The legal document that creates a local traffic rule which
requires road users to obey certain conditions eg one-way systems,
speed limits, weight limits.
Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) are legal documents which are
made to control or restrict the movement or waiting of traffic
to:
- assist traffic flows;
- control or direct traffic;
- improve the safety of road users;
- preserve or improve the character or amenity of an area;
- prevent serious damage to roads, bridges etc.; and
- reduce and manage congestion.
Examples of TROs are:
- double/single yellow lines;
- loading bays; and
- one-way streets.
Suffolk County Council is responsible for making TROs on roads
which are under its control. The county council can also
introduce TROs on private roads with the permission of the
landowner. TROs have associated administrative and legal costs
(around £2-3,000), as well as the cost of implementing the scheme
on the road. The processes involved in making a TRO can be complex
and it can take up to 12 months in difficult cases.
TROs go through formal consultation procedures with local
parish/town/district councils and the emergency services. Official
Notices have to be published in the local press and are posted "on
street" to invite comments from the general public. A single
unresolved objection requires that the TRO be considered by Suffolk
County Council Rights of Way Sub Committee and their
recommendation has to be confirmed by Executive Committee before
any Order can be introduced. In some cases, depending on the
contents of the TRO, any unresolved objections may lead to a public
inquiry eg loading/access restrictions.
Until appropriate lining and signing has been completed on site,
the TRO cannot come into force. The Police/Traffic Wardens are the
enforcing authority for any road where a TRO is in place. The only
exception to this in Suffolk is the decriminalisation of parking
within Ipswich. Parking restrictions here are enforced by
Ipswich
Borough Council's parking attendants.