TOP 5 QUALITIES OF A GOOD TRAFFIC PLAN
“On time and on budget” is a phrase every project manager wants to be able to report to his or her executive team.
we’ve become accustomed to hearing construction companies and governments promote this KPI but it doesn’t happen easily. It requires sound planning, timely adaptability and effective communication.
From the drafting stage to feedback, changes, approvals and delivery, one of the biggest variables is the way traffic in and around the work site is managed, according to Road Manager’s Managing Director Brendan McNally.
“During construction, communities think about the vehicles delivering supplies and removing waste from a worksite but traffic plans impact pedestrians, cyclists and motorists at the same time,” Mr McNally said.
“Add local residents and businesses to the mix, and a good traffic plan is essential for ensuring your corporate brand doesn’t suffer during the disruptive months and years of delivery.
“With more than 40 years experience in operational traffic management, our team has identified 5 elements that make for a good traffic plan,” Mr McNally said.
1. Up to date and detailed maps.
The map in your traffic plan is your foundation for quality.
Make sure it’s up to date, detailed and provides quality information on other key infrastructure in the area.
The good news is you don’t have to create or buy an expensive map today. Powered by Google Maps, Road Manager has this step covered in a simple process that takes just seconds.
Simply type in your street address in the set up menu and your map is set and live.
Your view and zoom is adjustable but our location pin will get you back to the home screen if you veer off course.
The benefit with a plan that lives in the cloud is its connectivity with everyone who needs to see it and provide feedback, at any time.
It doesn’t live in an isolated drive off the grid: it’s in the cloud whenever you need to change it and make those changes visible to your entire team.
Print it with all the normal customised features including contact people and your logo if you still need a hard copy. But we’re sure once you try digital plans, you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch sooner.
2. The right elements
Every nation, and in the case of the USA, many states, have their own guide to traffic management in various scenarios.
From the correct signage to the right number of controllers, ensure your plan is compliant.
Reducing commercial risk is in part linked to following the advice of your local authorities.
At Road Manager, every state’s local signs automatically upload during log in, depending on your location.
If you need to have your plans approved by a local authority, as part of a road occupancy licence or another process, you can share your digital version easily or save it as a PDF and print it.
In the event they make changes, you don’t have to go back to the literal drawing board, click and drag on your icons to make the necessary changes in seconds and resubmit the plan within minutes.
Every road works location has the potential to improve or erode public safety.
Being able to see your plan in satellite view in Road Manager, brings vehicle and pedestrian flows to life and helps ensure your team can visualise the plan in action.
3. Manageable costs and resources
Good traffic planners know how to balance the level of safety required with the right mix of resources.
More signage and more controllers doesn’t necessarily mean better safety. Good traffic plans make sense and are intuitive with the right visual, human and written cues.
Having oversight and control over your budget is easier with Road Manager.
Your traffic plans should enable you to see your inventory in the one place, with a clear list of all the resources you plan to have on site.
This should be approved and discussed with the rest of your team and contractors well in advance.
The feedback function in Road Manager enables you to take comments from the rest of your team and cross check with external stakeholders no matter their location.
If preparation is the key to success,then ensuring all members of your division have reviewed your approach gives you confidence if there are surprises down the track.
Getting approvals from across the team is now easier than ever with our cloud based plans.
4. Adaptable during construction
From undocumented utility lines to unearthing historic artefacts, we’ve all experienced an unexpected issue mid construction.
The priorities here are always the safety of the public and the safety of the people working for you.
Under these circumstances, managing a possible blow out in your time and budget can come down to whether you can adjust your resources within minutes.
Instead of sending your traffic management team home, Road Manager gives you the flexibility to make changes from on site, to your boundaries, crew, hours of operation or even location.
Why return a team to the office when you can activate another traffic plan along the project corridor or make changes to an exisiting one and get work moving again as soon as possible.
The adaptability in Road Manager is a feature cities tell us will give them an edge in emergency management.
In these situations, when crews are on standby to clear an incident, city authorities can have the traffic plan drafted and sent to them while they are on location.
It works just as well in a controlled construction zone as when an immediate solution is required.
5. Connected to your city
A positive experience for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists around your site safeguards your businesses brand.
Their experience will colour your ability to deliver another project in their community – or if poorly managed, another project in their city.
We know communities get construction fatigue. Major game changing projects take years to complete and during that period certainty around journey time makes all the difference.
Knowing a 20 minute journey will take 40 minutes helps them plan their day and their expectations.
It’s your decision whether you want communities to get information about your road and lane closures. Road Manager won’t automatically share your traffic plans, it is your data.
Our world class program gives you the option of intergrating your work zones with the city transport managers so they can see how you fit with the network.
For corporations wanting to take this integration to the next level, that work zone information can fed into Wayfinding apps to give commuters live detail of any disruption.
“Talk to us about how we can give you connectivity if you do business with a smart city,” Mr McNally said.
“To get started sign up for our free 15 day trial, use our training videos or contact us to ask for an in person information session with your team.”
“One of the great qualities about Road Manager is its accessibility. Make the shift and get good traffic plans ready every time,” Mr McNally said.
Road Manager traffic plan in use in the field.
