Review of TROs to deliver cleaner, safer journeys and smarter parking for everyone

The Department for Transport has announced the next stage in its review into Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) with plans to open up data on planned changes to the road network, highlighting potential traffic jams up to months in advance  and help with route planning systems for self-driving vehicles, cementing the UK’s position as a world leader in developing self-driving vehicle technology.

Working with organisations including local authorities and the Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) sector, the Department will look at introducing legislation to make it easier to access data around the predicted 50,000 yearly road closures building on the Government’s commitment to make travelling cleaner and greener, safer, easier and more reliable. Tech firms could soon get access to relevant data thanks to a review of legislation around TROs - the orders behind restrictions on the road network which allow for temporary roadworks or permanent changes to the road. Companies will potentially be able to develop and enhance navigational apps powered by artificial intelligence, warning drivers up to months in advance of planned disruption to routes and offering alternatives to help save time and money.

The announcement follows completion of the first phase of the TRO Discovery Project led by the BPA and supported by GeoPlace and Ordnance Survey. The BPA published a TRO Guide which aims to raise standards in the way TROs are created, and support councils in moving towards more efficient and accessible digital systems. Guidance on using a draft Data Model for future development and experimentation has also been published as a first step towards making accurate, real-time data and information about the rules of the road network as set out in TROs.

The new guidance has the potential to improve journey times, reduce congestion and pollution and make our roads safer, through more efficient use of limited road space and sharing of real-time data to improve the operation of the road network. It could also have implications for other longstanding challenges such as better management of pavement parking, which under current regulatory requirements can be a long and expensive process.  

Read more about the TRO Discovery Project and its outputs.