Traffic management plans (TMP & CTMP)

What a properly prepared TMP does

• Protects vulnerable road users — pedestrians, cyclists, and mobility-impaired road users — with safe alternative routes

• Keeps workers safe from live traffic and site vehicle movements

• Maintains reasonable traffic flow for the public, minimising delay and disruption

• Meets all relevant state and local requirements, including TfNSW codes of practice

When a TMP is required

Generally wherever a project will alter normal road, footpath or cycleway conditions for any duration; form part of a development application (DA) condition; require a Road Occupancy Licence or similar permit; or have a measurable impact on the surrounding road network due to its scale or duration.

What's inside a TMP

• Site & hazard assessment — traffic volumes and patterns, nearby schools, hospitals and transport stops, sightlines and road geometry, and a risk matrix mapping hazards to controls

• Traffic Guidance Scheme (TGS) — the visual component, prepared in line with the current Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management

• Implementation & monitoring plan — roles and responsibilities, set-up, modification and removal procedures, contingency plans, and ongoing inspections

TMP vs TGS vs VMP

• TMP — the master strategy: full risk assessment, procedures, responsibilities and compliance framework

• TGS (also called a Traffic Control Plan) — the visual blueprint traffic controllers use on the ground

• VMP (Vehicle Movement Plan) — manages vehicle logistics inside the site boundary, distinct from the TGS's public road focus

Our process

1. 01

   Initial consultation & site assessment — scoping works and assessing road geometry, sightlines and existing activity

2. 02

   Risk assessment & strategy development — identifying hazards and developing controls in line with safety-in-design principles

3. 03

   TGS/VMP design — standards-compliant diagrams (AS 1742.3) showing signage, barriers, VMS and personnel

4. 04

   Documentation & submission — compiling and lodging a single compliant plan

5. 05

   Implementation & monitoring — pre-start briefings, on-site support, and ongoing review

Common mistakes we help clients avoid

• Relying on a generic, non-site-specific template — every location has its own hazards a template can't account for

• Overlooking pedestrian and cyclist provisions — a compliant TMP needs safe, accessible alternative routes

• Treating a technically sound plan as “job done” — a TMP is only as good as its on-site implementation