Military Police - FM 19-5 War Department Field Manual

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54. DEFINITION, a. Military traffic control is the enforcement of the movement control to insure a continuous flow in conformity with military requirements.

b. Traffic control, as used in this manual, is the enforcement and external control of traffic movement by military police as differentiated from measures such as movement control and internal control. Traffic control on roads and highways is a function of military police. However, at locations where engineer work is of prime importance, the work of the military police in controlling traffic is subject to such modification or restriction by the engineers as the engineer officer in charge may deem necessary.

Military traffic consists primarily of the planned movement of large groups of vehicles on a common mission in addition to the random movement of individual vehicles which is characteristic of civil traffic. As all agencies concerned are subject to centralized control, military traffic is more readily controlled than civil. This makes possible the adoption of measures which are impractical for civil traffic. Among these are scheduled movements, and movements under blackout conditions. On the other hand enemy interference will, at times, disrupt military traffic.

56. PROBLEM OF TRAFFIC CONFLICTS, a. Conflicts are the cause of most traffic problems. The f our types of traffic conflicts are:

(1) Between vehicles on intersecting courses.

(2) Between vehicles proceeding at different speeds in the same direction.

(3) Between vehicles meeting head on.

(4) Between vehicles moving along a road and objects at edge of road.

b. These conflicts, occasional collisions, congestion, and delay are due to deficiencies of roads, vehicles, and drivers. There are two general approaches to the problem: first, provide better roads, vehicles, and drivel's, and second, make better use of the roads, vehicles, and drivers available. The first approach, which is obviously desirable but not always immediately possible, is a problem of' engineering, supply, and training. The second, which is always desirable and usually possible, is a problem of 2danning and control. All conflict elimination is done in terms of time and space separation of traffic. Examples of time separation are the regulation of the phases of traffic flow through an intersection, and the scheduling of column movements along a route. Examples of space separation are underpasses and one-way routes.

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