Traffic Management for Strata Works: Driveways, Car Parks and Residents

Strata traffic management keeps residents, visitors, deliveries and emergency vehicles moving safely while works occupy shared driveways, basements and car parks. The usual approach is to stage the works so some access stays open, separate residents from plant, notify everyone early and plan for those who cannot simply walk around.

Strata works are unusual for traffic control. The road is private, the users are the same people every day, and they all have opinions. A closure that would be routine on a public road can trap a wheelchair user in a basement or stop an ambulance at the gate. Getting it right is mostly planning and communication.

Who does what on a strata job

Agree in writing who prepares the plan, who books the traffic crew and who sends resident notices. Gaps between those three roles cause most strata complaints.

The worked example: resurfacing a shared driveway

Example scenario: a 40-unit strata complex has a single driveway from the street, about the width of two cars, leading down to a basement car park. The driveway surface is breaking up and will be removed and replaced with new concrete. The building has residents who use mobility aids, a regular home-care visitor and a weekly bin collection from the driveway.

Step 1: Decide whether to close fully or stage

A full closure would make the job faster but leave every resident without vehicle access for days while the concrete cures. The contractor and strata manager agree to stage the work in two halves along the driveway's length, keeping one lane open at a time.

The trade-off: staging takes longer and needs more traffic management while one lane runs two-way. The person preparing the plan decides whether that single lane can run safely under controller direction, given the gradient, sight lines at the basement ramp and the street entry.

Step 2: The traffic plan

The plan shows:

• The work area for each half, separated from the open lane by barriers.
• Where controllers stand at the street end and at the basement ramp, with their escape routes.
• How residents' cars alternate through the single lane, using stop/slow or radio-coordinated control.
• A pedestrian route kept separate from vehicles and plant.
• Where concrete trucks and the pump stand, and how they arrive and leave without blocking the street.
• Signs at the street entry warning visitors and delivery drivers.

If the street footpath or road is affected by trucks or the pump, council approval may be needed too. Our guide to traffic management on private property explains where private and public road rules meet.

Step 3: Notify residents

The strata manager issues a notice two weeks ahead and a reminder two days before each stage. It states:

• Dates and hours for each stage.
• Which half of the driveway is closed and what the open route is.
• When the driveway will be fully closed, if at all (for example, a short period during the pour).
• What residents should do with cars that need to leave during a full closure.
• How deliveries, home-care visitors, removalists and bins will be handled.
• A phone number for the site supervisor, answered during work hours.

Our resident notification template is written for roadworks but works well for strata with small changes.

Step 4: The day

Here is how a typical stage day runs:

1. 6:30 am: crew arrives, team leader walks the driveway with the site supervisor and confirms the work area, the open lane and the truck positions.
2. Briefing: controllers and the concrete crew are briefed together: where plant may move, how the open lane runs, radio channel, emergency access plan, and the residents who need help.
3. Set-up: street entry signs first, then barriers along the work area, then controller positions.
4. Radio check: both controllers confirm they can hear each other from the street and the ramp, because basement ramps often block radios.
5. During works: controllers alternate residents' cars through the open lane. When plant needs to move across, both ends hold until it is clear.
6. Inspections: the team leader checks the set-up at the start of the shift, at intervals during it and at the end, and records each check.

Step 5: What goes wrong and the fix

Mid-morning a resident in a wheelchair needs to get to a medical appointment and the taxi cannot get down the ramp. The controller at the street end calls the team leader, who holds traffic, has the concrete crew stop near the lane, and walks the resident up the pedestrian route to the street, where the taxi pulls into a space the plan kept clear for pick-ups.

The fix for the next stage: the strata manager adds a line to the reminder asking residents with appointments to tell the site supervisor in advance, and the plan marks a set-down area at the street entry.

Step 6: Records

At the end of each day the team leader records the inspections, any changes, the resident incident and the hours on the docket. The strata manager keeps the notices and any complaints with the job file.

A typical timeline for a strata driveway job

The order matters more than the exact dates. Here is a sequence that works for most strata driveway and car park jobs; adjust the lead times to suit the scheme's by-laws, the contract and any council approvals.

Two points are easy to miss. First, the end-of-stage switch is a change to the traffic arrangement, so the plan must show both stages and the crew must re-brief before traffic is moved onto the new surface. Second, new concrete needs time before it can take traffic, so the contractor should tell the strata manager when each half can be driven on, and the resident notice should say so.

Car parks and basements: extra hazards

Basements and car parks bring their own risks:

• Low headroom for plant, pumps and trucks.
• Poor radio and phone coverage below ground.
• Blind corners and ramps where drivers cannot see controllers.
• Exhaust fumes if plant runs underground.
• Pedestrians between parked cars who appear without warning.
• Fire exits and hydrants that must stay clear.

Practical fixes the crew can apply: walk the route plant will take and check the headroom before the truck arrives; do a radio check from every controller position and set a hand-signal or phone fallback where radios drop out; station a controller at blind ramps where the plan provides for one; keep plant engines off when not needed underground; and use barriers, not just cones, where pedestrians walk between parked cars and the work area.

For a broader look, see our guide to car park traffic management.

Residents who need special arrangements

Before the job, ask the strata or building manager about:

• Residents who use wheelchairs, walkers or mobility scooters.
• Residents with regular medical transport or home-care visits.
• Families with prams and young children.
• Residents who work shifts and leave at unusual hours.
• Regular deliveries, removalists and trades.

Plan their access and tell them personally where possible. Our guide to pedestrian management at work sites covers safe pedestrian routes.

Emergency access checklist

• ☐ Can an ambulance reach the building entry at all times, or can the work area be cleared quickly?
• ☐ Do controllers know who to call and what to move if an emergency vehicle arrives?
• ☐ Are fire exits, hydrants and boosters clear?
• ☐ Does the building manager know the plan?
• ☐ Is the site supervisor's number in the resident notice?
• ☐ Have residents with known medical needs been told how access will work?

WHS on private property

Strata driveways are private, but WHS law still applies to the work. Where vehicles, plant and people share space, the risk must be managed using the hierarchy of controls: eliminate (close and divert), separate (barriers), reduce speed, warn (signs) and then PPE. Where the works are construction work on or next to traffic, a SWMS is needed. Check current duties with SafeWork NSW or your state regulator, and Safe Work Australia for national material.

Next steps

If you manage a strata scheme, ask your contractor for the traffic plan, the resident notice and the emergency access arrangement before works are approved. If you are a traffic control company, TrafWise helps you roster crews for staged jobs and keep signed dockets for each stage.