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Date: 03/11/2025

Traffic Technicians

Conduct field studies to determine traffic volume, speed, effectiveness of signals, adequacy of lighting, and other factors influencing traffic conditions, under direction of traffic engineer.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Provide traffic information, such as road conditions, to the public.
    • Review traffic control or barricade plans to issue permits for parades or other special events or for construction work that affects rights of way, providing assistance with plan preparation or revision, as necessary.
    • Maintain or make minor adjustments or field repairs to equipment used in surveys, including the replacement of parts on traffic data gathering devices.
    • Compute time settings for traffic signals or speed restrictions, using standard formulas.
    • Operate counters and record data to assess the volume, type, and movement of vehicular or pedestrian traffic at specified times.
    • Visit development or work sites to determine projects' effect on traffic and the adequacy of traffic control and safety plans or to suggest traffic control measures.
    • Interact with the public to answer traffic-related questions, respond to complaints or requests, or discuss traffic control ordinances, plans, policies, or procedures.
    • Time stoplights or other delays, using stopwatches.
    • Study traffic delays by noting times of delays, the numbers of vehicles affected, and vehicle speed through the delay area.
    • Establish procedures for street closures or for repair or construction projects.
    • Provide technical supervision regarding traffic control devices to other traffic technicians or laborers.
    • Measure and record the speed of vehicular traffic, using electrical timing devices or radar equipment.
    • Study factors affecting traffic conditions, such as lighting or sign and marking visibility, to assess their effectiveness.
    • Develop plans or long-range strategies for providing adequate parking space.
    • Gather and compile data from hand count sheets, machine count tapes, or radar speed checks and code data for computer input.
    • Lay out pavement markings for striping crews.
    • Plan, design, and improve components of traffic control systems to accommodate current or projected traffic and to increase usability and efficiency.
    • Operate counters and record data to assess the volume, type, and movement of vehicular or pedestrian traffic at specified times.
    • Maintain or make minor adjustments or field repairs to equipment used in surveys, including the replacement of parts on traffic data gathering devices.
    • Prepare drawings of proposed signal installations or other control devices, using drafting instruments or computer-automated drafting equipment.
    • Prepare graphs, charts, diagrams, or other aids to illustrate observations or conclusions.
    • Measure and record the speed of vehicular traffic, using electrical timing devices or radar equipment.
    • Monitor street or utility projects for compliance to traffic control permit conditions.
    • Place and secure automatic counters, using power tools, and retrieve counters after counting periods end.
    • Analyze data related to traffic flow, accident rates, or proposed development to determine the most efficient methods to expedite traffic flow.
    • Prepare work orders for repair, maintenance, or changes in traffic systems.

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    5
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    Knowledge

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 63360/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 30.46/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 100
    • Yearly Projected Openings 10

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Integrity
    • Cooperation
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Analytical Thinking

    Tools

    • Clock timers
    • Desktop computers
    • Digital cameras
    • Drafting kits or sets
    • Electronic counters
    • Floor or platform scales
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Plotter printers
    • Portable data input terminals
    • Power saws
    • Speed sensors
    • Still cameras
    • Theodolites
    • Traffic signals
    • Two way radios
    • Variable message sign

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Business intelligence and data analysis software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Geographic information system
    • Industrial control software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software
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