City road closures should be well-marked

When a city council or community event is scheduled to take place outdoors, road closures often need to be managed carefully.

Two groups of people need to be kept in mind - organisers must protect the safety of the individuals attending the event and also allow those who live in the area to access their homes.

Major events that require road closures should always be well-marked - and it is important to give residents plenty of notice so they can park their cars elsewhere or arrange for alternative transportation, if necessary.

Appropriate detours should also be clearly labelled with traffic signs to cause minimal disruption to local motorists.

In Melbourne, a number of road closures are planned to make space for upcoming events - McKillop Street will be closed from 08:00 to 17:00 on March 18 between Little Collins and Bourke Streets for the 2012 Food Festival, while Rankins Road in Kensington will be closed for most of March 17 and the early hours of March 18 for a St Patrick's Day event.

Local authorities may not find it cost-effective to invest in traffic signs that will only be used for one-off events throughout the year. Instead, it may be cheaper to simply hire the equipment you need on the day and return it once the event has concluded.