diff --git a/web/service/traffic_writer.go b/web/service/traffic_writer.go
index 49716bda..b3fa97b6 100644
--- a/web/service/traffic_writer.go
+++ b/web/service/traffic_writer.go
@@ -25,71 +25,35 @@ var (
 	twCtx    context.Context
 	twCancel context.CancelFunc
 	twDone   chan struct{}
-	twMu     sync.Mutex
+	twOnce   sync.Once
 )
 
 func StartTrafficWriter() {
-	twMu.Lock()
-	defer twMu.Unlock()
-
-	if twCancel != nil && twDone != nil {
-		select {
-		case <-twDone:
-			clearTrafficWriterState()
-		default:
-			return
-		}
-	}
-
-	queue := make(chan *trafficWriteRequest, trafficWriterQueueSize)
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
-	done := make(chan struct{})
-
-	twQueue = queue
-	twCtx = ctx
-	twCancel = cancel
-	twDone = done
-
-	go runTrafficWriter(ctx, queue, done)
+	twOnce.Do(func() {
+		twQueue = make(chan *trafficWriteRequest, trafficWriterQueueSize)
+		twCtx, twCancel = context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+		twDone = make(chan struct{})
+		go runTrafficWriter()
+	})
 }
 
 func StopTrafficWriter() {
-	twMu.Lock()
-	cancel := twCancel
-	done := twDone
-	if cancel == nil || done == nil {
-		twMu.Unlock()
-		return
+	if twCancel != nil {
+		twCancel()
+		<-twDone
 	}
-	cancel()
-	twMu.Unlock()
-
-	<-done
-
-	twMu.Lock()
-	if twDone == done {
-		clearTrafficWriterState()
-	}
-	twMu.Unlock()
 }
 
-func clearTrafficWriterState() {
-	twQueue = nil
-	twCtx = nil
-	twCancel = nil
-	twDone = nil
-}
-
-func runTrafficWriter(ctx context.Context, queue chan *trafficWriteRequest, done chan struct{}) {
-	defer close(done)
+func runTrafficWriter() {
+	defer close(twDone)
 	for {
 		select {
-		case req := <-queue:
+		case req := <-twQueue:
 			req.done <- safeApply(req.apply)
-		case <-ctx.Done():
+		case <-twCtx.Done():
 			for {
 				select {
-				case req := <-queue:
+				case req := <-twQueue:
 					req.done <- safeApply(req.apply)
 				default:
 					return
@@ -110,43 +74,14 @@ func safeApply(fn func() error) (err error) {
 }
 
 func submitTrafficWrite(fn func() error) error {
+	if twQueue == nil {
+		return safeApply(fn)
+	}
 	req := &trafficWriteRequest{apply: fn, done: make(chan error, 1)}
-
-	twMu.Lock()
-	queue := twQueue
-	ctx := twCtx
-	done := twDone
-	if queue == nil || ctx == nil || done == nil {
-		twMu.Unlock()
-		return safeApply(fn)
-	}
-
 	select {
-	case <-ctx.Done():
-		twMu.Unlock()
-		return safeApply(fn)
-	default:
-	}
-
-	timer := time.NewTimer(trafficWriterSubmitTimeout)
-	defer timer.Stop()
-	select {
-	case queue <- req:
-		twMu.Unlock()
-	case <-timer.C:
-		twMu.Unlock()
+	case twQueue <- req:
+	case <-time.After(trafficWriterSubmitTimeout):
 		return errors.New("traffic writer queue full")
 	}
-
-	select {
-	case err := <-req.done:
-		return err
-	case <-done:
-		select {
-		case err := <-req.done:
-			return err
-		default:
-			return errors.New("traffic writer stopped before write completed")
-		}
-	}
+	return <-req.done
 }
diff --git a/web/service/traffic_writer_test.go b/web/service/traffic_writer_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 6ecb5eb9..00000000
--- a/web/service/traffic_writer_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,190 +0,0 @@
-package service
-
-import (
-	"sync/atomic"
-	"testing"
-	"time"
-)
-
-func TestTrafficWriterStartStopStartAcceptsWrites(t *testing.T) {
-	resetTrafficWriterForTest(t)
-
-	StartTrafficWriter()
-	var writes atomic.Int32
-	if err := submitTrafficWrite(func() error {
-		writes.Add(1)
-		return nil
-	}); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("first submitTrafficWrite: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	StopTrafficWriter()
-	StartTrafficWriter()
-	if err := submitTrafficWrite(func() error {
-		writes.Add(1)
-		return nil
-	}); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("second submitTrafficWrite: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	if got := writes.Load(); got != 2 {
-		t.Fatalf("writes = %d, want 2", got)
-	}
-}
-
-func TestTrafficWriterSubmitAfterStopRunsInline(t *testing.T) {
-	resetTrafficWriterForTest(t)
-
-	StartTrafficWriter()
-	StopTrafficWriter()
-
-	ran := make(chan struct{})
-	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
-	go func() {
-		errCh <- submitTrafficWrite(func() error {
-			close(ran)
-			return nil
-		})
-	}()
-
-	select {
-	case <-ran:
-	case <-time.After(time.Second):
-		t.Fatal("submitTrafficWrite did not run after traffic writer stopped")
-	}
-	if err := waitTrafficWriterErr(t, errCh); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("submitTrafficWrite after stop: %v", err)
-	}
-}
-
-func TestTrafficWriterStopDrainsQueuedWrite(t *testing.T) {
-	resetTrafficWriterForTest(t)
-
-	StartTrafficWriter()
-	firstStarted := make(chan struct{})
-	releaseFirst := make(chan struct{})
-	firstErr := make(chan error, 1)
-	go func() {
-		firstErr <- submitTrafficWrite(func() error {
-			close(firstStarted)
-			<-releaseFirst
-			return nil
-		})
-	}()
-	waitTrafficWriterSignal(t, firstStarted, "first write did not start")
-
-	secondRan := make(chan struct{})
-	secondErr := make(chan error, 1)
-	go func() {
-		secondErr <- submitTrafficWrite(func() error {
-			close(secondRan)
-			return nil
-		})
-	}()
-	waitTrafficWriterQueued(t)
-
-	stopDone := make(chan struct{})
-	go func() {
-		StopTrafficWriter()
-		close(stopDone)
-	}()
-
-	select {
-	case <-stopDone:
-		t.Fatal("StopTrafficWriter returned before in-flight write was released")
-	case <-time.After(50 * time.Millisecond):
-	}
-
-	close(releaseFirst)
-	waitTrafficWriterSignal(t, stopDone, "StopTrafficWriter did not return")
-	waitTrafficWriterSignal(t, secondRan, "queued write was not drained")
-
-	if err := waitTrafficWriterErr(t, firstErr); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("first submitTrafficWrite: %v", err)
-	}
-	if err := waitTrafficWriterErr(t, secondErr); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("second submitTrafficWrite: %v", err)
-	}
-}
-
-func TestTrafficWriterConcurrentStopDuringSubmitDoesNotHang(t *testing.T) {
-	resetTrafficWriterForTest(t)
-
-	StartTrafficWriter()
-	started := make(chan struct{})
-	release := make(chan struct{})
-	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
-	go func() {
-		errCh <- submitTrafficWrite(func() error {
-			close(started)
-			<-release
-			return nil
-		})
-	}()
-	waitTrafficWriterSignal(t, started, "write did not start")
-
-	stopDone := make(chan struct{})
-	go func() {
-		StopTrafficWriter()
-		close(stopDone)
-	}()
-
-	close(release)
-	waitTrafficWriterSignal(t, stopDone, "StopTrafficWriter hung during submit")
-	if err := waitTrafficWriterErr(t, errCh); err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("submitTrafficWrite during stop: %v", err)
-	}
-}
-
-func resetTrafficWriterForTest(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Helper()
-	StopTrafficWriter()
-	twMu.Lock()
-	clearTrafficWriterState()
-	twMu.Unlock()
-	t.Cleanup(func() {
-		StopTrafficWriter()
-		twMu.Lock()
-		clearTrafficWriterState()
-		twMu.Unlock()
-	})
-}
-
-func waitTrafficWriterQueued(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Helper()
-
-	deadline := time.Now().Add(time.Second)
-	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
-		twMu.Lock()
-		queued := 0
-		if twQueue != nil {
-			queued = len(twQueue)
-		}
-		twMu.Unlock()
-		if queued > 0 {
-			return
-		}
-		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
-	}
-	t.Fatal("write was not queued")
-}
-
-func waitTrafficWriterSignal(t *testing.T, ch <-chan struct{}, msg string) {
-	t.Helper()
-	select {
-	case <-ch:
-	case <-time.After(time.Second):
-		t.Fatal(msg)
-	}
-}
-
-func waitTrafficWriterErr(t *testing.T, ch <-chan error) error {
-	t.Helper()
-	select {
-	case err := <-ch:
-		return err
-	case <-time.After(time.Second):
-		t.Fatal("timed out waiting for traffic writer result")
-		return nil
-	}
-}