Do You Need a Traffic Management Plan for a Driveway Crossover?
The vehicle crossing permit is lodged. The concreter is booked. Then council comes back asking for a traffic management plan for what looks like a few square metres of concrete.
It catches a lot of people out. Here is why councils ask for one, what changes on a main road, and how to stop the plan holding up your pour.
Do you need a traffic management plan for a crossover?
In most Victorian councils, yes, in some form. What varies is how much detail they want and when they want it.
For most crossovers, what council actually wants is a traffic guidance scheme (TGS), the site specific drawing. A full traffic management plan is usually only needed for larger or arterial road works.
Mornington Peninsula Shire, for example, lists vehicle crossover works as one of the common jobs that need a plan, along with any work on or within 3 metres of the road and any footpath closure. Boroondara asks your contractor to lodge a traffic guidance scheme or traffic management plan, prepared by a qualified person, before it will issue the permit to start.
So check your council's vehicle crossing page before you book anything, and assume a plan is needed unless it clearly says otherwise. If you would rather not guess, we can tell you what your council usually asks for and get started on getting a plan drawn for the job.
Why does such a small job need a plan?
Because of where the work sits. A crossover is built across the footpath and the kerb, right where people walk and right next to moving traffic.
On a typical pour, the footpath is closed, there is a bobcat or excavator on the nature strip, and a concrete truck is parked on the road. People still need a safe way past, often with prams, mobility scooters or kids on bikes. We always keep at least a 1.2 metre clear path for pedestrians past the works. The truck needs to sit where drivers can see it in time. The plan sorts all of that out before anyone turns up.
For most crossovers, the footpath is the harder part to get right. We have written separately about planning for pedestrians if you want more on that.
What changes if the property is on an arterial road?
More than one authority gets involved. On a local street, the council is responsible for the whole road reserve. On an arterial road, the council looks after the roadside, including the footpath, while the Department of Transport and Planning looks after the roadway.
In practice that means the plan has to meet DTP's requirements as well as council's. If any signs or other traffic control devices sit on the arterial road itself, you may also need a Memorandum of Authorisation from DTP. Some councils want a planning permit too, before they will approve a new or altered crossing onto a main road.
Where we can, we design the job so only the footpath is closed rather than a traffic lane. A lane closure on an arterial road brings in DTP approval and extra cost, so keeping traffic moving is usually the cheaper and faster option.
Allow extra time for an arterial crossover. It is the same slab of concrete with more people signing off on it.
How long does it take to get from application to pour?
Longer than most people allow. Boroondara publishes its process step by step, and it is a good picture of how councils run it:
Up to 10 business days to assess the application and issue a preliminary assessment. That is not a permit to start work.
Your contractor lodges a pre works notification 10 to 20 business days before work starts, with the traffic plan attached.
The inspection before the pour is booked at least 5 business days ahead.
For traffic management applications, Mornington Peninsula has up to 20 business days to assess them under the Road Management Act 2004, although it aims to give initial feedback within 5 to 10.
The traffic plan is usually the last thing anyone thinks about, and it is the piece that holds the pour up. Get it drawn as soon as council has approved the crossover location, so it is ready when your contractor needs to lodge it.
What gets a crossover inspection knocked back?
Boroondara lists the reasons an inspection will not go ahead, and one of them is approved traffic management signage not being in place. When that happens you rebook, and you pay another inspection fee.
The most common problem is a site that does not match the approved plan on the day. That is why we draw our crossover and stormwater connection plans across the whole frontage of the property, not just one small section. It gives your contractor the flexibility to work anywhere along the front of the block, so if the truck or excavator needs to sit somewhere slightly different on the day, the site still matches the plan. Pedestrians are diverted where needed, and every layout meets the requirements of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (AGTTM). The fix is simple. Set up exactly what is on the plan before the inspector arrives, and keep the approved plan on site. Mornington Peninsula, for one, requires the approved plan and authorisation to be kept on site for the whole job.
What does a traffic plan for a crossover actually show?
A crossover plan is short, but it is drawn for your site. It usually shows where the footpath is closed and where people walk instead, where the truck, pump or excavator sits, which signs and barriers go where, and how long each stage runs.
We have explained what a traffic guidance scheme shows in more detail elsewhere. For a crossover, the main thing is that the layout matches your street. Footpath width, nearby driveways, a bus stop or a school crossing all change it.
One recent example is the approved traffic guidance scheme we prepared for a crossover in Huntly, in the City of Greater Bendigo. Like all our crossover plans, it covered the full frontage of the property, so the contractor could work anywhere across the front of the block with pedestrians safely diverted around the works.
Does a crossover ever need a swept path check?
Sometimes. If the crossover serves a commercial site, a tight block or anywhere a truck has to turn in, council may want proof that the vehicle can actually make the turn without mounting the kerb or clipping a pole. That is what a swept path check shows.
Frequently asked questions
Can my concreter use the same traffic plan for every crossover?
Usually not. Councils assess the plan against the actual site, including the footpath width, nearby driveways, bus stops and the speed of the road. A layout that worked on one street can be knocked back on the next.
Who lodges the traffic plan, the owner or the contractor?
It depends on the council. In Boroondara, the owner or contractor applies for the permit, and the contractor lodges the pre works notification with the traffic plan attached. Check what your council expects before you book the pour.
Do I need a traffic plan just to repair a crossover?
Often, yes. Many councils require a permit for any work on a vehicle crossing, repairs included, and if the work affects the footpath or the road, the same traffic management rules apply.
Does a temporary crossing need a traffic plan?
Usually. A temporary crossing is still work in the road reserve, so expect the same questions about the footpath, pedestrians and traffic while it goes in and comes out.
If you have a crossover coming up, send us the address and your council's permit conditions. We will tell you what the plan needs to cover and have it ready before your contractor needs to lodge it.
We quote within 15 minutes and plans are drawn within 4 hours of receiving your details.
