Maintenance of Traffic (MOT)

Concepts

MOT Training for

Incident Responders in Florida

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Highway Terminology

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 Highway Terminology

Standardized names and terms to identify

specific features of any street, road, or highway
where an incident may occur.

– Reduce confusion
– Improve the safety of responders
– Make operations at the scene more efficient

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 Shoulders

• The pavement adjacent to travel lanes

• Referenced by:
– Inside or Outside

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 Median

• The center of the roadway

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 Lane Referencing

• Numbered from outside to inside

– Should not be referenced as the “slow lane” or the
“fast lane”

• Acceleration and deceleration lanes at

interchanges will not be numbered except in the
case of lane drops or adds

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Shoulder Shoulder

Inside 33 22 1 Outside

Median

Outside 11 22 33 Inside

Shoulder Shoulder
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6-lane divided highway
Shoulder Shoulder Shoulder Shoulder

3 2 1 3 2 1

4 3 2 1 3 2 1

Inside Outside Inside Outside

Lane Drop Module 4 Deceleration Lane

 Upstream and Downstream

• Upstream
– Any area of a highway or any moving traffic that is
approaching the actual incident or activity area

• Downstream
– Area that is past the incident scene

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Downstream

Incident

Upstream

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Incident Definition

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 Differences in Definition

• Transportation provider definition

vs.

• Emergency responder definition

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Source: FHWA, Incident Management Performance Measures
 Transportation Providers

• Traffic Incident Management Handbook defines an

“incident” as “any non-recurring event that
causes a reduction of roadway capacity or an
abnormal increase in demand”

• The 2000 Highway Capacity Manual defines an

“incident” as “any occurrence on a roadway that
impedes normal traffic flow”

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 Emergency Responders

• Most law enforcement agencies and emergency

responders seem to define an “incident” as any
event to which they are dispatched or requires a
“response” or action by them.

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Types of Incidents

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 Predictable

• Maintenance Activities

• Construction Activities

• Special Events

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 Unpredictable

• Accidents (crashes)
• Stalled vehicles
• Spilled loads
• Weather
• Roadway failures
• Debris falling from trucks

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 Incidents

• Create non-recurring traffic congestion

– 60% of all congestion

• Cause secondary crashes

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 Highway Standards

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

• State Departments of Transportation

• Local Municipal Governments

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 MUTCD

• Chapter 6I of the 2003

MUTCD

• “Control of Traffic
Through Traffic Incident
Management Areas”

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 Major Provisions

• Classify incidents by expected duration

• Recommend interagency pre-planning and
management (“unified incident management”)
• “Fluorescent coral” background/black letters
permitted for signs in incident traffic control zones
• Recommendations on use of Emergency Vehicle
Lighting

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Incident Classification

• Level 1 – Minor
–under 30 minutes
• Level 2 – Intermediate
–from 30 minutes to 2 hours
• Level 3 – Major
–over 2 hours

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Source: TIM Handbook & MUTCD 2003 Chapter 6
Temporary Traffic Control Zones

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Temporary Traffic Control Zones

Divided into four areas:

• Advance Warning Area
• Transition Area
• Activity Area
• Termination Area

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 Termination
Area
Traffic
Space Work
Area
Activity Area
Buffer
(Hot Zone)
Space Buffer
Space Component Parts of
Transition
a Temporary Traffic
Area Control Zone

Shoulder
Taper Advance
Warning Area

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Source: MUTCD 2003 Chapter 6
 Advance Warning Area

• First section that informs drivers about the

incident area they are approaching

• Varies from a single sign or warning light on a

vehicle to a series of warning signs
– Examples: cones, flares, or emergency vehicles far in
advance of the actual incident (crash or fire scene)

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 Transition Area

• Section of highway where road users are

redirected out of their normal path
– Usually involve strategic use of tapers.

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 Taper

• When emergency responders use signs, cones,

flares, or blocking vehicles to direct
approaching traffic from the normal traffic lanes
into a fewer number of open lanes

• Executed within the Transition Area of an

incident scene

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 Taper

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Picture: Safe Parking…While Operating In or Near Moving Traffic, Texas FD
 Activity Area

• Section of the highway where the work activity

takes place

• Comprises the Work Area, the Traffic Space

and the Buffer Space

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 Work Area

• Section of highway closed to road users and set

aside for responders (workers), equipment, and
material

• Usually delineated for road users by channelizing

devices

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Work Area

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Picture: Danger on I-95 – South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
 Traffic Space

• Section of highway in which road users are

routed through the activity area

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 Buffer Space

• The area that separates road user flow from the

work space or an unsafe area

• Provides some recovery space for an errant

vehicle

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 Incident Responders
Responders arriving at a traffic incident within
15 minutes of arrival on-scene should:
– Estimate the magnitude of the traffic incident
– Predict time duration of the traffic incident
– Estimate vehicle queue length
– Set up the appropriate Temporary Traffic
Control for these estimates

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Highway Safety Principles

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 Stopping Sight Distance

• The distance traveled from the time a driver first

detects the need to stop until the vehicle actually stops

Perception Braking
/Reaction

Total Stopping Sight

Distance

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 Perception/Reaction Distance

• Distance traveled by a vehicle from the instant

the driver sees an object to the instant the
brakes are applied

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 What is the typical driver’s
perception/reaction time value?
• 0.5 seconds
• 1.0 seconds
• 1.5 seconds
• 2.5 seconds
• 4.0 seconds

• Be prepared for drivers who

do not react . . .
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 Braking Distance
• Distance traveled by a vehicle from the instant
the brakes lock up until the vehicle stops
Speed (mph) Distance (ft)
60 346
65 405
70 470
75 540

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Source: AASHTO Green Book 2001
 Total Stopping Sight Distance
(based on 2.5-sec Perception/Reaction Time)

60 Mph
65 Mph
70 Mph

Note: Commercial vehicles require much longer distances.

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 Highway Safety Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) and
Signaling Equipment

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Personal Protective Equipment “PPE”

• Section 6E.02 of the MUTCD

– Requires that workers shall wear bright, highly
visible clothing when working in or near moving
traffic
– Fire/rescue personnel, EMS crews, law enforcement
officials, and even tow truck operators
• PPE – General requirements Standard 29 CFR
1910.132 (OSHA)
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 ANSI/ISEA Public Safety Vest
Requirements
Background Material
Minimum 450 in2

Retroreflective/Combined-
Performance Material
Minimum Width 1.97 in
Minimum Area 201 in2 Vest
Class II
The Vest shall have contiguous areas
of retroreflective or combined-
performance material encircling the
torso – placed in a manner to
provide 3600 visibility

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ANSI 207-2006 Standard Source: Emergency Responder Safety Institute
 Highway Safety Vests

Vest
Class III

• All incident responders shall comply with this

provision no later than November 24, 2008.
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Source: Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 226 / Rules and Regulations Part 634 – Worker Visibility Sec. 634.4
 Question?

• At night – how far away can a driver see you?

Average Detection Distance
Visibility of Pedestrian at Night

Low Beams and Dark Clothing

Low Beams and White Clothing

Low Beams and

ANSI Vest II or III

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Source: ANSI/ISEA 107-1999 MADE EASY. A Quick Reference to High-Visibility Safety Apparel
Traffic Control Devices

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 Traffic Control Devices
• To promote highway safety by providing for the
orderly and predictable movement of all traffic
and to provide guidance and warning as needed
• Examples:
– Signs
– Channelizing devices
– Lighting devices
– Shadow vehicles
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 Warning Signs

• Warning signs are used

to give notice of an
unexpected condition
or a condition that
may be potentially
hazardous to traffic.

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Picture: KTC, Emergency Traffic Control for Responders-Training
Examples of TIM Area Signs

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Source: MUTCD 2003 Chapter 6 Figure 6I-1
 Warning Signs - Placement

• Right- or left-hand side of roadway

• As near to the edge of the road as possible, but
no closer than 2 feet
• Right angles, facing traffic
• No obstructions
• In advance of hills and curves

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Incorrect Placement

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Source: Emergency Traffic Accommodation – A Guide for First Responders
Correct Placement

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Source: Emergency Traffic Accommodation – A Guide for First Responders
Incorrect Correct
Placement Placement

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Source: Emergency Traffic Accommodation – A Guide for First Responders
 Channelizing Devices
• Their function is to warn road users of
conditions created by work activities in or near
the roadway and to guide road users
• Channelizing devices include:
– cones
– tubular markers
– vertical panels
– drums
– barricades
– temporary raised islands
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 Traffic Control Devices

• Florida Design Standard, Series 600 requirements:

– FDOT approved number shall be engraved on the

device

– Traffic control devices must be on the Qualified

Product List

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 Cones

• Cones shall be
predominantly orange

• Shall be made of a
material that can be
struck without causing
damage to the
impacting vehicle

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 Cones

• One solution to carrying

28-inch traffic cones within
the limited storage space on
most responders vehicles is
the “collapsible” cones.

• Four 28-inch tall Pop-UpR

cones only occupy a 12-
inch-high stack when
stored.
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Picture: Safe Parking…While Operating In or Near Moving Traffic, Texas FD
 Flares

• Work well at night to warn motorists of lane

changes and merges due to the bright red light
they emit as they burn

• The visibility of traffic cones can be increased

under night conditions by deploying flares and
cones together

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 Flares

When flares are placed near a traffic

cone, the light given off by the flare
not only warns upstream traffic
but illuminates the cone as well

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 Flashlights

Specially-designed orange cones that fit over the

end of a flashlight to improve their usefulness
for traffic control.

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 Emergency-Vehicle Light

• Essential in the initial stages of a traffic

incident
• Provide safety to emergency responders and
persons involved in the traffic incident, as well
as road users approaching the traffic incident
• Example:
– high-intensity rotating, flashing, oscillating or strobe
lights

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 Emergency-Vehicle Light

• In multi-lane freeways
– Recommended to “shed” or turn off all forward-
facing emergency lighting that affect traffic in the
oncoming lanes

– To reduce rubbernecking and prevents secondary

crashes

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 Minimize Lights

• Avoid glare to motorists

• Turn off unnecessary lights

– Emergency vehicle lighting:
• Provides warning only and provides no effective traffic
control
• Can be confusing and distracting to drivers

• Use amber instead of red

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 INCORRECT

CORRECT

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Picture: USFA, Traffic Incident Management System
 Arrow Panels

• Provide additional warning and directional

information to assist in merging and controlling
road users through or around a Temporary
Traffic Control zone

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 Arrow Panels

• Nighttime use
– When advance warning arrow panels are used, the
intensity of the flasher shall be reduced

• Location
– For lane closures on multi-lane roadways, an arrow
panel should be located on the shoulder at the
beginning of the taper

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Module 4
Pictures: FDOT Road Rangers Basic Training
Module 4
Source: MUTCD 2003 Chapter 6 Figure 6I-1
 Shadow Vehicles

• Shadow Vehicles – Trucks or trailers that are

used to protect workers or work equipment
from errant vehicles

• Heavy Vehicle – 33,000 GVWR or greater,

loaded at least 20,000 pounds (tanker truck)

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 Shadow Vehicle
• Once parked, it becomes a traffic control device
(TCD) placed as an element of the TCZ using
the MUTCD as a guide. It is:
– spotted parallel with traffic 100 to 250 ft
upstream from the work area depending upon
the speed limit, with wheels cut toward the
shoulder
– not involved in incident mitigation efforts and not
occupied by people!!!

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 Work Area
(Incident Area)

Shadow
Vehicle

If Available

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 END

Question or Comments

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