Digital TRO notices on Citizen Space
The challenge
The TRO process is a lengthy and bureaucratic one, due to the fact that TROs must be advertised in local press, as well as on notices in the affected streets, and residents given a 21 day window to object. If any objections are made councillors need to formally consider them and make any necessary changes. If changes are made the TRO has to be advertised again and the 21-day objection window reopens.
The approach
A Traffic Regulation Order is a document that gives a local authority in the UK permission to make changes to traffic on a certain road or area. TROs can be used to change speed limits, introduce parking charges, add/remove yellow lines, implement one-way systems, and so on.
Once the TRO is ready to be implemented, a Notice of Making is published in local press informing residents that the Order is being made.
In addition to the notices in newspapers and on affected roads, Nottinghamshire use Citizen Space to publicise TROs. Since becoming a customer in 2017, they’ve published over 1000 TROs and Notices of Making.
Building on the above, Citizen Space allows respondents to search consultations by postcode. This, plus a dedicated section to TROs on Nottinghamshire's configurable Citizen Space landing page, makes it quick and easy for a user to find TROs that affect them
Nottinghamshire ask users to comment on Orders by mail or email. Citizen Space has a function which allows site admins to publish a consultation without the online survey aspect; instead, Nottinghamshire link to the Order in the call to action at the bottom of the page. Contact details for the relevant officer are visible on the overview page, meaning respondents can access everything they need from one page.
The results
Using Citizen Space for TROs adds some visibility and accountability to a lengthy, bureaucratic democratic process, and allows residents to stay informed about changes to the roads they use. It creates a repository of all their TROs which can be easily searched and linked to from their website. It also increases visibility beyond a piece of A4 stuck to a lamppost and a notice in a local newspaper - methods that really aren’t compatible with modern life.
Physical notices advertising TROs have a disconnect between information and response. A citizen might see a TRO notice on a lamppost and want to make an objection, but in order to do so they have to either copy down or remember an address/email address to send it to. By the time they get home there’s a chance they won’t send the council anything.
Delib is a govtech leader specialising in consultation and engagement, trusted by over 600 government organisations worldwide, including major planning projects. Since 2004, we've been building secure, accessible digital platforms to make participation simpler, fairer, and more inclusive. Our flagship product, Citizen Space, was built in collaboration with the UK government and has supported more than 11 million responses across over 110,000 democratic activities.