Traffic Management

Signal Defect Procedure
Signal Damage Procedure
Access Protection Marking (APM)
Personal Disabled Parking Bay Requests

The Traffic Management Team maintains and manages all incidents relating to traffic signals. In addition, the department processes applications for Access Protection Markings and Disabled Parking Bay requests.

The team currently manage traffic signals in 40 locations throughout the city, along with a further 35 Pelican and toucan crossing points.

Incident Procedures
The following procedures relate to incidents where there has either been a failure or damage of traffic signals resulting in a hazard to the highway user. Typically, this will involve an electrical failure or damage due to a collision by a vehicle.

The contractor for "First Line Infrastructure" is Peterborough Contract Services. Any report from Peterborough City Council Officers, members of the public, police or traffic warden can be referred directly to them. During out of office hours, the incident should be reported to the Peterborough Contract Services Duty Officer. The response time for attending an incident is 1 hour.

The contact details for Peterborough Contract Services are:

Office Hours - 01733 425300
Out Of Office Hours (Duty Officer) - 01733 425300.

Signal Defect Procedure:
Signal Defect Procedure Image

Peterborough Contact Services will carry out an initial inspection of the incident. If the incident is straightforward, such as a bulb change or a smashed lens, they will effect a repair on a single visit.

If the incident is more complex and Peterborough Contract Services are unable to rectify the situation, they will switch the signals off. The signals will then be signed as "out of commission" and the Police will be advised.

Peterborough Contract Services will then contact Siemens Traffic Control (who is Peterborough City Council's main signals contractor). Depending on priority, the response time will be less than 4 contracted hours. Siemens will attend to any fault, returning the signals to normal operation. They will then contact Peterborough Contract Services to recover any warning signs.

Signal Damage Procedure:
These types of incidents will usually be as a result of Road Traffic Accidents (RTA). Typically, the Police will report these incidents to Peterborough Contract Services.

The Actioning Officer will inspect the site to assess what action is necessary. If required, he will contact Ringway Highway Services to provide emergency traffic management if needed. The Actioning Officer will then contact Siemens to instruct them to have the site made safe.

Following this, a repair programme will be put into place.

When an incident or fault is reported the following procedure should be followed:-

The exact site location should be ascertained and the precise nature of the incident / fault established. Fullest details should be taken.

If the incident is a RTA, a PCC engineer must inspect the site to establish the degree of damage.

Peterborough Contract Services should be contacted to switch off the controller and sign up the Junction / Pedestrian crossing if required.

Siemens Traffic Control should be notified of the incident and instructed to attend and repair, giving as much information as possible. If the site is a 'Priority' site or if the damage creates a danger to the Public, a response time is expected within 2 actual hours, If the incident is less serious then there will be a response time of 4 contract hours.

The attending PCC engineer should obtain as many details of the incident as possible including ID number/s of any attending Police officers, other PCC employees, and names and addresses of any vehicle drivers along with the registration details of any vehicles involved in the incident which were present at the scene. If possible, photographs should be obtained and a general survey made of the Signals installation. Any broken or inoperative lamps / poles / bollards should be noted. The general operation of the signals should be surveyed where possible

Access Protection Marking (APM)
Access Protection Markings are white line roadside markings that are used to overcome access difficulties to properties.

Although contravening them is not an offence itself, experience has proved they are respected by the majority of drivers, and can provide substantial access benefits.

Where granted. the markings are kept to an absolute minimum (covering only the extent of the dropped kerbs) to prevent creating additional parking problems for neighbours.

The procedure for application is:

A request for an Access Protection Marking can come via Highways inspectors, telephone call direct from the applicant, letter, site visit or visit to reception.
When a request is received, a check is made to see if there are any other parking restrictions in place already on the highway. If there is a yellow line restriction in existence the Access Protection Marking request is refused. The yellow line restrictions are enforceable where an APM is advisory.
The fee for an APM is £50.00. Payment is required before the work can commence. Upon receipt of payment a works order is raised to the Contractor requesting them to mark out an Access Protection Marking.
The whole process takes between 4 and 6 weeks to complete, weather permitting.

Personal Disabled Parking Bay Requests

Parking on-street for the disabled users is generally provided by a concession allowing parking on yellow lines provided an obstruction is not being caused.

Parking outside or in the vicinity of home can sometimes be a problem. In these circumstances holders of Disabled Parking badges may apply for On-Street Disabled Parking Bays to be marked in the vicinity of their property to assist in movement to and from their vehicle.

The procedure below outlines the application process and qualifying requirements.

A request to have a disabled parking bay marked out may come from many sources, i.e. directly from a disabled person, Doctor, Social Services etc.
To start the process of getting a bay marked out, you must be the holder of a blue or orange badge and are the driver of the vehicle, and that you have no off road parking.
A check will be carried out to ascertain if there are any current restrictions on the road.
If there are no restrictions in place, a letter is be sent to you. This letter sets out a list of criteria that you must fulfil. Passengers cannot apply for a bay unless there are exceptional circumstances. A copy of your blue or orange badge is requested, and there is a form enclosed in the letter asking your GP to sign and return confirming that you cannot walk more than the 20m stated in the letter.
Once the form has been returned, and a copy of their badge received, a parking survey is carried out. This is a survey carried out 5 or 6 times in any one day to ascertain the parking situation at the address concerned. This survey is at specific times during the day.
Once this survey has been completed, a decision is taken as to whether or not to mark a bay is made, based on the survey results, showing the difficulty in parking close to the applicants home.
If your application is successful, you are informed by letter. Your immediate neighbours are also informed that a disabled bay is to be marked out, and a works order is issued to our Contractors to mark out the bay.
If you are unsuccessful, you are informed by letter.
Depending on the weather, it usually takes about 4 weeks for the bay to be marked out.