A TMP in Victoria must be prepared by a qualified Traffic Management Designer under the national AGTTM training framework. The minimum is TMD1 (RIISS00063), the designer accreditation for urban streets and low-volume rural roads, which covers the unit 'Prepare traffic management plans and traffic guidance schemes' (RIICWD503E). Higher-risk works step up to TMD2 (RIISS00064) for high-volume roads and TMD3 (RIISS00065) for motorways and freeways. RIIWHS302E, sometimes cited for this, is the separate on-site 'Implement traffic management plans' unit, not a design qualification. OnPoint TGS Plans holds Department of Transport and Planning Temporary Traffic Management Design accreditation for Categories 1 and 2, which is what allows us to design plans for DTP-managed roads and have permits issued under our own name.

In most cases, yes. A road reserve is the legally defined area that includes the road carriageway, the nature strip, the footpath and any service infrastructure within those boundaries. If your work affects any of that area — even a footpath repair or a service connection — the relevant road authority or council will normally require a TMP and a Traffic Guidance Scheme before issuing a works permit. Exceptions exist for very low-risk activities (such as residential gardening on the nature strip), but anything involving plant, machinery, lane impacts or pedestrian rerouting needs documented traffic management. If you're unsure, ask the council or send the details to us — we'll tell you what's required.

A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) is the full document that explains how traffic will be managed across a project — including the risk assessment, stakeholder communication, emergency response and overall control strategy. A Traffic Guidance Scheme (TGS) is the scaled site diagram that shows where each sign, cone, barrier and traffic controller is placed on the ground. For small or low-risk jobs, a TGS alone may be sufficient. For anything larger — lane closures on arterial roads, construction projects, multi-stage works — the road authority will want a full TMP, with the TGS attached as the layout component. We prepare both as a single integrated package.

AGTTM stands for the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management — the national framework that sets out how traffic should be managed around worksites in Australia. AGTTM replaced AS 1742.3 as the leading reference and is now adopted by every state road authority in some form. A document described as AGTTM-compliant has been prepared according to the device placement distances, speed-zone requirements, buffer specifications and documentation standards in the Guide. Councils and road authorities use AGTTM compliance as the baseline acceptance criteria for any TMP or TGS — a non-compliant document will normally be rejected on first review, regardless of the urgency of the works.

Yes — same-day TMP turnaround is standard at OnPoint TGS for jobs received during business hours. Our guaranteed turnaround is four business hours from confirmed payment, provided we have the site details we need to prepare the document. Most clients receive a draft TMP the same day they submit the job. For complex multi-stage works, projects requiring multiple TGS layouts, or sites with unusual access challenges, the timeline may extend to one or two business days. We tell you upfront if a job cannot be completed same-day so you can plan around it. After-hours and weekend lodgements are usually returned the next business morning.

A Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) needs to address the specific traffic risks created by the construction phase of a project. The required content varies by council and state but the consistent expectations are: project description and works staging, construction vehicle routes and movement volumes, site access and egress arrangements, pedestrian and cyclist management during the build, swept-path analysis for the largest vehicle types accessing the site, hours of operation, delivery scheduling, and the supporting Traffic Guidance Scheme drawings. Higher-risk projects (CBD sites, multi-storey builds, sites near schools or hospitals) need more detailed pedestrian management and may require stage-by-stage layouts. We prepare CTMPs to each council's preferred submission format.

A swept path analysis becomes a council requirement when your project depends on a vehicle being able to access, manoeuvre or exit a site without conflict — and the council needs documented proof. Common triggers: a planning permit condition asks for it explicitly, a basement or car park requires approval, a driveway or crossover is being constructed or modified, waste truck or delivery vehicle access must be demonstrated, or a large rigid truck or semi-trailer needs to navigate a tight site. Most Melbourne councils ask for swept path analysis as part of planning approvals for any commercial or multi-unit development. We prepare these as standalone documents or alongside the TMP, with output formatted for council and planning tribunal submission.

The standard process is: confirm the permit requirement with the council or road authority, engage a qualified planner to prepare the TMP, provide the site details and works information, review the draft TMP and confirm the TGS layout reflects the actual site, submit the document with the works permit or planning permit application, and allow 5 to 10 business days for council assessment. Approvals can stall when the TMP doesn't match the council's preferred format, when AGTTM compliance is incomplete, or when site-specific risks haven't been addressed. We prepare TMPs to each council's specific documentation standards to keep first-time approval rates high.

Responsibility for the TMP sits with the principal contractor — the entity legally responsible for the construction works. The principal contractor must ensure the TMP is current, that the on-site controls match what the document specifies, and that any changes to site conditions are reflected in the document and communicated to traffic controllers. The TMP author (the qualified planner who prepared it) is responsible for the document's compliance and accuracy on the day of preparation. WorkSafe and the relevant road authority can audit either party. For projects with subcontractors performing work in the road reserve, the principal contractor remains responsible unless responsibility has been formally delegated through the project agreement.

Send us the question through our contact form or call the operations line on 0409 753 118. If we get the same question more than a couple of times, we'll add it to this page. For urgent quotes, submit your site details online and we'll come back within two business hours.