Getting a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) approved is only half the job.
Where a lot of projects in Melbourne and across Victoria go wrong is the next part: actually implementing the traffic management plan on site so it matches what council, the Department of Transport & Planning (DTP) and WorkSafe expect under the Code of Practice for Worksite Safety Traffic Management.
This guide walks through practical, on-site steps your supervisors, traffic controllers and crews can follow to turn a paper TMP into a safe, compliant worksite in 2025.
A Traffic Management Plan sets out how you’ll manage vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians around your works. For works on public roads in Victoria, complying with the Code of Practice for Worksite Safety Traffic Management is mandatory.
In simple terms, a TMP normally includes:
On bigger projects you might also have a Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) or Transportation Management Plan (TMP/TMP) that covers broader construction and haulage impacts.
This article focuses on the implementation side – what happens once the plan lands at the worksite.
In Victoria, it’s not enough to have a TMP sitting in the ute.
Under the Road Management Act Code of Practice, you’re expected to prepare, implement and review traffic management plans “in practice,” and you can be audited under the state’s new Traffic Management Reform Program and surveillance framework.
| Good implementation, on the other hand, helps you | Poor implementation can lead to |
| Pass council / DTP / WorkSafe inspections | Work stoppages or order to rectify |
| Keep workers, drivers and pedestrians safe | Fines or enforcement action |
| Minimise congestion and complaints | Increased risk of crashes and injuries |
| Move smoothly through future approvals | Delays, complaints and reputational damage |
Everyone has a role, but responsibilities aren’t equal.
The principal contractor or works manager has overall duty of care and must ensure:
The supervisor or foreman is usually the person who:
Your traffic management provider and controllers are responsible for:
Road authorities and councils:
Here’s a practical, step-by-step process you can adapt for roadworks, construction, utilities, events and emergency jobs.
Before the first cone goes out:
Take the plan to site and walk the full length of the proposed work area:
If the site has changed significantly, pause and talk to your traffic management provider rather than improvising.
Before work starts, hold a traffic-focused toolbox talk:
Document attendance this supports you in any future audits or investigations.
Now you implement the Traffic Guidance Scheme in the correct order:
Check:
Hire or buy traffic control equipment that meets Victorian standards, ready for roadworks and construction sites across Melbourne.
Before you let workers move into the live work area:
If anything doesn’t match the plan or looks unsafe, fix it now not after the first complaint.
Once the worksite is live, conditions change:
The Code of Practice expects you to review the TMP in practice, not just set and forget.
Good practice:
Sometimes you need to go beyond small tweaks:
For significant changes, you should:
This process is vital under Victoria’s Traffic Management Reform Program and surveillance framework.
At the end of the shift or project:
For long-term works, the Code sets expectations around after-care and “out of hours” arrangements for example, barriers, lane closures and reduced speeds outside working hours.
A short review at the end of major stages or projects is invaluable:
Use these insights to improve future TMPs, toolbox talks and on-site setups and to show you’re taking continuous improvement seriously if you’re ever audited.
A few patterns show up again and again:
Crews sometimes rely on “how we did it last time” rather than the approved TGS. That can:
Always work from the current plan, not a mental sketch.
If you change lane closures, sign types or speed limits without updating the TMP (and approvals, if needed), you’re exposed. Under the reform program, authorities now have a clearer surveillance framework to check exactly this.
Common issues:
The Code and Safe Work guidance are very clear: pedestrian safety is just as important as vehicle safety.
Without a clear lead:
Nominate a site traffic management lead with authority to act.
Longer-term road and construction jobs typically use staged TMPs / CTMPs with changing layouts, night works, and heavy vehicles.
Utility and maintenance works are often short-duration or mobile, moving along the road. Implementing the plan correctly means:
Event traffic management focuses heavily on:
For emergency jobs, you often implement a rapid, standardised setup within the framework of the Code’s emergency provisions, then refine and formalise the TMP as the situation stabilises.
Simple tools dramatically improve on-site consistency:
A2Z Traffic provides end-to-end traffic management across Melbourne and Victoria, not just plans on paper.
The team can help you:
The principal contractor holds overall responsibility for making sure the TMP is in place and followed, but day-to-day implementation is usually led by the site supervisor with support from the traffic management company and controllers. Road authorities and councils may audit the setup against the approved plan and the Code of Practice.
Minor adjustments may be made for safety, but significant changes to lane closures, speed zones, device types or work areas usually require a revised TMP/TGS and, in some cases, new approvals. These changes should be documented, briefed at a toolbox talk and consistent with the Code.
You should review the TMP whenever site conditions change (staging, traffic patterns, nearby works, complaints, incidents) and as part of regular audits. The Code specifically calls for reviewing the TMP “in practice” and updating it when necessary to maintain safety.
Yes. If you’re conducting works on a public road, you’re still required to manage traffic risks in line with the Code of Practice, even for short-term or low-impact works. In practice that usually means having at least a basic TMP/TGS that matches your work type and risk level.
Good records include: the approved TMP/TGS, permit documents, pre-start and toolbox attendance sheets, photos of the setup, notes of any changes, and internal audit or inspection forms. These support you during any DTP, council or WorkSafe inspections or incidents.
Our unparalleled expertise and support in managing traffic for your projects and events make us the glove-like fit for every one of your traffic needs.
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