A standardised process for TROs on Citizen Space
The challenge
Like every local authority in UK, Reading Borough Council have to produce and consult on 'traffic regulation orders' (TROs). The Council moved their TROs to an online system, bringing the process in line with the rest of their public engagement activity.
Our approach
Traffic regulation orders are legal documents that shape how roads may or may not be used. They are typically used to govern things like one-way systems, speed limits and parking restrictions. It is mandatory for UK local authorities to notify residents of changes to TROs.
Reading Borough Council decided to begin publishing their TRO consultations in Citizen Space – an online platform for public engagement.
The Council had already adopted Citizen Space for its general consultation and engagement activity, using it for everything from budget consultation to community satisfaction surveys.
By moving TROs into Citizen Space, the Council was able to quickly and efficiently create a standardised process that was easier for both staff and residents to navigate.
The results
Having seen the benefits of using a single system, and with staff familiarised to Citizen Space's publishing and reporting tools, Reading realised they could make the TRO process more efficient by bringing it into the same environment.
It meant that staff could create and analyse TRO consultations alongside other engagement activities, simplifying their workload. It also allowed members of the public to find and search for published TROs in Reading's 'consultation hub', making the activities easier to find and participate in.
Since moving to this updated, online process, Reading have published dozens of TROs via Citizen Space – getting public feedback on proposed parking zones, school traffic limitations and speed limits. They also consulted on their active travel fund schemes via the platform, receiving over 900 responses.
Reading’s ambitious new transport strategy has been developed over a number of phases of consultation. Included in it are attractive, reliable and affordable alternatives to the private car, which are key to tackling the climate emergency in Reading and meeting our net zero carbon target by 2030.
Councillor Tony Page, Reading lead councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport.
Reading’s ambitious new transport strategy has been developed over a number of phases of consultation. Included in it are attractive, reliable and affordable alternatives to the private car, which are key to tackling the climate emergency in Reading and meeting our net zero carbon target by 2030.
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.