering – this involves the installation of temporary traffic signals at the entry of traffic signals in order to control traffic flow entering the motor way. • Traffic sensors/loops are embedded just beneath each lane on the road surface at regular intervals with several CCTV cameras so as to determine the speed and density of traffic. • Electronic variable message signs (VMS) – these are erected on high gantries at given intervals above the motorways to relay directional information to motorists and other road users. • Installing lay-bys or emergency refuge areas at frequent intervals along the hard shoulder with sufficient space for motor vehicles and emergency phones • Off site control room – this is a computerized system at the control centers that links the above equipment ensuring that they all work effectively.
How it works Most of the time motorways are supposed to function as normally as on any other day.
With increase traffic flow, the cameras and loops will monitor the amount of traffic and other details such as the traffic composition i.e. the number of passenger cars, coaches, HGV’s etc. when the traffic reaches a given level and starts to show signs of building up, slowing or suffering stop start jams, then flexible speed limits are shown on the overhead gantries using the electronic VMS. This is to improve traffic flow since lower speeds ensure vehicles move closer together and thus more smoothly. This translates to more vehicles for exactly the same road space. If these changes are not effective, then the traffic management steps up and the ramp metering is switched on. This mechanism limits the number of vehicles joining the motorway to a given number by using slip-road traffic lights. This eases congestion on the motorway. If all this does not work, then the traffic management party piece is removed, the VMS will then indicate which shoulder to be used as a running lane thereby providing ample stopping places. The VMS can also be used to close up lanes for emergencies and provide hazard warnings.