Strategizing Seamless Traffic Management at Events: A Brief Guide

Consultation, Cooperation, and Coordination – are the three Cs essential for effective traffic management at events where there is always a notable diversity in the nature of traffic. To ensure seamless traffic movement, organizers need to contact local road authorities to find out the legal requirements for holding the event. Based on the prerequisites, all the facilitators involved in the event, including contractors, suppliers, volunteers, workers, and support members get complete clarity regarding all the applicable traffic rules, safety policies, and procedures. To take the conversation further, let’s take a look at the four core focus areas when it comes to traffic management at events.

Pedestrian Traffic Management and Safety

Managing traffic at an event keeping in mind the health and safety of participants at an event should be the topmost priority of every event organizer. Here are the things to do to ensure effective pedestrian traffic management and the safety of every individual participating in the event.

● Provide adequate numbers of gates to ensure safe entry and exits even at the time of an emergency.

● Provide sufficient staff to ensure smooth traffic movement.

● If required, have designated areas or checkpoints for checking bags and identities of participants.

● Ensure pedestrian safety by use of overhead walkways that help them avoid crossing vehicle routes.

Traffic Routes

The following are a few to-dos to route traffic in a manner that vehicles and pedestrians at any event site don’t come one another’s way. The traffic routes should:

● Be separate for vehicle and pedestrians.

● Be easy-to-identify drop offs and collection points with adequate waiting spaces so that they don’t pose any obstruction to the regular traffic flow.

● Be one-way with ample passing space around stationary vehicles.

● Have emergency exits and entries for even the largest vehicles.

● Have signs clearly indicating speed limits, restricted parking, event patron parking, and other important signs.

Parking Planning

In case the parking is provided on-site, it should be separate for the workers and the patrons. While the patron parking space should be as close as possible to the event site, the parking space for workers or organizers should be close to the work areas to allow easy access and avoid unnecessary hassles of moving that extra mile. In addition to the choice of parking space, the walk-aways that lead from the parking space to the event site should be clearly marked, adequately lit, and should be completely separate from vehicle routes to avoid any kind of obstruction they may cause to each other’s movement.

Master Plan

A master plan or the traffic management plan is what helps manage events and risks associated with an event. A traffic management plan may include one or more of the following:

● Event summary

● Key Personnel’s contact details

● Pedestrian routes

● Police and road authority approvals for organizing events and closure of roads

● The number of entries and exits and how they will be managed

● Parking arrangements including overflow parking

● The responsibilities of traffic controllers close to the event venue

● Communication between the traffic monitors and event management in case of an emergency

● Provisions for attendees with disabilities e.g. ramps at entries and exits

Conclusion

In addition to including the four cornerstones of effective traffic management, it is important to inform, train, and instruct all persons involved directly or indirectly in the planning and implementation of the traffic management procedures. Proper coordination among individuals is essential as they need to understand the traffic rules and safety policies & procedures of the event and can pass on the same to all the participants. Doing so helps minimize risks to the health and safety of the participants, thereby ensuring that the event is a success.