Free traffic management plan template

• A TMP sets out how traffic, pedestrians, plant and workers are kept safely apart on a work site.
• The traffic guidance scheme is the diagram inside the TMP, prepared to AS 1742.3 by a competent person.
• Most road authorities and councils require an approved plan before work near a road can start.
• Separate pedestrians and cyclists from vehicles and plant, and manage work-zone speed up front.
• Check deployed controls each shift and review the plan whenever the work or conditions change.

Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.

• Legal compliance: a TMP helps a PCBU meet WHS duties to manage traffic risk and the road authority conditions for working on or near a road.
• Pedestrian safety: planning separation between people, vehicles and plant up front removes the most common cause of serious site traffic incidents.
• Approval ready: a complete TMP with a compliant TGS is what councils and road authorities ask for before they issue a permit to occupy the road.
• Clear responsibility: the plan names who sets up, monitors and reviews controls, so nobody assumes someone else has handled the traffic risk.
• Faster setup: crews and traffic controllers can deploy signage and devices straight from the TGS diagram without guessing the correct layout.
• Incident defence: a signed, dated TMP shows a regulator or insurer that traffic risks were assessed and controlled before work began.

• Site and work details: the location, the nature and duration of the work, the road environment, posted speed and expected traffic volumes.
• Traffic guidance scheme: the TGS diagram or traffic control plan showing the position of every sign, cone, barrier, taper and controller.
• Pedestrian and cyclist management: how people on foot and bikes are separated from vehicles and plant, including walkways, ramps and detours.
• Signage and devices: the warning, regulatory and guidance signs and devices selected to AS 1742.3, with sizes, spacing and night-time provisions.
• Speed management: any reduced work-zone speed limit, the method used to achieve it, and any approvals required from the road authority.
• Traffic controllers and competency: the controllers and traffic management roles required, the accreditation or tickets they must hold, and shift cover.
• Delivery and access routes: how deliveries, plant and emergency vehicles enter, move through and leave the site, and any holding areas.
• Emergency and incident response: what happens in a breakdown, crash, sign knockdown or hazard, including contacts and stop-work triggers.
• Review and responsibilities: who is accountable for the plan, when it is checked, and how changes are recorded and communicated to the crew.

1. Assess the site and the road environment

   Walk the site and record the work location, the duration, the surrounding road layout, the posted speed limit, traffic volumes, sight distance, intersections, footpaths and any bus or bike routes. Identify who could be harmed, including workers, motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and nearby residents. This assessment is the foundation that every later control in the plan is built on.

2. Design the traffic guidance scheme

   Prepare a scaled TGS that shows the position of every sign, cone, barrier, taper, buffer and traffic controller for the work area. The scheme must follow AS 1742.3 and the relevant road authority requirements, and is generally prepared by a person who holds the correct competency. Select a generic, site suitable or site specific scheme depending on how much the works affect normal traffic flow.

3. Plan separation, speed and access

   Decide how pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles and plant are kept apart using barriers, walkways, exclusion zones and detours where possible. Set any reduced work-zone speed limit and confirm whether the road authority must approve it. Map the delivery, plant and emergency access routes through the site, and mark any loading, holding or turning areas so movements do not conflict with the public.

4. Assign roles, controllers and competency

   List the traffic management roles the site needs, such as traffic controllers, a traffic management implementer and the person responsible for the plan. Confirm each person holds the accreditation, card or ticket required in your state, and arrange enough people to cover every shift and break. Record who deploys the devices, who monitors them and who can authorise changes during the work.

5. Brief the crew, implement and review

   Brief everyone on the plan before work starts, then set out the TGS exactly as drawn and check it against the diagram. Submit the plan for road authority or council approval where required and keep the approved copy on site. Monitor the controls through the shift, inspect signage and devices regularly, and review and update the plan whenever the work, traffic or conditions change.

Practical answers about the form, record keeping and using MapTrack.

This form is a starting point. Check the current requirements that apply to your equipment, work and location. The form alone does not establish compliance.

Each source was read at its publisher and the page checked on 26 October 2026. The publisher's current text is the authority.

• Model Codes of Practice (Safe Work Australia)
• Model WHS Regulations (Safe Work Australia)

MapTrack publishes this template. The linked authorities publish their own guidance; they haven't endorsed this form.

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