New Revision of Chapter 8 - The UK Traffic Signs Manual
By Andrew Sturrock I.ENG. AMICE, FIHIE
As you will doubtless be aware, Chapter 8 of the UK Traffic Signs Manual is currently being revised. The closing date for comments on the consultation version (31st December 2005) has come and gone so if you wanted to comment on the draft version, sorry but you’re too late!
Although the general principles of the new version haven’t altered much, perhaps the biggest change will be the omission of the typical layouts currently included in Volume 2. No longer will you be able specify “Chapter 8, Layout 24”, because it simply won’t exist. The new edition will be split into two documents, Design and Operations. The Design document will give the principles of signing and coning each section, or zone of a Traffic Management layout, splitting a site into different zones. These will be:
Approach zone
Lane-change zone
Lead-in zone
Works zone
End of works zone
This 'building block' method seems to be very commonplace throughout the world and generally underpins most national standards for roadwork signing.
Space limitations in the new edition of Chapter 8 only permit the general principles and a very limited number of options to be shown for each zone, so you will not be able to “cut and stick” straight out of the book to create a layout. On the contrary the idea is to make scheme designers really THINK about the Traffic Management that is needed for a particular site - “…and about time too”, I can hear some of you saying?
Fortunately, CONE - the leading temporary traffic diagram software - has been set up to create Traffic Management layouts in building block style since day one (over 12 years ago), so existing users of CONE will find it a relatively straightforward process getting accustomed to the new Chapter 8. All the common permutations (and a few odd-ball ones!) will be catered for, making life much less stressful for designers.
The development team are currently in the process of identifying the individual CONE files that will need editing (in the region of 1000 we think) and getting ready to make the changes ready for publication this summer.
Andrew Sturrock is a highly regarded, nationally recognised exponent and authority in the design of traffic control plans and he helped over a period of years to improve the standards of temporary traffic management. He is employed by WSP, an international engineering consultant, and currently seconded to CarillionWSP in the Yorkshire area. Both companies are leading exponents in the field of highway and motorway maintenance, holding several such commissions both in the UK and abroad.
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