Making sure roadwork is properly planned and executed is key to ensuring it gets done as quickly and smoothly as possible. Not only that, but making sure that motorists and pedestrians are aware of the roadwork (not only as it is happening, but in the days and weeks leading up to it) ensures their safety, and is likely to lead to less frustration in the local communities. There are many facets that come along with effective roadwork, and we’re here to explain why signage is key to your process and success.
Road construction on the rise
Construction on Australian roads is estimated to reach an all-time high in 2018 as our cities expand, our roads need maintenance work, and Australia’s population is growing. As Australia’s fastest-growing city (expected to overtake Sydney as the most populated city by 2026), Melbourne sees its fair share of roadwork and overall construction. However, while improving and growing infrastructure to accommodate our rising population is key to a healthy population growth, it is also important to ensure that the job is done with minimal disruptions. Samson Hire supports Melbourne construction teams in minimizing congestion and frustration with high-quality, mobile road signs for hire.
Plan carefully
A lot of roadwork causes unnecessary congestion and frustration amongst commuters due to ineffective execution. Perhaps the detour provided goes down a narrow and already busy road? Perhaps the timeline given was overly optimistic. Perhaps the roadwork wasn’t communicated clearly enough. Whatever the reason, most of these problems could likely have been avoided if more time was spent on planning it carefully before commencing.
Give people a heads up
Being stuck in traffic is nobody’s favourite pastime. Giving people a heads up about upcoming roadwork is important because it gives those who frequent the road more agency when it comes to planning ahead for the roadwork. Perhaps that means another route to work, or jumping on the train. Perhaps that means negotiating working from home. Perhaps it means going on as usual. Allow motorists, cyclist, and pedestrians the chance to control how they engage with the roadwork. Giving people a heads up is likely to reduce frustration and queues.
Roadwork signage equipment
Not all roadwork jobs require the same equipment. At Samson Hire, we provide a vast array of high-quality roadwork signage for hire to assist construction teams Melbourne-wide.
Variable Message Signs
Variable Message Signs (or VMS) are a great, dynamic way to provide a changing array of messages throughout the roadwork. In the leadup, you can alert motorists of upcoming work. During the roadwork you can alert oncoming traffic of the roadwork ahead, advice on the new speed limit, and direct traffic flow to detours. As a bonus, as these signs are digital, you can trust that as the sun sets your signs will still be seen.
But be careful to keep the wording succinct and easily understood. Motorists are likely to only have a few seconds to read the board and act. If there’s too much text they may just miss your message entirely.
Sometimes less is more. Paired with a few well worded VMS, arrow boards are a great way to guide traffic flow. Similarly, as they are electrical, these signs work just as well day and night, and draw attention more effectively than non electric signage.
Will your roadwork go on day and night? In busier through-roads, keeping downtime to a minimum is key to preventing congestion. Light towers not only provide those working on the roadwork project with more light, but also brings more attention to the work ahead for approaching motorists.
Speed Radars
Sometimes telling motorists the speed limit isn’t enough to get them to adhere to it. With a digital sign alerting them of the new speed limit, followed by a speed radar that measures their speed and displays it for them is an effective way to allow approaching traffic to reduce their speed and ensure the safety of everyone nearby.
Traffic lights are essential in roadwork situations where both directions of traffic need to use the same lane. A mobile traffic light for each direction of traffic is a great way to ensure that traffic moves smoothly and safely even when construction workers aren’t around to guide it.
Why hiring is better than buying
There’s no denying that high-quality roadwork signage can be costly. It needs to be of the highest quality to ensure the safety of everyone frequenting the area being worked on. However, it can be an expensive investment for construction companies. Not only that, but it can be tricky to store them properly between jobs and making sure they receive the right maintenance work to ensure they work project after project.
Hiring your equipment ensures you’ll receive a signage solution customised to your roadwork needs. Samson Hire provides complete roadwork sign solutions at affordable prices to roadworks Melbourne-wide. Not only will you receive the right signs at the right price, but you will enjoy ongoing support to match – too!
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