How will I find a good traffic engineer?

Answer:

This can be a challenge. People who describe themselves as traffic engineers have a large range of qualifications. A good start is to seek a Chartered Professional Engineer. Chartered Professional Engineers have a Code of Ethics that requires them to practice only in areas in which they are suitably qualified and experienced. If a Chartered Professional Engineer says they are experienced in traffic engineering, then you can be confident they are suitably qualified and experienced to carry out the work and that their opinions will carry adequate weight with people who will be making decisions about your consent (including Council consents staff, commissioners and/or the court).

Some Council’s have a list of “independent Qualified People” from whom they will accept traffic reports. This gives you extra assurance that the person is both adequately qualified and respected by Council staff.

You can also evaluate traffic engineers by asking them to provide a brief statement of the approach they intend to take. Look for an approach from first principles, the use and application of original research to your project and/or a commitment to providing compelling evidence that the traffic effects of the proposal are adequate despite its non-compliance with the rules. Your engineer’s job is usually not to simply make sure you comply with all the rules, although it is important that he/she knows the rules.

A good traffic engineer can easily save you many times the value of their fee. So it is well worth putting some effort into their selection.