What is Traffic Management?
Traffic management (also known as road traffic control) refers to the act of directing vehicles and pedestrians around some form of disruption. This could be a construction site, accident, community event, tree removal, road surfacing, traffic congestion – or anything else that could cause danger or disruption to a vehicle or pedestrian.
Whites Traffic Management successfully manage traffic in a safe and efficient way, the chances of vehicles crashing into each other can be significantly decreased, as well as various other safety benefits.
Whites Traffic provide many traffic management solutions that can be deployed on the England's roads, and in this article we are going to be explaining what some of the most common ones are.
What do traffic management companies do?
As a professional Traffic Management Company, Whites Traffic plans, implement, install and maintain traffic control systems such as traffic lights, lane closures, diversions and ‘stop & go’, that separate road workers from road users with minimum disruption to traffic flow. Their services also help to allow the maintenance of the UK’s road system. One of the main reasons traffic management is important to road users is that it significantly decreases the chance of accidents occurring on the road.
A traffic management system is the planning of placing traffic lighting, signage and guarding on the carriageway that meets all the standards laid out in chapter 8 of the industry’s code of practice, entitled ‘Safety at Street Works’, also known as the ‘Red Book’.
Traffic management is necessary as it provides a safe environment for those working on the roads and for the general public who are using the UK’s road system. By implementing a safe traffic management system where needed, we can reduce the risk of accidents on the road.
A traffic management operative is a person that is fully trained to the NHSS sector schemes for traffic management standard.
NHSS stands for “National Highways Sector Schemes”. Highways England calls them ‘bespoke quality management systems’ for organisations that work on UK roads. In other words, they’re certifications.
Any company that works on the road network needs the relevant NHSS certification. That includes traffic management firms, road maintenance companies, fencers, landscapers and so on.
A lane closure is when one or more lanes of a motorway or dual carriageway are closed. This usually happens because of highway maintenance or repairs. Lane closures can be ‘fixed’, ‘temporary’, or ‘rolling’.
You can find up-to-date information on UK lane and road closures on the Highways England website.
“Give and take” traffic management closes off one side of a road, ‘tapering’ traffic into single file. Drivers pass at their discretion when the road is clear.
As the drivers decide when it’s safe to pass, give and take is not suitable for areas with lots of traffic or fast-moving vehicles. Give and take traffic management can only be used on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less.
The method is also restricted to areas where drivers can see both ends of the site easily – and it can’t be longer than 50 metres from start to end.
Stop and go boards are doubled-sided signs with the word ‘stop’ on one side and ‘go’ on the other. They’re a very portable method of traffic control, though they have to be used with several road signs.
For small roadworks sites (20m or less) one board can be used to control traffic flow. Larger sites need two boards, one at each end. Both signs can then read ‘stop’ while traffic clears.
Stop and go boards can be remote controlled, or manually turned by a traffic management operative. Remote-controlled boards can only be used during the day – night-time is manual only. At night, stop and go boards must be directly and uniformly illuminated.
Portable lights are mobile traffic lights used to manage traffic around disruptions like road works, diversions, and accidents.
There are several types of mobile traffic light. Some will work on timers, going from red to green automatically after a set time.
More modern lights will read traffic conditions and adjust timings accordingly. That means smoother traffic flow – if traffic is sparse from one direction, it won’t receive the same amount of ‘green time’ as the heavy traffic from another direction.
Temporary traffic lights are a longer-term solution than portable lights. They’re designed to look more permanent than mobile systems and are generally installed for works that take a long time – sometimes months.
A temporary obstruction is a short-term road closure. It is shown by a ‘Temporary obstruction 15 minutes delay’ sign. As the sign suggests, the maximum closure time is 15 minutes – although, of course, workers will try and reopen the road more quickly if it’s safe.
Temporary obstructions might be due to workers receiving deliveries of materials on a narrow road or bringing down a tree onto the carriageway.
This kind of traffic management is disruptive, so it’s only used when it is not practical to provide an alternative route.
Mobile works are projects that are carried out from a slow-moving vehicle. They include things like hedge cutting and weed spraying.
Mobile works need traffic management that can move along with them.
Traffic management operatives will usually use a combination of road signs, special vehicles, and handheld signs to keep traffic flowing safely around the highway workers.
Similar tools are used for traffic management around short-duration works, which involve stops of up to an hour. Short-duration works include things like pothole repairs, jetting sewers and streetlight maintenance.
A convoy system for traffic management is a vehicle leading traffic past a worksite, first in one direction and then the other.
It is used where normal methods aren’t possible – usually because of a narrow highway. Small, specialist vehicles are used for convoy traffic management.
High speed traffic management refers to traffic management performed on high-speed dual carriageways and motorways with or without a hard shoulder. High speed traffic management often requires the use of Impact Protection Vehicles (IPV), Contraflow systems, Portable VMS (variable message signs), Hard shoulder closures, Lane closures and more.
Active traffic management is a system normally defined as two, three or four way traffic lights or a more complicated urban traffic control (UTC) system. It’s opposite is passive traffic management, such as a lane closure.
A rolling road closure is a movable, short-term roadblock. Rolling roadblocks, as they’re also known, are often used during events – cycle races, parades and so on. They’re less disruptive than temporary road closures, only blocking traffic to (for example) enable cyclists to pass.
A rolling lane closure could follow highway workers fixing up the verge, for instance.
Contraflow is where traffic is transferred to the opposite side of a carriageway to share with traffic going in the other direction. This is often needed on motorways to allow for lane closures whilst resurfacing work is done.
Traffic lights are usually controlled through automatic sensors or timers, but in some cases will be controlled by a local controller.
A traffic management order (also referred to as a “TMO”) is a required legal document when enforcing road traffic management. There are four types of TMO: permanent, experimental, temporary and special event – all of which are made by the local council under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
What Sectors do Whites Traffic Management work with?
We cover traffic management for all sectors and industries, including construction, security and utilities.
What Permits or Licences do I need?
Some Traffic Management works may not be undertaken before a permit or licence has been applied for and approved. We can talk you through the applications you need and take care of them for you. Examples include Section 50 Licences / Permitting, Parking Suspension notices, Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs), mobile lifting or Crane Licences.
What is your call-out time period for Emergencies?
We can usually deliver traffic management at short notice or emergency works and aim to be on site within two hours of the initial call. As we are available 24/7, simply call us on
0203 98 38 111
Why should I choose Whites Traffic Management?
Whites Traffic Management delivers a wide range of Traffic Management and Logistics products and services across England. We are a friendly team that like to get to know you and your requirements before putting together a tailor made traffic management package to suit you. For more information please click the 'Services' heading at the top of this page.
How quickly are you able to come on-site and mobilise traffic management control?
This quite honestly depends on a number of factors such as Location, size of the Traffic Management Setup and if there are any diversion routes required. Provided the Council permits have been applied for and granted and there is a Traffic Management Plan in place we can usually mobilise within 1 or 2 days. We do recommend providing as much notice as possible to ensure your job is not delayed.
Do you provide Traffic Management Plans, Construction Logistics Plans, Construction Management Plans and how much do they cost?
Yes we provide all of the above plans and documents. The price of these plans can vary based on size of the project, the number of site meetings required, the level of detail required (as this can vary for different authorities). We are happy to discuss in more detail so we can provide you with a competitive price.
How long does it take to produce Traffic Management Plans?
We can usually provide Traffic Management Plans within 1 to 2 working days.
Could Whites Traffic apply for all of the different Highway Licence Applications such as NRSWA Permits, TTRO's, Section 50 Licences, Parking Bays Suspensions etc?
Yes we have many years experience working with Local Authorities and TfL to apply for all the Highway Licences you will need. We are happy to discuss this in more detail to provide a quote.
We received an advanced notification letter in the post about street works, do I need to do anything?
In order to make residents aware of road works in the local area, and to minimise disruption, our team can erect temporary advance warning signage and conduct a letter drop.
If you receive a letter from us, you don’t need to do anything. Whilst it is more than likely you will not be affected, it’s a good idea to make a note of the date and time of the works and if you are planning to travel during this time, adjust your route if necessary.
Are you able to help with Abnormal Load Route Surveys and planning the route from source to the work-site location?
Yes we provide a full Logistics Route Survey specifically designed for Abnormal Load Movements to get them from a to b in a safe and efficient manner routing these large vehicles around width, height and load restrictions that are implemented by the Local Authorities.
What Locations do you cover?
We provide a full Traffic Management and Logistics service covering all of the following Towns and Cities plus many more across England:
Do you provide Swept Path Drawings for larger vehicles to gain access to tight site access locations?
Yes we can provide a Swept Path Drawing to showing a good indication on the required turning radius for longer and wider vehicles to access each work-site. This is also offered as part of the Abnormal Load Logistics Route Survey to clients that need to get large items of plant or materials to site.
Where can we write a review and lead feedback about your company?
Feedback is always useful so we can continue to improve as a family business. You can either leave a google review or provide feedback on the following Business Directory website by clicking the link below: r
Whites Traffic Management Ltd, London | Traffic Management Company - FreeIndex
Do you have any other links to your website?
Yes we have some additional links to our website to help people find the local traffic management services in their local area that we provide:
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traffic management companies milton keynes
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