Temporary traffic signals licence

You will not be charged a fee to obtain this licence.

(There could be a charge for the licences and authorisations needed for the related activity.)

a. Application and licence (general)

1. A full and complete application with supporting documentation must be submitted with at least 14 days' notice.
2. Where at least 14 days' notice cannot be given, reduced application periods must be pre-approved by the council but the council reserves the right to decline any requests.
3. Where emergency use of signals are required, full details must be provided in an application as soon as possible.
4. There is no maximum duration for a licence, but the council reserves the right to challenge the duration of any requests should they be deemed to be excessive.
5. Any changes to the activity necessitating amendments to a licence are communicated to the council at the earliest opportunity.
6. Any changes to the activity necessitating the cancellation of an application are communicated to the council at the earliest opportunity.
7. Any changes to the activity which leads to a material impact on the highway and road users, are communicated to the council at the earliest opportunity.
8. Contact details for administrative use and for use in the event of safety issues should be provided and manned at all times or at a minimum when activities are in progress.
9. Any additional terms and conditions for network management needs, agreed on a case-by-case basis with the applicant.
10. A licence can be rejected or revoked, at any time, and without notice:
    • where the council needs to exercise network management duties in the event of unforeseen emergency situations elsewhere on the network
    • should the council have evidence of breaches of conditions in isolation, or more wholesale systemic breaches of conditions over time, which have been warned for, but not addressed

b. General traffic management obligations

1. When traffic management is required, the applicant arranges for qualified operatives to supply, set up and, at very regular intervals, inspect and maintain all temporary traffic management and will cover all associated costs incurred.
2. Traffic management arrangements are to be proposed and arranged that they comply with codes of practice and regulations, and any deviation from agreed traffic management plans should be communicated to the council.
3. Signals must only be used when absolutely necessary and must be removed or deactivated immediately after use.
4. Traffic management must be removed and the site returned back to normal use prior to the end of the licence.
5. There should be no impact on the access to properties, businesses and services.

c. Signal equipment

1. All equipment—including controllers, signal heads, and microwave detectors—must be clearly labelled in accordance with the guidance set out in the Department for Transport publication 'An Introduction to the Use of Portable Vehicular Signals'.
2. The provision, operation, and maintenance of all signing, lighting, and guarding associated with portable signal use shall comply with the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and the Department for Transport’s 'Safety at Street Works and Road Works - A code of practice', to be read in conjunction with Chapter 8 of the 'Traffic Signs Manual'.
3. The appointed works supervisor must possess the relevant qualification as specified under Section 67 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.

4. All portable traffic signal equipment must meet the latest specifications issued by the Department for Transport, specifically Specification TRO 111A for traffic signal controllers and Specification TR2147A for detection systems.

c. Manual control and 'intelligent' traffic signal systems

1. The requirement for a manual control operative, (who is deemed to be a qualified/competent person being onsite monitoring flow, and intervening to the manual control setting when needed in accordance with the safety code of practice) may be stipulated as a condition of an approved licence.
   • such a condition will stipulate the times they are to be manually managed and the objective of the manual management (eg to avoid congestion at a nearby junction)
2. The council acknowledges ongoing developments in traffic signal technology that offer demonstrated benefits and improvements to traffic management at work sites under signal control. Where these systems are used, they must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications. The council does not have to approve the use of these systems at any location or time.

   • applicants must specify the exact product name/type of system to be used (if one is used) and should be prepared to provide evidence to support the use of the specified system. Products not recognised by the council, are not likely to be approved for use. This is often because the manufacturer or the organisation/person responsible for the activity has not engaged with the council directly on the system specifications, benefits and constraints

d. Insurances and costs

1. Where required, public liability insurance (minimum £5 million) along with street works accreditation must be held.
2. The council accepts no liability for any claims or loss, damage, injury, or death arising from the activity or the licence.
3. Where the council agrees to a licence to facilitate any activity, the council accepts no liability for any claims or loss, however arising, from needing to accommodate statutory works of an urgent or emergency nature.
4. Promptly reimburse the council for any costs incurred arising from any claims made.
5. Responsibility for any damage to the highway, including its assets, determined to be as a result of activities undertaken, lies with the licence holder.

Licences can be requested and processed simultaneously, but you must request consents separately. This licence allows for temporary traffic signal control to be authorised, but it does not give consent for the activity itself; for example:

• private street works to install or repair apparatus in the Highway require a Section 50 licence
• other works activity which affects the highway, will need a road space booking
• if you are working on behalf of Dorset Council or a Statutory Undertaker (utility company), you also need to check you have the correct street works permits in place

If you are not sure which licences you require, please contact Dorset Council first.

Timescales

Complete applications must be received at least 14 days before the proposed licence start date.

Impact on permanent signals, switch-off and bagging up

Permanent signals may be affected, directly or indirectly, by any activities taking place within 100 metres of their location.

Promoters must not, under any circumstances, cut power, switch off, or bag up permanent signals themselves. This service is provided by Yunex Traffic on behalf of the council.

Promoters are responsible for identifying and assessing the potential impact of temporary signals on permanent ones at the earliest opportunity. In some cases, permanent signals may need to be replicated within a temporary signal setup. Do not assume that traffic management equipment can be installed near signals without explicit approval.

• view the locations of permanent signals in Dorset
• contact the ITS Team to discuss specific considerations and impacts on permanent signals

Traffic management plans

You are required to supply traffic management plans with an application, when:

• multi-way temporary light signals will be used (3 or more phases)
• works are at or within 100 metres of permanent signals (including pedestrian crossings)

You should provide plans drawn with the relevant detail included:

• OS drawing with licence number
• at an appropriate scale with the scale clearly displayed
• location of where the signal heads are going to be situated
• the location and extent of the work zone

Check road space availability

Roadworks, events and traffic management could be taking place at the same time as your activities. If this is the case, it can result in an application being refused.

Check our roadworks and events map for an indication of road space availability,

It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete an application. There are two separate methods to apply, dependent on the activity being undertaken.

Temporary signal application for private works and activities

Such works includes activities on the highway for new developments and activities approved through a section 50 licence or a road space booking. You should also use this licence to get authorisation for signals associated with event traffic management.

When you apply, you will need to provide license details, details of the activities being undertaken and supporting documents - including:

• a valid email address which will be used for correspondence, and the address to which the license approval will be sent
• timings and dates when the licence is required
• plans that clearly indicate the extent of the activities, the work zone, and the traffic management
• emergency contact details to be used in the event of signal failure

Private works do not include utility works.

Apply for temporary signals for private works

Temporary signals assessment for street works (utility works)

Promoters are kindly asked for their cooperation in completing this document as it assists Dorset Council in better understanding the level of assessment carried out by Promoters before using temporary signals on its road network.

Download an assessment document for utility works

Please attach a completed assessment document to the associated works permit.

Please contact trafficteam@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk if you require the assessment document in a different format.

If you have submitted a temporary signal application for private works, you will receive an automated acknowledgement by email usually within 30 minutes. Please make note of the reference number provided which should be used in all correspondence related to the licence.

We aim to process all complete applications within five working days.

If anything changes

If you need to update your application, your licence or cancel it altogether, at any time, you must let us know. Your acknowledgement email will tell you how to do this.

If you have attached a temporary signal assessment document for utility works to a permit; we will review the permit within statutory timescales.