On the 5th February 2018, thousands of people lined the streets of the Shoalhaven to celebrate the arrival of the Queen’s Baton Relay, on route to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. D&D Traffic Management co-ordinated road closures and pedestrian management to accommodate the event in a manner fit for a queen.
To ensure public safety and the protection of baton bearers, D&D Traffic Management undertook months of pre-planning and worked in conjunction with Kiama Council and Shoalhaven City Council, New South Wales Police and the Roads and Maritime Service (RMS). To safeguard pedestrians and minimise traffic delays over 20 soft and hard road closures were effectively managed by D&D Traffic Controllers to allow the safe passage of the Queen’s Baton convoy.
D&D Traffic Management’s main duties involved the effective separation of spectators and procession vehicles, pedestrian safety, traffic control and to minimise the impact on non-event community and emergency services. The resources deployed to achieve this included thirty-five Traffic Controllers, eight Team Leaders, two Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMA’s) and three PORTABOOM® units.
Robert Cazzolli, Managing Director or D&D Traffic Management said “We were honoured to form a pivotal role in the safety and effective management of this historic event. With 20 years’ experience in delivering event traffic and pedestrian management to the region we were proud to protect the community whilst they enjoyed the excitement of the event.”
The Queen’s Baton Relay successfully travelled from the Kiama Showgrounds and through the streets of Nowra’s CDB, and safely left the region without incident, thanks to the rigorous planning and implementation of pedestrian and traffic control by D&D Traffic Management. Its final destination is the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony where the Queen’s Message encapsulated in the baton will be opened.