The Department for Transport is pressing ahead with legislative and regulatory plans to digitise English Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) in one of the largest shake-ups to local network management in two generations.
TROs are legal documents that restrict or prohibit the use of the highway network, in line with The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
The DfT has announced that legislation has been included in the Automated Vehicles Bill, which will update the 1984 Act with sweeping changes following an overwhelmingly positive consultation on the move.
Further plans to change secondary legislation and regulations will also be published separately, DfT officials said.
Under the plans, the DfT would build an online publication platform available on GOV.UK and local authorities would supply TRO data to the platform through an advanced programming interface (API) using their software systems.
Key changes:
- Digitise TROs: Traffic authorities in England will be required 'to provide and publish TRO data in the format specified by the DfT’s data model and to the standards that will change from time to time – a clause to do this has been included in the Automated Vehicles Bill'.
- Data requirements: The department will create 'a regulation-making provision that would specify a set of data fields that must be provided to ensure completeness and consistency of the data, and a provision that allows the [secretary of state] to issue statutory guidance'.
- Maximum response times: Traffic authorities in England will also have to provide 'a maximum response time for different types of TROs so that those paying for them can receive a guaranteed service level'. This information will be published on the local authority's website.
- Removal of requirement for secretary of state consent: The Government will also give more powers to traffic authorities by removing the need for the transport secretary's consent when it comes to special event orders in England, which would close roads for more than three days or the same road more than once a year.
- Closed for filming: Filming is being added to the list of relevant events for which special event orders can be used to close roads in England. Roads can be closed for up to seven days for filming under the plans.
The DfT said: 'These amendments will deliver much-needed reforms to the process of making TROs. In particular, the main proposal for digitalising TROs will deliver benefits that are wide-ranging and significant.'
Digitising the process will support more cycle and bus lanes, better facilities for pedestrians, new forms of mobility and the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) changepoints and broadband, government officials said.
Administration savings are also expected from the changes as well as new forms of open collaboration with the public and third parties across different elements of the road network.
DfT officials said they hope that through open digital TROs, 'the following information could be made available to technology and sat nav companies, and to road users, who could use it to reduce congestion:
- location of the parking bay
- road closure
- restrictions on the use of that road
- rules around the use of bus lanes
- location of the cycle lane
- better data management, record keeping and accuracy of records
The consultation forms part of the Smarter Regulation programme of regulatory reform announcements that began in May 2023 with the publication of Smarter Regulation to grow the economy.
Alex Smith, CEO of Buchanan Computing, who has worked closely with Government towards the roll out of digitised traffic orders, said: 'We are delighted that the Government has fired the starting gun today on funding for the digitisation of traffic regulation orders, which is long overdue.
'It will open up the UK road network to autonomous vehicles and make life easier for drivers by ensuring satnavs have the most up-to-date information on the location of parking spaces, road closures and speed limits.
'This work is already well underway for nearly 100 local authorities using live real time information via our ParkMap platform to digitise the current framework for inputting and updating traffic orders. Many of these feed into our API service, allowing it to be consumed by service providers and general public via their smart devices.'
Simon Morgan of Buchanan Computing also highlighted on social media: 'There is no funding currently announced for authorities to digitise their existing traffic orders (where they haven't already), so even when the system becomes live, it will only be new and changed orders that are put on the central repository.
'There's also more regulation implied for the process for external bodies to apply for temporary orders and hints at different consultation options for all orders.'
