Traffic management on Australian residential sites

What it is

Traffic management on a residential site is the planning and control of the interaction between work activity and road users, pedestrians and on-site plant. On a small lot in a built-up suburb that means the concrete pump that blocks half a carriageway, the truck dropping a frame package across the footpath, the crane positioned on the nature strip, the skip bin parked in the kerb lane and the daily flow of trades reversing in and out of the driveway.

In Australia the controls are set by the model WHS Regulations general risk management duty, the model Code of Practice for Construction Work, the model Code of Practice for Traffic Management in Workplaces, AS 1742.3 Manual of uniform traffic control devices Part 3 Traffic control for works on roads, and the road authority and council permit systems for each jurisdiction. A residential builder needs to know which document applies and when.

TGS and TCP

Two documents sit at the centre of every road-affecting job. The Traffic Guidance Scheme (TGS) is the layout drawing that shows the signs, cones, barriers and lane configuration for the specific site. The Traffic Control Plan (TCP) is the broader plan that explains how the TGS will be implemented, who controls the traffic and what the contingency arrangements are. Both must be prepared by a person trained to the relevant state qualification, often Implement Traffic Control Plans or Prepare a Work Zone Traffic Management Plan.

When residential work crosses the threshold

A new build behind the property line with no road impact does not need a TGS. The moment work touches the road reserve the rules engage.

Common residential triggers

• A concrete pump set up partly in the road or with the boom over the kerb
• A truck-mounted crane lifting trusses while parked in the lane
• A skip bin or material drop occupying any part of the carriageway
• A trade vehicle blocking a footpath during a delivery
• Workers required to walk on or cross the road to access the site

Each of these is a road environment hazard. Each requires a TGS that meets AS 1742.3, signed and dated by a competent person, and in most councils a road occupancy permit before the work starts.

Council and road authority permits

Councils issue permits for work zones, footpath occupations and partial road closures on local roads. State road authorities such as Transport for NSW, the Department of Transport and Planning in Victoria and the Department of Transport and Main Roads in Queensland issue permits for state-controlled roads. The lead times range from 24 hours for short term work zones to several weeks for any lane closure. Builders should check the LGA permit portal at quote stage, not on the morning of the pour.

TradeLens compliance: who carries the duty

Traffic management duties sit across multiple PCBUs.

Principal contractor

The PC must ensure the WHS Management Plan covers traffic management for the site, that a TGS is in place for any road-affecting work and that the council permit is held before the activity. The PC also has to verify that the people implementing the control hold the right tickets.

Subcontractor PCBU

The trade running the activity, often the concrete supplier or the crane operator, is the PCBU that physically controls the road interaction. They must have a SWMS covering the traffic risk, the right gear on the truck and trained traffic controllers if the TGS requires them. The supply contract often pushes this responsibility to the subbie but the PC duty does not transfer.

Workers and traffic controllers

A traffic controller holding the relevant accreditation, often called Implement Traffic Control Plans, must be on site for any work that requires manual control of traffic. The qualification varies by state and lapses after a fixed period. Audits frequently catch expired tickets.

Pedestrians and the footpath

The model Code of Practice for Traffic Management in Workplaces makes clear that pedestrians count as road users. A residential site that closes the footpath without a marked diversion or a temporary path forces pedestrians onto the road. SafeWork inspectors and council compliance officers both write up these breaches. A simple plastic pedestrian barrier and a signed diversion is usually enough on a residential lot.

Audit triggers SafeWork inspectors look for

Common findings on residential sites include a concrete pump blocking the kerb lane with no TGS, expired traffic controller tickets, a TGS drafted for a different site and never updated, no council road occupancy permit, signs left out overnight after the work finished and pedestrians forced onto the road around stockpiled materials. Each of these is a stand-alone breach and prohibition notices are commonly issued where pedestrians or road users are placed in immediate danger.

A residential builder who builds a standard TGS template for the three or four delivery patterns they actually run, books the council permit early and keeps a register of trained traffic controllers on their books will close most of the inspector audit points. The cost of getting it wrong includes a stop-work, a council infringement and exposure if a member of the public is injured.