Traffic management initiatives improve traffic safety in NZ, vehicle and public transit travel times, access for emergency vehicles, accommodate construction activity, and provide for planned events.

Driving is a pleasure and more so when a person drives carefully and with caution and focus. But, on the other hand, when someone drives carelessly and inattentively, he/she poses a danger to the other road users. Then it becomes a nightmare for the innocent traffic participants. Given this scenario, it has become highly crucial that one should be given some guidelines and techniques to keep oneself away from incurring any kind of loss.

Planning

Planning is a vital part of traffic management. It involves analyzing historical data to identify trends and patterns that can be used to make better decisions on where, when, and how to build new infrastructure. For example, during peak hours, it is common for traffic volumes on a major arterial route to increase by 20%-30%. This will result in congestion which affects travel time and fuel consumption. In addition, planning helps us identify where we need new infrastructures, such as bridges or tunnels.

Road design

Roads should be designed to minimize the risk of crashes, especially fatal and serious injury. This involves setting speed limits, using road markings and signs, providing sight distance for bends, junctions, and other hazards, and considering whether any part of the road could be widened or straightened.

Learn about traffic signs, rules, and road markings

Traffic signs are there to help you navigate your way around the road network. But they can be confusing. This is why it’s important to know what they mean so that you can stay safe on the roads. The below guide will explain what traffic signs mean and how you should respond when you see them.

Vehicle speed management

Speeding is one of the most significant contributors to death and serious injury on our roads. The faster you drive, the less time you have to react if something goes wrong. Speeding also increases stopping distances, meaning it can take longer for you to stop in an emergency situation.

Road user behaviour management

The two main ways to change road user behaviour are through enforcement and education. Enforcement is where police officers or other authorities catch people doing things that are not allowed by the road rules, such as speeding or using a cellphone while driving. Education is where people are taught about safe driving practices through information and training sessions, such as Traffic Officer Training Development (TOD) courses.

Road environment management

Road environment management is the process of managing the road environment to reduce the likelihood of crashes and injuries. This includes improving the road surface and visibility, changing driver behaviour through signage, signals, and markings, and altering the design of intersections.

Safety diversity factor (SDF)

This represents the variability in traffic flow over time and helps determine how much capacity should be allocated to each lane. In other words, it measures how much traffic will be passing through each lane at any given moment.

Engineering

This includes designing roads, intersections, and roundabouts that allow drivers to move safely and efficiently. It also includes developing local laws, rules, and regulations to ensure road users obey these laws and rules.

Traffic management is crucial to traffic safety in NZ, and it’s something that we should all think about when we’re driving. However, this doesn’t only apply to roads in New Zealand—traffic rules are applicable everywhere in the world, as they help keep drivers and other road users safe.