Traffic Management on Site: TM Plans, Chapter 8 Requirements and Permit Schemes

Quick Answer: Works on or near a public highway must be signed, lit and guarded to Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual (and, for utility street works, the "Safety at Street Works and Road Works" Code of Practice / "Red Book" under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991). A traffic management (TM) plan sets out cones, signs, barriers, and any lane/road closure or temporary signals. Operatives need NRSWA accreditation (Unit 1 signing, lighting & guarding as a minimum), and digging in the road usually requires a street works permit from the highway authority. Road closures need a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order/Notice.

Summary

The moment work spills onto, or close to, a public road, it stops being just a construction job and becomes a traffic-safety operation governed by a distinct body of rules. Passing traffic is the hazard, and the people most often hurt are the workers themselves and vulnerable road users — pedestrians, cyclists, the visually impaired — funnelled past or around the works. Getting traffic management right is therefore both a legal duty and a life-safety one, and it has its own qualifications, codes and paperwork separate from general site H&S.

The two foundational documents are Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual and the "Red Book". Chapter 8 ("Traffic Safety Measures and Signs for Road Works and Temporary Situations") is the design-and-operations bible for signing, lighting and guarding works on the highway — Part 1 covers design, Part 2 operations. For street works by utilities and their contractors (digging in the highway), the Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) is the legally backed standard. Which one leads depends on whether you are a utility doing street works or a contractor doing road works, but they share the same safety principles.

The practical pillars are: a TM plan appropriate to the road type and speed; correctly trained operatives (NRSWA cards, minimum Unit 1 for signing, lighting and guarding); the right permissions (a street works permit to dig, and a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order or Notice for any closure or restriction); and a layout that protects both traffic and pedestrians, with proper high-visibility clothing. Cutting corners — under-coning a layout, working without a permit, or leaving pedestrians in the carriageway — risks prosecution, lane-rental charges, and serious harm.

Key Facts

• Chapter 8 — Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 8: signing, lighting and guarding of road works and temporary situations (Part 1 Design, Part 2 Operations).
• "Red Book" — Safety at Street Works and Road Works: A Code of Practice under NRSWA 1991; the standard for utility street works.
• NRSWA 1991 — the New Roads and Street Works Act; governs street works, noticing/permits, reinstatement and operative competence.
• Operative accreditation — NRSWA Streetworks qualifications (LANTRA/SQA): Unit 1 = signing, lighting & guarding (SLG) minimum; further units for excavation/reinstatement and supervision.
• Permit schemes — many highway authorities run permit schemes (Permit Schemes (England) Regulations) requiring a permit to carry out works in the highway; some run lane rental charging for occupying busy roads.
• Section 50 NRSWA licence — non-statutory undertakers need a street works licence to place/maintain apparatus in the highway.
• TTRO / TTRN — Temporary Traffic Regulation Order/Notice (Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 s.14) is required to legally close a road or impose restrictions.
• TM methods — give-and-take, priority working (give-way signs), stop/go boards, portable/temporary traffic signals, lane closures, full road closure with diversion.
• Pedestrian protection — safe, barriered pedestrian routes; ramps and tactile/visually-impaired provision; never force pedestrians into live traffic.
• High-visibility clothing — to BS EN ISO 20471 (Class 2/3 as appropriate); on/near high-speed roads, higher specification (e.g. RIS-3279 for rail; sector-scheme requirements for highways).
• Sector Scheme 12 — quality scheme for traffic management on high-speed/dual carriageway roads.
• Sign sizes/spacing — Chapter 8 sets sign sizes, cone spacing, taper lengths and safety zones by road speed.
• Lighting — works must be lit at night with lamps to the relevant standard.

Quick Reference Table

Detailed Guidance

Choosing the traffic management method

WHICH TM METHOD?
================
Low-traffic, good visibility, short works
   -> Give-and-take (no signs control) - simplest, limited use
Two-way road, restricted width, moderate traffic
   -> Priority working (give-way signs both directions)
Longer works / poorer sightlines / higher flow
   -> Stop/go boards (manual) OR portable traffic signals
Multi-lane / one lane needs closing
   -> Lane closure with tapers & safety zone (Chapter 8 layout)
Works occupying full carriageway / unsafe to pass
   -> Full road closure + signed diversion (needs TTRO/TTRN)

Selection depends on ROAD SPEED, TRAFFIC FLOW, SIGHTLINES,
WORKS DURATION and WIDTH available. Higher speed = longer
tapers, bigger signs, larger safety zones.

The faster the road, the longer the advance warning, the longer the lead-in taper, and the wider the safety zone between traffic and workers. Chapter 8 tabulates these by speed limit — never eyeball them.

The TM plan and layout

A traffic management plan should record:

• The road type and speed limit and the method selected.
• Advance warning signs, their sizes and spacing for the speed.
• Cone taper lengths and the longitudinal/lateral safety zones.
• Any lane/road closure, signals or stop-go arrangement and the diversion route.
• Pedestrian and cyclist provision — a safe, segregated, accessible route.
• Night lighting and the maintenance/inspection regime for the layout.
• Emergency access and how the layout is removed safely.

The layout must be installed and removed in a safe sequence (set out advance signs first, working with the traffic; remove in reverse), by competent operatives wearing correct hi-vis.

Competence: NRSWA cards

Anyone signing, lighting and guarding street/road works needs the relevant NRSWA accreditation. The baseline is Unit 1 — Signing, Lighting and Guarding (SLG); excavation, reinstatement and supervisory roles require further units. Operatives carry an accreditation card, and authorities/clients check it. Working on the highway without the right qualification is both unsafe and a competence breach that can void insurance and contracts.

Permits, licences and orders

PERMISSIONS BEFORE YOU START
----------------------------
Digging/working in the adopted highway?
   -> Where a PERMIT SCHEME operates, apply for and hold a PERMIT
      for the works (with conditions, dates, category).
   -> Busy roads may carry LANE RENTAL charges per day occupied.

Placing private apparatus (e.g. a private connection) in the road?
   -> Section 50 NRSWA street works LICENCE.

Need to CLOSE the road or change its rules (one-way, speed,
no waiting) temporarily?
   -> TEMPORARY TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDER (TTRO) or NOTICE (TTRN),
      with statutory notice periods and signed diversions.

Lead times matter: TTROs in particular require advance notice and publicity, so plan permissions well ahead of the works.

Pedestrian and vulnerable-user protection

Chapter 8 is emphatic that pedestrians — especially wheelchair users, the visually impaired and those with prams — must not be forced into live traffic. Provide a barriered, firm, level, adequately wide route, with ramps over excavations or cables, tactile/guidance for visually impaired users, and proper barriers (not just cones) where there is a drop or live carriageway alongside. This is one of the most common enforcement failings on street works.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chapter 8 and when does it apply?

Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual — Traffic Safety Measures and Signs for Road Works and Temporary Situations — is the official standard for how to sign, light and guard works on or beside the public highway. Part 1 covers design (sign sizes, cone tapers, safety zones by road speed) and Part 2 covers operations. It applies whenever your work affects the highway or its users. For utility street works, the legally backed "Red Book" Code of Practice under NRSWA leads, but both share the same principles.

Do I need a permit to dig in the road?

In most areas, yes. Many highway authorities operate permit schemes requiring you to apply for and hold a permit (with conditions and agreed dates) before carrying out works in the adopted highway, and busy roads may attract lane-rental charges for each day you occupy them. Utilities work under NRSWA noticing/permit rules; private parties placing apparatus need a Section 50 licence. Digging without the required permit is an offence and can bring fixed penalties and prosecution.

What qualification do operatives need for road works?

The minimum is NRSWA Unit 1 — Signing, Lighting and Guarding (SLG) for anyone setting out or maintaining the traffic management. Excavation, reinstatement and supervisory roles require additional NRSWA units. Operatives carry an accreditation card that clients and authorities check. Working on the highway without the correct NRSWA qualification is a competence and safety breach that can invalidate insurance and contracts.

How do I legally close a road?

You need a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) or, for shorter/urgent situations, a Temporary Traffic Regulation Notice (TTRN), made under section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The order authorises the closure or restriction (closure, one-way, speed limit, no waiting), requires statutory advance notice and publicity, and must be accompanied by a signed diversion. Because of the notice periods, apply well ahead. You cannot simply cone off and close a public road on your own authority.

What high-visibility clothing is required?

Hi-vis clothing to BS EN ISO 20471, with the class matched to the risk — generally Class 2/3 for road works, with higher-specification garments on or near high-speed roads. On fast dual carriageways and motorways, sector-scheme and client requirements typically mandate the highest-visibility specification. Hi-vis is a basic, non-negotiable control on the highway, alongside the signing, lighting and guarding of the works themselves.

Regulations & Standards

• Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 8 — design and operation of road-works traffic safety measures.

• Safety at Street Works and Road Works: A Code of Practice ("Red Book") — under NRSWA 1991.

• New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) — street works, permits/noticing, reinstatement, operative competence (s.50 licences).

• Permit Schemes (England) Regulations / Traffic Management Act 2004 — permit and lane-rental schemes.

• Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.14 — Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders/Notices.

• Sector Scheme 12 — traffic management on high-speed roads. BS EN ISO 20471 — high-visibility clothing.

• CDM 2015 — wider construction health-and-safety duties.

• GOV.UK — Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 8 — road-works signing, lighting and guarding.

• HAUC — Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice — the "Red Book".

• GOV.UK — Street works permit schemes — permits and noticing.

• HSE — Construction: vehicles and traffic management — traffic safety duties.

• site setup — setting up a safe site, including boundaries and access

• excavation safety — safe excavation, often alongside highway works

• cdm regulations — construction health-and-safety duties

• ppe selection guide — selecting hi-vis and other PPE

• excavation safety trench support — groundworks practice for digging in the highway