TROs to go digital as DfT plans phasing out of paper-based system

Plans to digitalise all Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) has now entered the Public Beta phase, the DfT has announced. It said that this will result in a central, standardised digital source for TRO data across England. The Beta phase involves thinking about how a service will integrate with (or start to replace) existing services, and preparing for the transition to live.

This is a major step forward in modernising how local road rules are managed and shared across England, said the DfT.

Historically, TROs are paper-based documents created and managed by local highway authorities. They contain data of speed limits, parking restrictions and other important information vital to road users. The digitalisation will be critical in delivering future services, including connected and automated vehicles, according to the DfT.

Plans to develop a digital traffic regulation order (D-TRO) involves work by Private Beta, encompassing over 30 organisations, including representatives from traffic mapping and navigation companies. The organisations are incorporating data into their services for road users and the public to use.

The next phase will see the piloting of a D-TRO service, a centralised repository to hold digital traffic regulation orders. The D-TROs are published to the service by traffic regulation authorities (TRAs) or their digital solution providers (DSPs).

The D-TRO Service will reduce costs and streamline processes for accessing road information, and enhance innovation, the DfT predicts. Digital TROs will also provide long-term environmental benefits through reduced congestion and smoother traffic flows, it adds.

The DfT said the data, which is accessed via an API, can be used for purposes such as:

• improving existing services, for example, sat nav routing

• reducing enforcement and processing costs to highway authorities

• reducing congestion by providing information on road closures

• supporting the development of innovative new services

• providing the digital infrastructure for connected and automated vehicles

A D-TRO Working Group will share best practice and learning from local authorities participating in piloting the DfT’s D-TRO service; developing guidance; acting as a channel for input and comment; and developing a D-TRO user community, centred on the TTF Working Group.

The DfT said any authority can register to the service free of charge to access D-TRO data.

Chris Harrison, Regional Director at Project Centre, said: “Improving and streamlining D-TROs can make traffic orders easier to share, support connected vehicles, and save time and resources. Yet in our experience, there is a clear gap between the DfT ambition and what financially stretched councils can deliver. With shifting timelines and no ring-fenced funding, it is hard for authorities to justify investment in new IT systems, data migration, and staff training.”

Local authorities broadly support the move to digital TROs, said Harrison. “However, large-scale adoption will require a clear, evidence-led financial case showing measurable savings in creating and processing orders, improved accuracy in PCN issuance, more efficient enforcement, and fewer PCN challenges.”

He added: “Strategically integrated D-TRO systems would give civil enforcement officers real-time, accurate data — reducing errors, speeding up resolution of discrepancies, and improving public confidence in parking enforcement while protecting limited council resources.

“However, without stronger national support to build and share robust evidence of these benefits, councils will struggle to make the case for investment. A well-supported, data-driven approach is essential if local authorities are to adopt digital TROs at scale and meet the government’s desired deadlines.”

https://d-tro.dft.gov.uk