If a street event requires traffic on a road to be stopped for more than five minutes then this is known as road closure. Road closures for events must be approved by the Temporary Road Closures Subcommittee of the Council.
A temporary road closure is approval from the Council for a road to be closed to vehicle and/or pedestrians at a specified location for a specified period. It ensure that you can hold your event to the required standards prescribed by the Local Government Act 1974 and 2002.
You are required under the Local Government Act 1974, sections 11(a) - 11(e), and the Local Government Act 2002 to request permission to a close a road for a temporary period..
Closing a road without an approved traffic management plan is illegal, and may result in fines being imposed.
Council must be advised of a request to temporarily close a road at least 3-6 months prior to the event to enable Council to meet the consultation, reporting, hearing of objections and advertising timeframes under the Local Government Act.
Also, at the same time as the road closure request, the event organiser must prepare & submit a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) for the event for approval by the Road and Traffic Division.
The TMP shows the Council how the event organiser intends to carry out their event in a manner that is safe for event participants and other road users and minimise the disruption for motorists and nearby property occupants.
If the information you submit is incomplete, or does not provide the level of detail required, there will be delays in processing your application. If you do not provide sufficient information relating to traffic management during the closure, your application may be rejected.
Traffic management plans must be prepared by a qualified person - a site traffic management suoervisor (STMS).
Suitable persons are listed on page 904 of the Yellow Pages under Traffic Management Equipment/Services
The Subcommittee will only consider a report recommending a proposed road closure if the Road and Traffic Division has approved the TMP.
Temporary road closures must be advertised publicly, so that members of the public can lodge objections.
Attached is a flowchart highlighting the process - Road Closures Process (PDF 64kb).
For further information on the Road Closures process please contact the Road & Traffic Division on 570 6666.