Work Site Traffic Management Practice Review Progress Update and Options for Changes to Current Practice
Project Brief Review current work site traffic management practices in Queensland with a view to improving value for money and efficiencies. The scope of the project covers traffic control elements for the purpose of warning, instructing and guiding road users in the safe negotiation of work sites on roads. 2 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Project Process to Date Review of current practice in Queensland through consultation with experts and practitioners. Literature review of related project findings, including other State Road Authority practices as identified by Austroads in recent reports, and Austroads recommendations for best practice. All findings and recommendations presented today are preliminary and may not be the final result. TMR will undertake their own internal evaluation to determine if the recommendations are to be adopted. 3 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Findings • The existing standards are very good. • Application of the standards is the issue. • Road user speed compliance is poor. • Minimum traffic requirements are high. 4 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Recommendations 1. Trade off between High LOS and Time of Disruption 2. Relinquish Some Control and Encourage Innovation 3. Enforce Work Site Speed Limits 4. Increase Competence 5. Monitor Performance 5 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Recommendation 1. Trade off between High LOS and Time of Disruption Recognise that reducing the level of service may enable works to be undertaken in a more timely manner thus reducing the traffic management (and construction) costs. For example; – On construction projects, allowing full road closures or more lane closures, speed reductions, day works etc. – For maintenance, combining several activities under a single TMP where possible, allowing day works etc. Such trade-offs must be managed effectively with stakeholders through communication, with consideration given to impacts on alternative routes and the wider network. Short Term Project Deliverable – A LOS tool/methodology that will assist TMR in assessing proposals for greater network impacts. 6 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Recommendation 2. Relinquish Some Control and Encourage Innovation Be outcome focused. For example, specify required LOS, but be open to discussion on alternative traffic management and work methodologies. For this to be effective, TMR must develop skills across the board and define traffic officer pre-requisites (see Recommendation 4) 7 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
2. Relinquish Some Control and Encourage Innovation • Put the onus on the contractor to determine the most appropriate and cost effective solution. • Over time, remove standard TGSs from the MUTCD Part 3 (consistent with Austroads best practice). • Step back from TGS review/approval function (legal advice of this action should be sought). • Note – Consistent with TMR philosophy in achieving an interpretation using engineering judgement and experience, rather than simply meeting standards. – Aligns with the increased TMR preparedness to consider innovative (cost saving) solutions. – Development of practitioner skills is essential (Recommendation 4). 8 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
2. Relinquish Some Control and Encourage Innovation Short Term Project Deliverable – Recommendations related to the inclusion of contractual stipulations and incentives to encourage innovation. Project Deliverable for Longer Term Implementation by TMR – Recommendations related to the removal of both standard TGSs and the requirement for TMR endorsement/approval of TGSs (pending local legal advice). These recommendations are to be implemented in conjunction with other longer term actions for TMR in accordance with the change plan. 9 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Recommendation 3. Enforce Work Site Speed Limits - Provide a mechanism for the enforcement of speed at work sites. - Currently reluctance to do this due to highly contestable circumstances. - Being able to ensure speed compliance would lead to plans being prepared for the lower speed environment resulting in savings in the extent of traffic control required. Project Deliverable for Longer Term Implementation by TMR – Recommendations related to speed enforcement and road user speed compliance solutions. 10 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Recommendation 4. Increase Competence Skills need to be improved across the board – the bar needs to be raised. – Improved education and capability of personnel developing and implementing TGSs will lead to highly skilled and experienced, Level 3 & 4 traffic officers developing and checking TGSs with the ability to use alternative thinking and innovation. 11 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
4. Increase Competence • Required improvements include review of Level 3&4 training, the introduction of an accreditation scheme for these levels, consideration of prerequisite requirements of personnel etc. • A model risk management process and exceptions to standards process is required to formalise the decision making and justification of innovative solutions. • Ensure consistency of practices across regions and authorities where possible (acknowledging some project-specific requirements may be necessary). 12 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
4. Increase Competence • Short Term Project Deliverables – 1. Draft Practitioners Guide for MUTCD Part 3 in the form of a 4-6 page document discussing how the standards are to be applied, mistakes that are commonly made (and how to avoid them), issues with blindly applying standard TGSs etc. 2. Draft revisions to MRTS02 including proposed new text regarding the use of police and the LOS tool that is to be used for assessment of network impacts. Recommendations related to the use of Supplementary Specs. 3. Draft Model Risk Assessment and Exceptions to Standards Technical Note including discussion on the use of police and other temporary traffic control devices (e.g. radar speed checks) as control measures. • Project Deliverables for Longer Term Implementation by TMR – 1. Recommendations related to review of the Level 3 and 4 training and expansion of the current accreditation scheme to include these levels. Recommendations should be implemented in conjunction with other longer term actions for TMR and in accordance with the change plan. 13 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Recommendation 5. Monitor Performance For example, inspect a proportion of TGSs to check; • suitability of plan and compliance during development of TGS; and • suitability of plan and compliance with plan on site. – Quality within the industry is maintained by checking/investigating a proportion of TGSs and establishing and enforcing incentives for good performance within contract documents and also feeding the results back into the traffic management company registration scheme. – Ensure findings are analysed, feedback provided to contractors and leanings captured and fed back into standards, procedures and guidelines. 14 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
5. Monitor Performance Short Term Project Deliverable – A Work Site Traffic Management Investigation framework for TMR to undertake formalised compliance/performance checking on a proportion of all TMPs and TCGSs (term maintenance contracts). For example: • Establish a TMR inspection regime. • Indentify performance targets for inclusion in contract documents. • Include escalation process in contracts, triggered in response to poor inspection results. • Include penalty clauses in contracts, such as a reduction in bonus if performance targets are not met. • Inspection results fed back into registration scheme. 15 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Change Plan – Term Contracts • LOS Tool – let contractors know that TMR are open to considering greater impacts – define negotiables and non- negotiables. • Contract stipulations and incentives – for example, performance based bonuses and incentives for achieving cost savings through innovative solutions. • Provide clearer guidance on the application of standards – Practitioners Guide, MRTS and Supplementary Specs, Risk Assessment and Exceptions Process. • Inspection framework for checking performance. • Enforce work site speed zones. 16 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
Change Plan – General 17 www.arrb.com.au Trusted advisor to road authorities for technical input and solutions
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