Traffic Regulation Orders

What are they?

Traffic regulation orders, often called TROs, are powers given to highway and national park authorities to ban vehicles from certain routes or rights of way. This ban might be in place all the time or during certain periods, like summer months or after a set time in the day.

Traffic regulation orders can be used to prevent problems from happening, not just to stop the damage once it has already occurred.

Who can make a Traffic Regulation Order in the Peak District National Park?

County councils, metropolitan borough councils and the Peak District National Park Authority.

What types of Traffic Regulation Order are there?

There are three types:

• Permanent – these stay in place unless they are revoked or a new order is introduced to replace it.
• Experimental orders – can last up to 18 months and are usually used to protect the public from danger, to conserve a route or allow the public to enjoy it better. Experimental orders can be introduced quickly and are used to test the success of a scheme before deciding whether to make it permanent.
• Temporary orders – also last up to 18 months and are generally used to allow works to take place.

When can they be used?

For one or more of the following reasons:

• Avoiding danger to the public or motorists
• Preventing damage to a road or nearby buildings
• Preventing the use of a route by unsuitable traffic
• Preserving the character of a road, especially those suitable for walking or horse riding
• Preserving or improving amenities of the area through which the road runs
• To help improve air quality as required by the Environment Act 1995
• Conserving or enhancing the natural beauty of the area
• To allow improved access to recreational opportunities or the study of nature

When will the Peak District National Park Authority use them?

We recognise that in some circumstances Traffic Regulation Orders can tackle problems for local communities. Our powers only apply on unsurfaced roads or routes.

We will consider making a TRO in any or all of the following circumstances:

• We are concerned that conservation of the land is being harmed by vehicle use and there is no other way of controlling this
• The route in question crosses the boundaries of different highway authorities – in these instances it is more sensible for us to make an order as we operate across the whole of the Peak District
• It is possible to enforce – there is no point making an order if the police don’t have the resources or ability to ensure the order is being complied with
• There are unforeseen or highly unusual circumstances that require us to take action

We won’t make an order when the problem is the responsibility of the police or a highway authority. But we will work with you to ask these organisations if they want to make an order. Examples of these include:

• Road safety issues – these are the responsibility of the police and the highway authority in the area concerned
• Problems with the maintenance of unsurfaced roads – this is the responsibility of the highway authority in the area concerned
• Noise, disturbance or anti-social behaviour – these issues are dealt with by district, borough or metropolitan borough councils

So how do you pick which routes are considered for TROs?

There are around 300 unsurfaced routes in the Peak District. We are currently surveying the condition and use of each of these routes to decide which are the most sensitive locations. Once we have done this we will work with the relevant highway authority and local access forum for that area to look at how we can jointly manage any problems.

Options that will be looked at include:

• Physical improvements to the route
• Encouraging voluntary restraint by vehicle users
• Better warning signs
• Permit systems
• Introducing a Traffic Regulation Order

Traffic regulation orders will only be used to tackle the worst problems or where the other options have been tried but not had the desired results.

At the moment our work is targeted on routes in Derbyshire but we hope to roll the scheme out to other areas in the future.

Current Traffic Regulation Orders

Traffic Regulation Orders - Policy and Procedures (65KB)