Highways Agency

Frequently Asked Questions

Since we first introduced Traffic Officers on our network in 2004 the Highways Agency has received a number of queries from customers asking about the roles and responsibilities of our Traffic Officers, about the vehicles used and the equipment that is carried in them, and about the costs associated with the implementation of the service.

A number of these questions have been answered under Freedom of Information requests and are available to view on our Disclosure Log. Responses to commonly asked questions are also available below.

A total of 25 per cent of all congestion is caused by incidents.  This is what the Traffic officer Service is tackling.  Traffic Officers are taking over 76 per cent of all police motorway duties. This includes:

• Providing temporary road closures and diversions
• Assisting broken down motorists
• Setting overhead signs
• Answering emergency phone calls
• Managing non-injury collisions
• Distributing traffic information to the media
• Undertaking rolling roadblocks to ensure motorways are not closed and traffic doesn’t build up.
• Arranging repairs following an accident
• Removing damaged or broken down vehicles

Q) What powers under the Traffic Management Act 2004 do Traffic Officers have?

The Highways Agency Traffic Officers have powers to:

• Stop traffic and close roads, lanes and carriageways;
• Direct and divert traffic;
• Place and operate traffic signs;
• Manage traffic and traffic surveys.

Failure to comply with a Highways Agency Traffic Officer’s directions or sign is an offence and could lead to:

• A fine of up to £1,000
• Driving Licence endorsement; or
• Disqualification.

Assaulting, willfully obstructing or impersonating a Traffic Officer is an offence and could lead to a fine of up to £5,000 or Imprisonment.

Q) What difference does the Traffic Officer Service make to me when I am driving?

There is now clearer, more up-to-date information to enable you to pick your route, and less time is spent queuing as a result of incidents on the network. There are also more uniformed staff on the roads to assist you.

Q) What is the purpose of giving Traffic Officers these responsibilities?

The government has instigated these changes both to improve journeys for drivers, to make roads safer and to allow police to focus on tackling crime. The benefits from this project include:

• Reduced incident-related congestion
• Increased journey-time reliability
• Reduced secondary incidents – the incidents that happen at the scene of an existing incident or at road works
• Freeing up police time to focus on core activities, such as tackling crime and enforcing the law.
• Making the road networks safer

Q) Are drivers paying for these new services?

No. They are being funded through existing Highways Agency budgets, using money set aside for making better use of the existing roads network.

Q) How much does the service cost?

Much investment is already made in operating the network but the overall cost for the Traffic Officer Service in England is around £800m over the 10 years from 2003/2004 to 2013/2014. In terms of the total value of the roads infrastructure, the cost of fulfilling the traffic operator role is relatively small. See the document below for a full breakdown:

Regional Control Centre Costs (PDF 24KB)

Q) What is the role of the traffic police now that the Highways Agency Traffic Officers have taken over many of their duties?

With the Highways Agency Traffic Officer Service taking on routine motorway tasks; police will be able to spend more of their time concentrating on their priority of enforcing the law and dealing with crime. The police through ACPO were partners with review of motorway tasks integral in the design and delivery and partners in the ongoing development.

More information on the duties taken over by Highways Agency Traffic Officers can be found by visiting the knowledge centre and accessing the Roles and Responsibities Page for traffic officers.

Q) Do police attend the scene of an accident or do they wait until the Traffic Officers tell them to attend?

The decision on who attends an incident depends on which resource is closer to the scene. Traffic Officer Vehicles have amber lights and are not allowed to exceed the speed limit. Each incident will be assessed and the most appropriate resources will be deployed to the scene. It is a matter for each police force how they deploy their resources

Q) Can Highways Agency Traffic Officers arrest people? If they can't what is the point on having them?

The powers do not allow for Traffic Officers to arrest people, but it is an offence not to comply with their requests. Traffic Officers also act as extra eyes on the network.
However, failure to comply with a Highways Agency Traffic Officer’s directions or sign is an offence and could lead to:

• A fine of up to £1,000
• Driving Licence endorsement; or
• Disqualification.

Q) What colour lights do the Traffic Officer Vehicles have? What is the reasoning behind this?

The vehicles have amber, white and rear-red flashing lights on their vehicles that are easily recognisable, as they have yellow and black livery on them. It must be remembered that the Traffic Officer Service is not an emergency service.

Traffic Officers are not allowed to exceed the speed limit when responding to an incident. We would like to urge drivers however to allow them to pass if they see them on the motorway as it may be the case that they are going to the scene of an incident which may be holding up traffic.

Q)Why do Traffic Officer Vehicles look so similar to police vehicles and use the same high visibility markings as soon police forces?

Given the nature of their role and the environment that Traffic Officers work in, ensuring their safety and that of the travelling public is important. For these reasons we have adopted the use of reflective Battenberg patterns on the side of the vehicles, an LED roof light bar, LED lighting on the front and rear of the vehicle and reflective rear chevron markings. The words Traffic Officer and Highways Agency are also clearly displayed on the vehicle.

Traffic Officers deal with a range of incidents, some of which involve incidents where persons have been injured, and we may be first on the scene and need to make the incident safe before the arrival of the required emergency services and therefore need to be highly visible.

Prior to the launch of the service, research was undertaken where different formats of reflective livery were compared. The yellow and black combination was adopted following this work. We have deliberately not used the colour combinations that are regularly used by the police.

Q) What is the relationship between the Regional Control Centres (RCCs) and the National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC)?

The RCCs are a central focus point for deploying resources to manage incidents on the regional road network it covers. It monitors CCTV on the motorway, answers emergency roadside telephones, dispatches Traffic Officers to incidents and sets tactical signs and signals on the motorway. The NTCC is focused on providing information to road users, information services and setting strategic, long range signs.

Q) How many Regional Control Centres are there in England and when did they open?

There are seven RCCs in England, one in each region:

• Regional Control Centres opened in the West Midlands (Quinton, M5 J3) in April 2004;
• South East (Godstone, M25 J6) in August 2005;
• North West (Newton-le-Willows, M6 J22-23) and North East (Wakefield, M1 J39) in September 2005;
• East (South Mimms, M25 J 23) in October 2005;
• South West (Avonmouth, M5 J 18) in December 2005.
• East Midlands (Nottingham, M1 J26) in February 2006.

Q) How many incidents do Traffic Officers deal with on a national basis each day?

At the moment, Traffic Officers deal with between 1,000 and 1,500 incidents each day.

Q) What is the role of the National Traffic Control Centre?

The NTCC near the M5 at Quinton, Birmingham, operates 24 hours every day of the year, collecting information on road and traffic conditions across 4,500 miles of England's motorways and trunk roads.

It provides a central information point for the motorway and trunk road network, collecting real time information from 3,750 road sensors and 700 CCTV cameras as well as reports from the Highways Agency Traffic Officers, police forces, local highway authorities, contractors, leisure and entertainment venues and weather centres.
This real time information is then made available to drivers who have a choice of how they access it.

Drivers can log onto the Highway Agency's real-time traffic website  or call the 24-hour automated telephone service on 08700 660 115. Information is also available through traffic bulletins on radio and TV.

Information about travel conditions will also be provided through 350 electronic roadside message signs located at key junctions on motorways, giving drivers the opportunity to change route if there is a problem ahead.

A further 1,400 safety signs can be used to manage local traffic in the event of incidents and emergencies to provide warnings of stationary or slow-moving traffic, protecting those at the back of queues. For more information visit the Highways Agency's online Newsroom.

Q) Why not build more roads to reduce congestion instead of introducing Traffic Officers?

This is not about building roads; it's about managing unplanned incidents and their effect on congestion, regardless of the number of lanes. It will also help ensure the roads we do have are in the best possible condition, and provide support to road users on the road making the best use of existing road space.

Q) How do Highways Agency Traffic Officers work with the Emergency Services at an incident on the motorway?

Traffic Officers carry out a range of duties, from arranging removal of damaged and abandoned vehicles to stopping and directing traffic.

They also provide a safe working environment on the motorway for the fire and rescue service, police and ambulance service to carry out their duties effectively.

If Highways Agency Traffic Officers arrive first at the scene or the emergency services have received a call from a mobile phone we are able to provide fast, accurate information to them, including marker post details.

Q) What is a rolling road closure?

A rolling road closure is when we use the Traffic Officer vehicles to gradually slow down the following motorists and then stop them temporarily to allow enough time for maintenance work to be carried out, or for debris or an incident to be cleared in safety.

To read an example of where a rolling road closure was used please visit the Highways Agency's online Knowledge Centre.

Q) What advantage is there to using an emergency roadside telephone if I breakdown rather than my own mobile?

If you break down on the motorway, the easiest way to get help is by using the emergency roadside telephone. Each marker post on the motorway points motorists in the direction of the nearest emergency telephone which is safe to walk to along the hard shoulder.

The phone rings straight through into the closest Regional Control Centre’s control room and will be answered by a person 24-7. Depending on your situation, the control room can either send a Highways Agency Traffic Officer or recovery vehicle or advise your recovery service.

The roadside phone automatically pin points your location for the control room which could then keep an eye on your situation using CCTV.

Q) What should I do if I break down on the motorway?

Pull over on the hard shoulder as far to the left as possible and stop as close to an emergency roadside telephone as you can. Exit the car using the passenger side doors. If you cannot stop near an emergency telephone – make sure you know where you are.

There are reference numbers on all marker posts at the side of the road with a telephone symbol pointing you in the right direction for the nearest phone it is safe to reach.
While waiting for your car to be recovered, climb over the safety barrier, where safe to do so and walk up the embankment if possible to do so.

We have also previously published some specific hard shoulder safety advice.

Q) How many miles of motorway does the Traffic Officer Service cover in England?

The total of all the patrol routes operating from each outstation in England adds up to 2025 miles of motorway.

Q) What checks do traffic officers conduct on their  Highways Agency vehicles before going out on patrol?

Before going out on road, at the start of every shift a POWDER Check is carried out. This includes the following:
Petrol – or diesel in our case – does the vehicle have enough fuel?
Oil – A quick check is always advisable.
Water – We check the coolant and washer fluid, and some drinking water for is a good idea too.
Damage – a quick visual check of the bodywork to make sure everything’s okay.
Electricity – are all lights and electrical controls working as they should be? Particularly important for Traffic Officer vehicles, with our added lights and matrix signs.
Rubber – We check the tyres – they’re the vehicle’s only contact with the road and are crucial for driving, and stopping, safely.

Q) How do I join the Traffic Officer Service

For more information on how to become a Traffic Officer visit our Careers with Us section where you can also sign up for weekly email alerts to notify you of forthcoming vacancies in your area.

Q) Why do you see Traffic Officers parked behind broken down vehicles on the hard shoulder?

Newly trained Traffic Officers are limited to working on the hard shoulder until they have successfully completed a period of assessment. During this time, they will focus on providing support and assistance to motorists who have had to stop on the hard shoulder.

On completion of the initial stages of their assessment they will move on to undertake tasks in the live carriageway such as the application of rolling road closures, clearing incidents which cause congestion and the removal of dangerous debris which may cause accidents.

It is not necessary for us to attend and remain at the scene of every broken down vehicle. It depends on the resources available, priorities of competing jobs and whether the driver requires support because, for example, they are vulnerable, there are young children in the car or the vehicle is positioned on an unlit section of motorway.

Q) Why are Traffic Officer Vehicles parked at an angle towards the motorway carriageway and not parallel to it?

'The way in which Traffic Officer Vehicles are positioned on the hard shoulder when attending incidents is known as vehicle orientation or ‘fending’ and there are generally three options that can be adopted. These are:

• Fend in - this is when the front of the vehicle is positioned towards the verge
• Fend off - when the front of vehicle is positioned towards the carriageway
• In line - when the vehicle positioned parallel to the carriageway.

When attending an incident, Traffic Officers are instructed to conduct a risk assessment to determine the most appropriate fending option to adopt in order to deal with the incident.

When the Traffic Officer Service was being developed, advice was sought from Police colleagues across the country to determine the best use of their operational practice and guidance. It became apparent that there was no consistent approach between forces.

As a result of the lack of consistency, the Highways Agency commissioned research work in relation to fending. The research concluded that there was no single recommendation that would apply in all situations. However, it was recommended that whichever option was adopted, the front wheels of the Traffic Officer vehicle should be in the straight-ahead position (i.e. parallel to the vehicle).'

Q) Why do Traffic Officers put out lights and cones in the daylight behind their vehicle while parked on the hard shoulder?

Traffic Officers will put out cones and lights, if needed, to improve the visibility of our vehicles and to provide a safe working area and clear information to approaching drivers. It is also to avoid our vehicles being struck by errant vehicles encroaching on the hard shoulder and to ensure the safety of the public and our staff.

Q) At what speed to Traffic Officers patrol the motorway?

The current advice given to Traffic Officers is to patrol at the speed of traffic in lane one, and on quieter motorways at not more than 60mph. Traffic Officers are not allowed to break the 70mph speed limit.

This gives a balance between not holding up traffic whilst being able to spot a broken down vehicle on the hard shoulder and bring our vehicle safely to a stop at the correct distance behind that vehicle which is usually approximately 25 metres behind a broken down vehicle.