Highways Agency Traffic Officers
Encyclopedia
The Highways Agency Traffic Officer Service (TOS) is an operational unit within the Highways Agency
in England. In April 2004, Highways Agency Traffic Officers (HATOs) began working alongside police on motorways in the West Midlands
. The roll out of traffic officers was completed on 18 July 2006 and they now cover all of the motorway network within England, i.e. that which is owned or managed by the Highways Agency, and some of the All-Purpose Trunk Road (APTR) network. They work alongside the police in England to reduce congestion caused by incidents. Overall it was estimated to cost the UK economy £
3 billion a year with the closure of one lane estimated at up to £400,000 an hour. The introduction of the officers was aimed to reduce the 25% of delays caused by collisions by around 5%. A similar service exists in Wales, staffed by Welsh Government Traffic Officers.
radio.
Traffic Officers patrol the motorway network using high-visibility 4x4 patrol vehicles. Such vehicles are used mainly for their ability to tow, or clear broken-down or disabled vehicles to a place of safety off the carriageway
if needed. 4x4 vehicles can remain mobile in flood or snow conditions, as well as being able to carry the large amount of safety and recovery equipment (including a basic first aid kit) that the patrols use. Such vehicles also have the advantage of visibility – their size makes them more visible to other motorists when stationary on the hard shoulder. All of the vehicles are liveried with yellow and black Battenburg markings
; equipped with a Sepura
vehicle mounted TETRA
digital radio
; hands-free mobile telephone; have the benefit of red and amber LED lightbars
and additional LED lights.
When travelling on the hard shoulder, vehicles will use front- and rear-facing amber lighting, and are restricted to 20 mph (HATO procedures). When stationary on hard shoulder, vehicles will illuminate rear-facing amber LEDs. However, when the vehicle is working in the carriageway all the rear-facing lights (amber and red) are displayed to act as a warning to approaching traffic. Traffic Officers, unlike Police, must comply with all speed limits (including temporary mandatory limits in roadworks) currently in force.
These procedures differ from Police
procedures, where by the police will employ rear-facing `reds' only when stationary on the hard shoulder, to identify a stationary vehicle. Whilst stationary on the hard shoulder and if a Traffic Officer feels it is necessary - due to the weather or location - they may activate the red rear lights, in addition to the amber lights. This will be noted in the Traffic Officer's pocket notebook as a dynamic risk assessment and also relayed to the RCC for entry on to the log.
Each vehicles carries 650 kg (1,433 lb) of equipment which includes traffic cones, basic first-aid kits, warning lights, water containers, road-clearance equipment and towing/recovery gear – all contained in a heavy steel bolted-in rack system. They also have variable message signs (VMS) at the rear.
The traffic officers use different models of 4x4 vehicles, all diesel powered with automatic transmissions. Vehicles current used for patrolling are: Land Rover Discovery
3, Toyota Land Cruiser
and Mitsubishi Shogun BK.
When first introduced into service, the Mitsubishi Shogun was operating above the vehicle maximum plated axle weight. This continued for some time and faced with the option of withdrawing from service, the HA eventually addressed this situation, with the assistance of Mitsubishi, by uprating the rear springs and therefore allowing the vehicles to be operated with the manufacturer's specification again.
Previous vehicles used included Mitsubishi Grandis (for Team Managers) Mitsubishi Shogun (CK Model), Nissan Pathfinder
and Range Rover
. The Pathfinder was discontinued in service once the vehicles had reached the end of their lease for operational reason as the vehicle was considered unsuitable. This was due to the vehicle stance, squat low at the rear, when carrying the HA equipment. This upset the vehicle handling and obstructed the rear vision.
Previously HATO vehicles were leased on and 18 month / 150,000 mile contract through Lloyds leasing (which became Lex Leasing in 2009). A new contract was awarded on 8th Feb 2010 to VT (now Babcock) Group for the provision and maintenance of the 207 strong fleet.
The lighting equipment is supplied and maintained by Woodway Engineering Ltd, in Coventry, using Whelen LED light bars and auxiliary LED lights. Fitting is done by various conversion companies around the UK.
hand-held and vehicle TETRA
Radios, utilising the Airwave
network, enabling officers to co-ordinate with other Airwave
users (e.g. local Road Traffic Policing officers) Each HATO patrol vehicle is also fitted with a handsfree mobile phone.
HATOs attend incidents ranging from breakdowns and road debris
to minor Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) releasing the police motorway patrols to concentrate on criminality activities on the motorway network and serious Road Traffic Collisions (RTC's).
At serious RTCs, the police take control of the incident and will generally be assisted by HATOs, making use of the Regional Control Centre (RCC) for setting of electronic traffic signs. A "silver" command will be established at the RCC to manage the incident from the Highways Agency's perspective, controlled by a duty operations manager.
Other incidents Traffic Officers attend include; Debris in the carriageway, spillages, animals, fires (to support the fire service), pedestrians, vulnerable persons, broken down vehicles (and those broken down in the carriageway) and network defects.
For the purposes of:
a traffic officer may:
Assaulting, resisting or willfully obstructing an officer are offences. It is also an offence to impersonate an officer, or for an officer to claim they enjoy more powers than they do. HA traffic officers do not have any powers of detention; to search, issue fixed penalties or report for summons for any motoring offence. HATO traffic officers are not exempt from any traffic laws and MUST at all times comply with the posted speed limits and red traffic lights.
Drivers are obliged by the Traffic Management Act
2004 to comply with the directions given by officers. This is briefly explained in the Highway Code
:
In October 2008, FMG Support were appointed as the Highways Agency's National Vehicle Recovery Manager (NVRM). The NVRM will act as the Highways Agency's liaison with the recovery operators, who will be appointed to recovery vehicles as instructed.
The powers to allow Traffic Officers to remove vehicles are detailed in "The Removal and Disposal of Vehicles (Traffic Officers)
(England) Regulations 2008"
In circumstances where motorists cannot make suitable private arrangements, Traffic Officers will be able to offer motorists a "facilitated recovery". The NVRM is appointed to arrange recovery of the motorists vehicle. Motorists have two hours to make suitable arrangements. Under Section 99 of the Road Traffic Act 1984, if this time lapses a "statutory removal" can be invoked. Vehicles that are in a dangerous location or causing an obstruction - can also be statutorily removed under Section 99, regardless of how long the vehicle has been in situ. The NVRM will undertake the arrangement of any recovery. There are strict controls about the use of statutory removals.
, allocate Traffic Officers to incidents, monitors the CCTV system, control the electronic variable-message signs on the roads and supply information to the NTCC. Some RCCs are jointly staffed by the police.
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
in England. In April 2004, Highways Agency Traffic Officers (HATOs) began working alongside police on motorways in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
. The roll out of traffic officers was completed on 18 July 2006 and they now cover all of the motorway network within England, i.e. that which is owned or managed by the Highways Agency, and some of the All-Purpose Trunk Road (APTR) network. They work alongside the police in England to reduce congestion caused by incidents. Overall it was estimated to cost the UK economy £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
3 billion a year with the closure of one lane estimated at up to £400,000 an hour. The introduction of the officers was aimed to reduce the 25% of delays caused by collisions by around 5%. A similar service exists in Wales, staffed by Welsh Government Traffic Officers.
Patrols
Normally, each patrol has a crew of two. Only team managers, or their deputies, may be single crewed - but this severely limits their capabilities. All crew members wear high-visibility jackets, distinctive by the orange and yellow markings, along with dark blue cargo-style trousers. All staff who work on the network are required to wear steel toe cap boots and have access to other protective equipment such as high visibility waterproof trousers, gloves and safety goggles. During the summer months staff are able to wear an open necked white shirt as opposed to the normal collared shirt and tie. All officers carry a portable AirwaveAirwave (communications network)
The Airwave network is a mobile communications network dedicated for the use by the emergency services in the United Kingdom. Designed to be both secure and resilient it allows multiple agencies integrated communications through a nationwide network. It is a secure digital, encrypted network and...
radio.
Vehicles & Equipment
Carriageway
A carriageway consists of a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move laterally...
if needed. 4x4 vehicles can remain mobile in flood or snow conditions, as well as being able to carry the large amount of safety and recovery equipment (including a basic first aid kit) that the patrols use. Such vehicles also have the advantage of visibility – their size makes them more visible to other motorists when stationary on the hard shoulder. All of the vehicles are liveried with yellow and black Battenburg markings
Battenburg markings
Battenburg refers to a pattern of high-visibility markings used to maximise conspicuity, primarily used on vehicles of the emergency services, but also in other applications such as uniforms...
; equipped with a Sepura
Sepura
Sepura plc is the only major network-independent TETRA terminal supplier. It designs, develops and supplies digital radios for the public safety market as well as Military, Transport and Utilities...
vehicle mounted TETRA
Terrestrial Trunked Radio
Terrestrial Trunked Radio is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification...
digital radio
Digital radio
Digital radio has several meanings:1. Today the most common meaning is digital radio broadcasting technologies, such as the digital audio broadcasting system, also known as Eureka 147. In these systems, the analog audio signal is digitized into zeros and ones, compressed using formats such as...
; hands-free mobile telephone; have the benefit of red and amber LED lightbars
LED lamp
An LED lamp is a solid-state lamp that uses light-emitting diodes as the source of light. The LEDs involved may be conventional semiconductor light-emitting diodes, organic LEDs , or polymer light-emitting diodes devices, although PLED technologies are not currently commercially available.Since...
and additional LED lights.
When travelling on the hard shoulder, vehicles will use front- and rear-facing amber lighting, and are restricted to 20 mph (HATO procedures). When stationary on hard shoulder, vehicles will illuminate rear-facing amber LEDs. However, when the vehicle is working in the carriageway all the rear-facing lights (amber and red) are displayed to act as a warning to approaching traffic. Traffic Officers, unlike Police, must comply with all speed limits (including temporary mandatory limits in roadworks) currently in force.
These procedures differ from Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
procedures, where by the police will employ rear-facing `reds' only when stationary on the hard shoulder, to identify a stationary vehicle. Whilst stationary on the hard shoulder and if a Traffic Officer feels it is necessary - due to the weather or location - they may activate the red rear lights, in addition to the amber lights. This will be noted in the Traffic Officer's pocket notebook as a dynamic risk assessment and also relayed to the RCC for entry on to the log.
Each vehicles carries 650 kg (1,433 lb) of equipment which includes traffic cones, basic first-aid kits, warning lights, water containers, road-clearance equipment and towing/recovery gear – all contained in a heavy steel bolted-in rack system. They also have variable message signs (VMS) at the rear.
The traffic officers use different models of 4x4 vehicles, all diesel powered with automatic transmissions. Vehicles current used for patrolling are: Land Rover Discovery
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese...
3, Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Land Cruiser
The is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation. It is not related to the Studebaker Land Cruiser car produced in the US from 1934-1954....
and Mitsubishi Shogun BK.
When first introduced into service, the Mitsubishi Shogun was operating above the vehicle maximum plated axle weight. This continued for some time and faced with the option of withdrawing from service, the HA eventually addressed this situation, with the assistance of Mitsubishi, by uprating the rear springs and therefore allowing the vehicles to be operated with the manufacturer's specification again.
Previous vehicles used included Mitsubishi Grandis (for Team Managers) Mitsubishi Shogun (CK Model), Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan Pathfinder
The Nissan Pathfinder is a SUV manufactured by Nissan Motors since 1986, derived from Nissan's compact pickup truck platform. The Pathfinder is slotted in size between the Murano and Armada or Patrol, but in price between the Xterra and Murano...
and Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
. The Pathfinder was discontinued in service once the vehicles had reached the end of their lease for operational reason as the vehicle was considered unsuitable. This was due to the vehicle stance, squat low at the rear, when carrying the HA equipment. This upset the vehicle handling and obstructed the rear vision.
Previously HATO vehicles were leased on and 18 month / 150,000 mile contract through Lloyds leasing (which became Lex Leasing in 2009). A new contract was awarded on 8th Feb 2010 to VT (now Babcock) Group for the provision and maintenance of the 207 strong fleet.
The lighting equipment is supplied and maintained by Woodway Engineering Ltd, in Coventry, using Whelen LED light bars and auxiliary LED lights. Fitting is done by various conversion companies around the UK.
Communications
Traffic Officers maintain contact with each other and the Regional Control Centre (RCC) by using SepuraSepura
Sepura plc is the only major network-independent TETRA terminal supplier. It designs, develops and supplies digital radios for the public safety market as well as Military, Transport and Utilities...
hand-held and vehicle TETRA
Terrestrial Trunked Radio
Terrestrial Trunked Radio is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification...
Radios, utilising the Airwave
Airwave (communications network)
The Airwave network is a mobile communications network dedicated for the use by the emergency services in the United Kingdom. Designed to be both secure and resilient it allows multiple agencies integrated communications through a nationwide network. It is a secure digital, encrypted network and...
network, enabling officers to co-ordinate with other Airwave
Airwave (communications network)
The Airwave network is a mobile communications network dedicated for the use by the emergency services in the United Kingdom. Designed to be both secure and resilient it allows multiple agencies integrated communications through a nationwide network. It is a secure digital, encrypted network and...
users (e.g. local Road Traffic Policing officers) Each HATO patrol vehicle is also fitted with a handsfree mobile phone.
Incident Support Units
Although liveried similar to the patrol vehicles, Incident Support Units (ISU) are part of the Managing Agent contracts. They work closely with the Traffic Officers in dealing with incidents on the network. For example, they can carry more equipment (in quantity terms), a wider range of kit and deal with certain infrastructure elements that Traffic Officers are not able to work on.Incidents
Between 1 December 2007 and 30 November 2008, HATOs patrolled 2025 miles (3,258.9 km) of (Highways Agency owned) motorways and selected trunk roads across England, every hour of every day and attended over 281,000 incidents, an average of one incident every two minutes.HATOs attend incidents ranging from breakdowns and road debris
Road debris
Road debris, a form of road hazard, is debris on or off a road. Road debris includes substances, materials, and objects that are foreign to the normal roadway environment...
to minor Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) releasing the police motorway patrols to concentrate on criminality activities on the motorway network and serious Road Traffic Collisions (RTC's).
At serious RTCs, the police take control of the incident and will generally be assisted by HATOs, making use of the Regional Control Centre (RCC) for setting of electronic traffic signs. A "silver" command will be established at the RCC to manage the incident from the Highways Agency's perspective, controlled by a duty operations manager.
Other incidents Traffic Officers attend include; Debris in the carriageway, spillages, animals, fires (to support the fire service), pedestrians, vulnerable persons, broken down vehicles (and those broken down in the carriageway) and network defects.
Powers
In addition to a number of exemptions from the Road Traffic Act and Motorway Regulations (such as stopping on the hard shoulder, driving/reversing on the hard shoulder), Traffic Officers derive powers from the Traffic Management Act 2004 and The Removal and Disposal of Vehicles (Traffic Officers) (England) Regulations 2008.Traffic Management Act 2004
Officers must follow the directions of a police constable, and to exercise their powers, must be on duty and in uniform.For the purposes of:
- maintaining or improving the movement of traffic on a relevant road over which the traffic officer has jurisdiction
- preventing or reducing the effect of anything causing (or which has the potential to cause) congestion or other disruption to the movement of traffic on such a road,
- avoiding danger to persons or other traffic using such a road (or preventing risks of any such danger arising),
- preventing damage to, or to anything on or near, such a road,
a traffic officer may:
- direct a person driving or propelling a vehicle to stop the vehicle, or to make it proceed in, or keep to, a particular line of traffic,
- for the purposes of a traffic survey of any description which is being carried out on or in the vicinity of a road, to direct a person driving or propelling a vehicle to stop the vehicle, or to make it proceed in, or keep to, a particular line of traffic, or to proceed to a particular point on or near the road on which the vehicle is being driven or propelled (subject to the restriction in section 35(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52)),
- to direct persons on foot (or such persons and other traffic) to stop,
- to direct a person driving a mechanically propelled vehicle, or riding a cycle, on a road to stop the vehicle or cycle,
- to place temporary traffic signs and cones on a road.
Assaulting, resisting or willfully obstructing an officer are offences. It is also an offence to impersonate an officer, or for an officer to claim they enjoy more powers than they do. HA traffic officers do not have any powers of detention; to search, issue fixed penalties or report for summons for any motoring offence. HATO traffic officers are not exempt from any traffic laws and MUST at all times comply with the posted speed limits and red traffic lights.
Drivers are obliged by the Traffic Management Act
Traffic Management Act
The Traffic Management Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It details the street works regulations. The Act has been implemented from 1 April 2008 across the United Kingdom....
2004 to comply with the directions given by officers. This is briefly explained in the Highway Code
Highway Code
The Highway Code is the official road user guide for Great Britain. In Northern Ireland the applies while the Republic of Ireland has its own Rules of the Road. It contains 306 numbered rules and 9 annexes covering pedestrians, animals, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers...
:
Removal and disposal of vehicles
Starting in 2009, Traffic Officers now have the powers to directly arrange recovery of abandoned, broken down or damaged vehicles. Previously this facility was arranged through the respective local Police forces but, in accordance with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) transfer of responsibilities, the Highways Agency gained the relevant powers in 2008. The use of recovery powers will be in accordance with strict guidance and instructions.In October 2008, FMG Support were appointed as the Highways Agency's National Vehicle Recovery Manager (NVRM). The NVRM will act as the Highways Agency's liaison with the recovery operators, who will be appointed to recovery vehicles as instructed.
The powers to allow Traffic Officers to remove vehicles are detailed in "The Removal and Disposal of Vehicles (Traffic Officers)
(England) Regulations 2008"
In circumstances where motorists cannot make suitable private arrangements, Traffic Officers will be able to offer motorists a "facilitated recovery". The NVRM is appointed to arrange recovery of the motorists vehicle. Motorists have two hours to make suitable arrangements. Under Section 99 of the Road Traffic Act 1984, if this time lapses a "statutory removal" can be invoked. Vehicles that are in a dangerous location or causing an obstruction - can also be statutorily removed under Section 99, regardless of how long the vehicle has been in situ. The NVRM will undertake the arrangement of any recovery. There are strict controls about the use of statutory removals.
Regional Control Centres (RCC)
There are seven Regional Control Centres located across England. These RCC's form the central management and business support units for the specific Region concerned, as well as the daily operations control rooms.Management
Each Region is headed up by a Regional Operations Manager (ROM) and a number of Operations Managers (OM). Each OM has an area of responsibility which may be certain areas of the network and outstations, through to planning and control rooms.Control Room
The control centres answer the orange emergency roadside telephones on the motorway and trunk road network, liaise with breakdown organisationsBreakdown cover
Breakdown cover is a service that provides assistance to motorists whose vehicles have suffered a mechanical failure that is significant enough to leave them stranded at their present location....
, allocate Traffic Officers to incidents, monitors the CCTV system, control the electronic variable-message signs on the roads and supply information to the NTCC. Some RCCs are jointly staffed by the police.
Locations
| Region | Regional Control Centre | Outstations |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | Quinton Quinton, Birmingham Quinton is a suburb on the western edge of Birmingham, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward within the Edgbaston formal district, and forms a part of the Birmingham Edgbaston parliamentary constituency.The area is served by .-Geography:... |
Hilton Park Hilton Park services Hilton Park services is a motorway service station, between junctions 10a and 11 of the M6 motorway in Staffordshire, England. The nearest city is Wolverhampton.-History:... Longbridge (M40, Jct 15) Ansty Strensham Strensham services Strensham services is a motorway service station on the M5 in Worcestershire, England. In August 2011, it was rated as 4 stars and 3 stars by quality assessors at Visit England.... (M5 Jct 7-8) |
| South West | Avonmouth Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :... |
Almondsbury Almondsbury Almondsbury is a large village near junction 16 of the M5 motorway, in South Gloucestershire, England.-Description:The village is split by a steep hill, part of the escarpment overlooking the Severn floodplain. At the bottom of the hill is Lower Almondsbury where a pub and hotel, The Bowl Inn, is... (M5 Jct 16) Chelston (M5 Jct 26) Stanton St Quinton (M4 Jct 17) Pridhamsleigh (A38, Buckfastleigh) |
| South East | Godstone Godstone Godstone is a village in the county of Surrey, England. It is located approximately six miles east of Reigate at the junction of the A22 and A25 major roads, and near the M25 motorway.-History:... |
Easton Lane (M3 Jct 9) Weatherhill (M23 Jct 8-9) Coldharbour Dartford (and East Region) Heston Heston services Heston services is a motorway service station on the M4 motorway in the London Borough of Hounslow, built on land that once formed part of the now defunct Heston Aerodrome. It is owned by MotoIt was featured briefly in the 2007 film Hot Fuzz.-Facilities:... (and East Region) |
| East | South Mimms South Mimms South Mimms, sometimes spelt South Mymms, is a village and civil parish forming part of the Hertsmere district of Hertfordshire County Council in the East of England although geographically and historically is in the County of Middlesex.-History:... |
Whittlesford Toddington Milton Common Chieveley Chieveley services Chieveley services is a UK motorway service station on the M4 motorway at Chieveley near Newbury in Berkshire, England. It is owned by Moto.-History:... Dartford Heston South Mimms |
| East Midlands | Nottingham Business Park, Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group... |
Felley Shepshed Watford Gap |
| North West | Rob Lane, Newton-le-Willows Newton-le-Willows Newton-le-Willows is a small market town within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is situated about midway between the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, to the east of St Helens, to the north of Warrington and to the south of... |
Rob Lane (M6 J22 to J23) Lowhurst Millness Samlesbury Milnrow Knutsford Knutsford services Knutsford services is a motorway service station on the M6 in Cheshire-History:Opened in 1963, Knutsford was one of the country's first motorway service stations. As with many services of the time, there are two sites located on either side of the carriageway, linked by a bridge which features a... |
| North East | Calder Park, Wakefield Wakefield Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001.... |
Calder Park Carville Barton Hartshead Moor Hartshead Moor Hartshead Moor is a hamlet in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near Brighouse, it is a mile and a half away from another village called Hartshead. It is close to the Hartshead Moor Service Station on the M62 motorway. In 1974 the service station was near the scene of a Provisional Irish... Sprotbrough |
Ranks and Grades
In addition to the new dark blue colour of the epaulettes, the HA will also be reissuing staff with the same colour tie.External links
- Highways Agency official website
- Traffic Radio
- Traffic England - live traffic information from the HA including delays, roadworks, roadside message signs
- Highways Agency YouTube channel