Digital traffic regulation orders Royal flush Dan Hubert, founder and CEO of AppyWay, discusses the green light that government has given for DTROs here have been some significant announcements in recent months that will change the face of the UK transport network forever, and for the better. The first bit of good news was the announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper about the National Parking Platform (NPP). The second was the Plan for drivers released by the Department for Transport. Last, and by no means least, the Automated Vehicles Bill was announced in the Kings Speech with a specific side note regarding the legislation of digital traffic regulation orders (DTROs). Id call that a royal flush. This good news comes after the slightly worrying pro-car, vote-swinging message from the Conservative Party that contradicted the previous net zero mission. Pushing back the ban on the sale of new CO2 -emitting vehicles to 2035 and scrapping low-traffic neighbourhoods doesnt fit the planet-saving narrative. Personally, I dont think the government comms team packaged and delivered the message in the right order. Drip-feeding the pro-car plan before a broader transport plan T caused unnecessary concern. The focus on better data and connectivity helping 40 million vehicles to park smarter and reduce CO2 emissions offers broader appeal without creating a premature political dividing line. Digital future The Plan for drivers unfolds a five-step strategy aimed at benefiting drivers, ensuring smoother journeys, fair enforcement, easier parking, curbing inconsiderate driving, and facilitating the transition to zero-emission driving. Notably, the plan pledges to introduce the NPP by the autumn of 2024, promising to challenge unjust parking rules and revise public guidance. Crucially, it aims to simplify finding where it is legal to park through a nationwide digitisation of traffic regulation orders (TROs). The catalyst required for local authorities to digitise their TROs was meant to have been through the much-postponed and much-anticipated Future of Transport Bill. However, in the Kings Speech on the 7 November, His Majesty ignored the Future of Transport Bill and trumped it with the Automated Vehicles Bill. This futuristic bill is projected to generate a UK market worth 42bn and create 38,000 skilled jobs by 2035. Fortunately, embedded within the Automated Vehicles Bill is a crucial framework requiring local authorities to publish DTROs a truly monumental development. As a self-proclaimed champion of the kerb, I must confess this may come across as a love for DTROs. But, as the founder of a leading DTRO management solution, Ive witnessed the transformative power of this digital revolution. Even before the robo-taxis hit our roads to solve the UKs economic and environmental woes, our public and private sector customers have seen incredible results. Haringey has speeded up its end-to-end TRO management by 75 per cent so electric vehicle chargepoints can be rolled out faster; Southwark has more than doubled its cycle-hanger installation output; and Lambeths leading sustainable kerbside strategy for 2030 is now on target. DTROs empower councils to align with government objectives without the need for additional money and manpower, enabling them to achieve decarbonisation targets while helping create healthier, more sustainable, and more accessible communities. 24 PN Dec 2023 pp24-25 Appyway.indd 24 30/11/2023 11:41