Keeping people and vehicles apart — on your site and on the road
Traffic management is about keeping people and vehicles apart. On your own site, a traffic management plan separates pedestrians from vehicles and controls reversing, loading and speed — a core HSWA duty. For work in the road corridor, NZTA's NZGTTM (New Zealand Guide to Temporary Traffic Management) has replaced CoPTTM with a risk-based approach.
There's the traffic on your own site, and the traffic on the road when you work in the corridor — both come down to separating people from vehicles.
On-site traffic management covers your yard, warehouse, construction site or loading area, where workers, visitors and vehicles share space. On-road (temporary) traffic management covers work in or beside a live road, where you also have to manage the travelling public. The principle is the same in both: people and vehicles don't mix well, so the job is to keep them apart and control the points where they must interact.
Every workplace with vehicles needs to think this through — being struck by a vehicle is one of the most common ways workers are killed or seriously hurt.
Under the HSWA you must manage the risk of vehicles and mobile plant so far as is reasonably practicable. The most effective control is separation: keep pedestrians and vehicles apart with defined routes, barriers and walkways, so they rarely need to share space. Where they must interact — at crossings, loading areas and gates — control it tightly. Reversing is a particular danger, so design it out where you can, and manage blind spots with mirrors, cameras or trained spotters.
A site traffic management plan turns “be careful” into a clear, drawn-out layout everyone can follow.
| Element | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Routes | Separate vehicle routes and pedestrian walkways, clearly marked. |
| Crossings | Controlled points where people and vehicles must cross paths. |
| Reversing & loading | Minimise reversing; control loading zones and keep people clear. |
| Speed & signage | Site speed limits, signage and clear sightlines. |
| Parking & deliveries | Where vehicles park, turn and unload, away from foot traffic. |
| Responsibilities | Who manages the plan, and how visitors and contractors are briefed. |
If your work affects a live road, you're into temporary traffic management — and the rules here have recently changed.
NZTA has replaced the old Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (CoPTTM) with the New Zealand Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (NZGTTM), a risk-based approach better aligned with the HSWA. NZGTTM applies to all NZTA state-highway works, and road controlling authorities (councils) are completing the transition — many will accept only NZGTTM traffic management plans from 1 July 2026, so check your local RCA. The approach is competency-based: the people doing the work need the right training and qualifications, and you still have your HSWA duty to manage the risk on top of any TTM requirements.
A temporary traffic management plan (TMP) for road-corridor work is usually submitted to the relevant road controlling authority, with a risk assessment. Requirements vary by RCA during the transition — confirm locally before you start.
Document your site traffic management and keep it current. Book a demo and we'll show you how it works — free 30-day trial included.
A traffic management plan sets out how vehicles, mobile plant and people move safely around a site or worksite — the routes, crossings, reversing and loading controls, speed limits and responsibilities. On a site it manages your own people and vehicles; in the road corridor it also manages the travelling public.
If vehicles and people share space on your site, you must manage that risk under the HSWA, and a traffic management plan is the practical way to do it. The key is separating pedestrians from vehicles and controlling the points where they interact, like crossings and loading areas.
The New Zealand Guide to Temporary Traffic Management. It's NZTA's risk-based approach to managing traffic around road-corridor work, and it has replaced the old Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (CoPTTM). It applies to NZTA state-highway works, and councils are transitioning to it.
NZTA has retired CoPTTM and no longer updates it, and NZGTTM applies to all NZTA state-highway works. Many road controlling authorities will accept only NZGTTM traffic management plans from 1 July 2026, but timelines vary, so check with your local RCA before submitting a plan.
Separation — keeping pedestrians and vehicles apart so they rarely need to share space. Where they must interact, control it at crossings and loading points, minimise reversing, and manage blind spots. Being struck by a vehicle is one of the most common causes of serious workplace harm.
