Planning an event is no small feat. Whether you’ve planned a marathon race downtown or a grand opening for a new restaurant, as an event planner, there are hundreds of details that go into producing a single event. Have you taken event day traffic control into account? This is one of the most critical aspects of event planning because it impacts your client and attendee safety.
Fortunately, Bird Dog Traffic Control has the experience to help you ensure your event’s success. In this article, we’ve outlined our top five best practices for event traffic control and management.
1. Work With Local Government
Before you start planning anything, make sure you coordinate with local government agencies and municipalities to see if a Temporary Traffic Control Plan (TTCP) is necessary for your event. Most events that take place outside, or on or near the streets like a marathon will need a TTCP in place.
Once that plan in place, you’ll need to get approval from all local government agencies involved before moving forward with any other plans. Keep in mind, approval may not happen overnight. There are many aspects that go into approving plans that can disrupt traffic flow or normal business operations. You may even have several revision requests from your local government so you should plan on being flexible with your plans and timing.
If you’re unsure about this process, Bird Dog Traffic Control has the knowledge you can turn to for event traffic control including creating sophisticated plans and execution. We can bridge the gap between you, local government, and law enforcement to help you prepare safe and effective traffic control plans.
2. Keep Volunteers in Designated Areas
Having volunteers to help at your event is great! It’s a wonderful way to save time and money but it’s important to use volunteers where they’re best suited; in most cases, that’s inside or in confined areas of an outside event. Parking areas or high-traffic areas should be managed by trained professionals. There’s much more risk outside where there is mixed-used space like parking lots or streets where pedestrians and cars both reside.
When you’re managing an event, you want to make sure your event goes off without a hitch and everyone has a great time. However, safety is also hugely important. You would never knowingly put your volunteers or event guests at risk so having trained professionals in place to support your event traffic control is the safest bet.
Bird Dog can connect you with traffic control experts who are able to foresee and mitigate any potential traffic-related issues like unmarked parking, limited signage or unclear traffic patterns. These experts will make sure everyone remains safe and your event is a success.
3. Make Sure You Have the Right Equipment
When scheduling traffic management support for your event, you may want to take environmental conditions into consideration. When your event is over, will it be dark? Are guests parking in an unmarked area? Are you expecting inclement weather on the day of your event? All of these environmental factors may impact driving, parking, and pedestrian visibility.
Bird Dog Traffic Control can provide all the equipment and signage rentals you may need to keep your guests safe arriving and leaving your event. Our Portable Equipment Platforms (PEP), are used for a wide variety of applications including traffic control. Additionally, all of our rental equipment is battery powered and available for use for extended periods of time.
Count on us to help you make sure your guests get where they need to go safely.
4. Share Important Traffic Management Information
Successful event planners know that it’s a great idea to share information pertaining to the event ahead of time. This should include traffic flow information so that guests know what to expect. Our traffic control experts can guide you on the important information to share that will improve traffic patterns, enhance traffic flow and reduce confusion.
5. Post Event Cleanup
It’s also important for you to plan how you’re going to clean up after your event is over. After all, you can’t leave a rental space or public area in disarray or you’ll most likely be violating the terms of the agreements approved by local officials or contracts. And if you’re not sure what you’re held responsible for, Bird Dog Traffic Control can help you with that as well.
Choose Bird Dog Traffic Control for event traffic management at:
- Road and trail races, marathons and color runs
- Nascar/motor vehicle events and tailgates
- Airport parking lots
- Swim club events
- Seasonal fairground events
- Food truck events
To learn more about how we can help with your next traffic control need contact us today by calling us at 844-369-0799 or by filling out our contact form.
