'Women are more calming': How lollipop ladies are curbing rage around major road works - as more and more abandon traditional white collar jobs to earn up to $130,000 a year
- Woman are moving from traditional jobs into traffic control jobs in construction
- Some women who made the move say the earn far more money than before
- One female traffic controller from Sydney said she made over $130,000 a year
These lollipop ladies aren't just bringing traffic to a stop - they're also bringing road rage to a halt.
Female traffic controllers are reportedly having a calming effect on frustrated motorists struggling to navigate the maze of road works.
The women are showing a smile or gentle 'sorry for the wait' is all it takes to ensure inpatient drivers don't loose their cool according to construction bosses.
'Perhaps it's calming to be a woman on the road, to smile, to be more patient... we have a lot of males and they do a fantastic job too, but maybe women are more calming and can diffuse a situation,' Rebecca Longo, a Melbourne based female traffic controller told The Age.
More and more woman are abandoning traditional jobs to earn big money working as traffic controllers on construction sites
Some women claim they have a calming effect on frustrated motorists
'For me, the best way to defuse a situation is just say 'I'm really sorry, it won't be long, this is for your safety.'
A manager at a traffic control company, who wished to remain anonymous, told the publication he also noticed motorists were calmer when stopped by female traffic controllers.
'The sexist answer, plain and simple, is road users are more accepting of women in traffic control positions,' he said.
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'You're late for work, this and that, and a female stops you, I think you are a little more than relaxed than if it were a male.'
Women are flocking to traffic controller roles, drawn by high-salaries and flexible working hours.
Ms Longo is a former nanny who went into the construction industry nine years ago after her father, who owns First Traffic Management, suggested the move to her.
She said she went from looking after four kids six days a week to working on a construction site six nights a week and she earns vastly more money.
She is not alone as more and more woman are abandoning traditional jobs to earn big money working on construction sites.
Amy Dowsett, from Sydney, revealed in 2017 she was earning $130,000 for her traffic controller job that required just two days training
Traffic controllers are usually not unionised and the pay is generally around the $35 to $40 an hour mark, with those who are members of the CMFEU earning more.
Amy Dowsett, from Sydney, revealed in 2017 she was earning $130,000 for her traffic controller job that required just two days training.
She said she earned $40 an hour for the role, plus a $45 per day travel allowance.
On top of this she was given a $22 a day meal allowance.
CFMEU national secretary Dave Noonan said that while there was no official figures for the number of woman currently employed as traffic controllers it was clear there number is rising.
He said it was an entry point into a male dominated industry from which woman could move into other roles and do apprenticeships.
The number of women taking on traffic controller jobs is growing
