Roads &amp; Traffic AuthorityRoads &amp; Traffic Authority Roads & Traffic Authority The Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) was an agency of the New South Wales Government responsible for major road infrastructure, licensing of drivers, and registration of motor vehicles. The RTA directly managed state roads and provided funding to local councils for regional and local roads. In addition, with assistance from the federal government, the RTA also managed the NSW national highway system. The agency was abolished in 2011 and replaced by New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services. History. The Department of Main Roads (DMR) was created in November 1932, and undertook works across New South Wales, including  maintenance of all major roads into Sydney and programs of road reconstruction, construction, upgrading and rerouting. The DMR was also responsible for many ferries and bridges in New South Wales. In January 1989, the Department of Main Roads, Department of Motor Transport, and the Traffic Authority were amalgamated to form the Roads and Traffic Authority under the . On 1 November 2011, the Roads & Traffic Authority in turn was merged with NSW Maritime to become Roads and Maritime Services. Planning and co-ordination functions were transferred to Transport for NSW. On 1 December 2019, the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) was  dissolved by act of parliament and merged with Transport for New South Wales Regions of the RTA. The Roads and Traffic Authority was divided into six regions: Functions. The Roads &Traffic Authority had managed 4,787 bridges and of state roads and highways, including of national highways, and employed 6,900 staff in more than 180 offices throughout NSW, including 129 Motor Registries Offices. Vehicle registration. The Roads & Traffic Authority was responsible for the registration of vehicles (including the issuing of registration plates) and the issuing of drivers licences in New South Wales, including testing and administering of licences. Additionally, the RTA  produced photo cards for identification of non-drivers and issued photographic firearms licences for the New South Wales Police Firearms Registry, security licences for the New South Wales Police, Commercial Agents & Private Inquiry Agents cards and mobility parking permits. Key building projects. Key road-building projects that the Roads & Traffic Authority undertook either directly, through contractors or via public/private partnerships, include: Major incident response. Within NSW, the Transport Management Centre is responsible for managing special events and unplanned incidents and disseminating information to motorists. It is the central point for identifying and directing the response to incidents such as  crashes, breakdowns and spills. It passes on information to the public through the media, the RTA call centre and variable message signs along routes. In 1999 the NSW Transport Management Centre (TMC) established Traffic Commander and Traffic Emergency Patrol (TEP) services throughout the Greater Urban Area of Sydney to provide 24-hour 365-day-a-year coverage to "Manage the traffic arrangements around an incident scene and return the road to normal operating conditions with the utmost urgency." Traffic commanders take command of traffic management arrangements at an incident (such as a motor vehicle collision) and liaise with other response  agencies such as the police, and assist in clearing the road and minimising the effects and disruption to traffic. Traffic Emergency Patrols vans patrol major road routes and respond to unplanned incidents with the aim of returning the road to normal operating conditions as soon as possible. Both traffic commanders and TEP units carry a wide array of traffic management devices such as traffic cones, barrier boards and road signage. Both also are permitted to use and display red and blue emergency lighting and are designated as 'emergency vehicles'. Ferry services. The RTA was responsible for the provision of several  car ferries, all of which were toll-free, including: Roads & Traffic Authority The Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) was an agency of the New South Wales Government responsible for major road infrastructure, licensing of drivers, and registration of motor vehicles. The RTA directly managed state roads and provided funding to local councils for regional and local roads. In addition, with assistance from the federal government, the RTA also managed the NSW national highway system. The agency was abolished in 2011 and replaced by New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services. History. The Department of Main Roads (DMR) was created in November