Building a career in traffic management is a great choice when looking for a profession. Today, traffic management is more critical than ever before. It is a fantastic, sustainable career opportunity for someone interested in transportation and traffic infrastructure.
Australia is one of many countries looking for traffic managers. Many other countries around the world have realised the importance of traffic management.
What Is Traffic Management?
What does a traffic manager do? A traffic manager is in charge of and oversees groups or parts of a specific job, such as a road construction project. They often work together with others to help manage traffic in a smaller or larger area.
Usually, a traffic manager has an assigned jurisdiction for which they are responsible. This can involve anything from the safety of road junctions in a part of a city to overseeing a central urban area’s complete traffic management system.
Problem-solving skills are an important part of the job. You need to have a certain mindset and experience to deal with many of the problems that may arise.
Planning For the Future
Traffic managers will also take an active role in on-site situations, including construction and roadworks.
Many traffic managers spend their time planning for the future. As our cities and towns grow, the necessary traffic management systems must be in place. If a traffic management system fails, a city or even a whole state could be in complete chaos. In a worst-case scenario, a country could be affected.
An important part of the job is implementing relevant strategies to ensure smooth traffic flow for all forms of traffic. Not only do private cars need to be considered, but as many countries continue to place increased emphasis on public transport, managing public transport links will be an important part of the profession in the future.
Traffic Management and Pollution
One city currently in the headlines is London, the capital of the United Kingdom.
It is putting together one of the most challenging traffic management systems in the world, ULEZ, which stands for Ultra Low Emission Zone.
The aim is to cut carbon emissions by removing aging vehicles from the road and charging drivers who don’t know have compliant cars.
Although the scheme is controversial, many traffic managers worldwide think that London is moving in the right direction.
The goal of traffic management is not only to develop strategies to reduce traffic congestion. By managing traffic better, professional traffic management can also help to reduce carbon pollution.
This can involve improving traffic flow and identifying pollution risks like aging vehicles.
Switching To Electric
We all know that the ultimate goal is to switch to electric vehicles or vehicles powered by hydrogen, solar and dilithium crystals.
Many of these vehicles may not initially have the range we need for daily life. However, this may improve as these advanced technologies continue to improve.
However, in the meantime, we need to focus on traffic management regarding these alternatively powered vehicles. As they may be unable to travel as far as petrol and diesel vehicles on one charge, it is essential to ensure they can get from A to B as efficiently as possible.
This is where traffic management comes in. In the future, traffic management will likely help to identify the best areas for these vehicles to be recharged. Very few of us have the time to sit around for hours waiting for our vehicle to charge.
The Future of Public Transport
Public transport is the one part of people’s mobility where traffic management will come into its own.
The truth is that we need intelligent public systems to manage public transport solutions. Looking at the more excellent picture, it quickly becomes apparent we need to identify the most efficient routes for transporting large numbers of people.
In all likelihood, we will see a network of e-powered buses transporting the general public around areas of our cities. The scheduling and routing of buses will need to fit in and around other forms of traffic.
We must allow trams, overhead rails and even autonomous vehicles to operate without a driver.
In addition, we must also allow for delivery management. It is becoming clear that shopping in stores may soon be obsolete.
Looking at our society today, it is clear that we are purchasing online more than ever before. Planning for delivery vehicles to reach our homes or businesses is part of future traffic management.
Long Distance Traffic Management
We need to control traffic not only in our towns and cities. We need to recognise that both national and international road transport will have a role to play in the future.
In Australia, we have our famous road trains. They are an efficient way of hauling goods around the Australian continent, and this type of delivery system is likely to continue for some time to come.
In that case, it needs to be managed efficiently. Once again, professional traffic management has a role to play. Like public transport and private vehicle movement, we must get those road trains from A to B as safely and quickly as possible.
Conclusion
So, can you build a career in traffic management? The answer is YES in capital letters.
Traffic management is one of the best careers to aim for in the future. Considering all the points on this page, it is clear that professional management has an essential role in our modern and future society. Get your traing started with Upskills QLD today
