The traffic editor header is where you name Demo traffic plan, set Start and End (each a date plus a time), see Paid, and watch Auto-save. This page is those controls, including the Continue your traffic plan wall on older plans.
Use it when the title is wrong, Melvin stays off, you are unsure whether the last change saved, or a modal blocks the map. Skip it to place signs or search an address.
You need an editable plan: you own it in Personal, or you are the assigned editor in an organization, and review has not locked it.
Left to right in the header
Typical order:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Traffic Chart logo | Leaves the editor and opens Plans for this plan’s workspace |
| Lock icon (when shown) | Plan is locked while under review, or This plan is locked because it has been approved plus Plan approved |
| Plan title + pencil | Pencil is Edit project title |
| Paid | Unlimited signs on this plan |
| Start / End | Works period. Each side is a Select date control plus hh:mm. |
| Auto-save | Account preference; hover the switch for status |
| Save | Manual save, when auto-save is off |
| Export | Share or files — not this page |
| MELVIN (OFF / ON) | Netherlands roadworks. Disabled until dates are filled: Fill in a date to use this option |
Read-only viewers still see the title and dates. They cannot use the pencil or change dates.
Rename the plan
- Click the pencil. Accessible name: Edit project title.
- The field is Project title. The field stops at 50 characters.
- Press Enter or click away to keep it. Escape cancels.
Empty title falls back to the default name for a new plan. Rename here, not on the Plans ⋮ menu. That menu Rename is for folders.
A useful pattern is site + place + year, for example Demo traffic plan for Amsterdam works.
The new name is a change like any other. Wait for Auto-save: saved, or click Save if auto-save is off, before you send a link.
Paid
Paid on the header (and on the Plans row) means unlimited traffic signs on this plan.
It does not unlock every plan you own. It does not turn on Pro tools such as PDF preview. Event plans do not use this badge.
How a plan becomes Paid (participating municipality, credit, or checkout): Billing, free use, and credits. This page does not quote a price.
Duplicate does not copy Paid. Copy into an organization also starts the organization plan unpaid.
Start and End (date and time)
Start and End are each two controls: a date and a time. A date without a time is not complete.
On Create a new plan (and Create Event Plan) the visible labels are Start * and End *. Placeholders: Select date and hh:mm. Aria:
- Select start date / Select start time
- Select end date / Select end time
After you pick values, the date buttons become Change start date / Change end date (with the current date) and the times Change start time / Change end time.
In the compact editor header the column labels hide. You still get the same four controls, with a dash between Start and End.
Missing pieces:
- Select a start date. / Select an end date.
- Enter a start time. / Enter an end time.
- Complete the start date with a time. / Complete the end date with a time.
Range errors: Start must be before end. On event create, End date must be after the start date. Invalid clock: Enter a valid time (hh:mm).
Default times when you pick from the calendar: start 00:00, end 23:59. You can change them.
Dates appear on exports. They also gate the MELVIN control. Until both sides have a date and a time, that control stays off with Fill in a date to use this option. Melvin itself: Map layers and Melvin.
Change the four controls from the header after create. You do not re-run Start planning.
On Plans, a row without dates shows No scheduled dates yet. One-sided rows show Starts or Ends.
Auto-save
The label is Auto-save. The switch is an account preference, not a setting on one plan. Turn it on in a traffic editor and it stays on for your next event plan too.
Hover the switch (title text):
| Title | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Auto-save is disabled | You must click Save |
| Auto-save: saving | A save is in flight |
| Auto-save: unsaved changes | You edited; it has not finished writing |
| Auto-save: saved | Safe to close the tab or send a link |
The thumb shows a spinner while saving, amber while unsaved, green with a check when saved.
Click the switch to toggle. Toasts:
- Auto-save enabled — and if you have unsaved edits, a save starts
- Auto-save disabled
- Could not update auto-save preference — the switch did not stick; try again
Wait for Auto-save: saved before you close the tab, refresh, or mail a Sharable link. Closing mid Auto-save: saving can drop the last signs. Two tabs on the same plan can overwrite each other. Work in one tab.
Save
When Auto-save is on, header Save is not offered. The disabled reason is auto-save is enabled.
When auto-save is off:
- Click Save.
- The button reads Saving... until it finishes.
- Toast Saved traffic plan.
- Failure Could not save traffic plan.
Do not click Save repeatedly. Wait for Saving... to finish.
Locked while you were drawing
If a reviewer locks the plan during your session, save cannot keep your last edits.
The toast concatenates the lock sentence with a reload sentence, for example:
Plan is locked while under review Your latest changes could not be saved. Reloading the latest version...
The map reloads the stored version. Local unsaved work is gone. Header Save stays off with Plan is locked while under review.
Approved plans: This plan is locked because it has been approved / Plan approved. In-app Approved is not a legal permit. It does mean this drawing stays frozen in Traffic Chart.
Read-only (share link, or you are not the assigned editor): tools show Plan is read-only. You cannot save.
Sidebar tools may also say Plan is approved and locked, Plan is under review, or Plan is locked. Same idea: stop drawing. I can’t open or edit a plan. Review lock detail: My plan is locked for review.
Continue your traffic plan (older plans)
Some older plans never stored a country or dates. The editor does not open the map until you finish this modal. You cannot dismiss it with a click outside.
Title: Continue your traffic plan.
| Field | Placeholder |
|---|---|
| Country * | Select a country... |
| Plan name * | My Traffic Plan |
| Duration * | Start and End (date + hh:mm each) |
Country loads the sign catalogue. Pick the country of the works, not your billing country.
Duration uses the same Start / End date and time pair as create. Fill date and hh:mm on both sides. The older combined-date wording is gone.
Buttons: Cancel (opens Plans) and Continue planning.
Yellow panel: Please complete the required fields before continuing.
To proceed, you must select a country (used to display the correct traffic signs) and provide both a start and end date for your traffic plan.
Footer: Customer support, FAQ, How-to, Status.
Validation:
- Start date must be before end date
- All fields are required
New plans from Home already ask for Country, Plan name, Start, and End on Create a new plan. You should not see this modal on a plan you just created with Start planning.
Event plans: save and dates
Event editors use the same Auto-save switch.
Manual Save reads Saving... while it runs. Success toast Event plan saved. Failure Failed to save event plan.
Event Start / End also use separate date and time fields. If end is not after start: End date must be after the start date.
Event plans are not billed in credits and do not show traffic Paid. They can still lock for review: This event plan is locked and cannot be edited.
What good looks like
The header title matches the works. Start and End both have a date and a time, start before end. MELVIN is available if you need it (Netherlands, dates filled). Hover Auto-save reads Auto-save: saved (or you clicked Save and saw Saved traffic plan). You did not close the tab on Auto-save: unsaved changes.
If something blocks you
| Situation | What to try |
|---|---|
| Pencil missing | Read-only or locked — I can’t open or edit a plan |
| Fill in a date to use this option | Complete Start and End, including hh:mm |
| Could not save traffic plan | Network, then Save once more. If locked, read the concatenated reload toast |
| Could not update auto-save preference | Toggle again; if it fails, Save manually |
| Continue your traffic plan will not close | Fill Country, Plan name, Duration, then Continue planning |
| Paid questions | Billing, free use, and credits |
| Need the rest of the chrome | Tour of the traffic plan editor |