Sat-navs to display ‘Traffic Regulation Orders’ to better warn of road closures and diversions
Short-term traffic measures such as temporary speed limits and road closures to be mandated on sat-nav systems
In a bid to improve Britain’s traffic problems, the Government has announced it will force traffic authorities to digitally record all Traffic Regulation Orders so that satellite navigation will pick up road issues more quickly and reliably.
Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) relate to traffic issues such as temporary speed limits, road closures, diversions and weight limits. The Government says even data on car parking space availability will be shown on sat-navs.
Roads minister Guy Opperman said: “Everyone knows the frustrations of being sent down a closed road by your sat-nav, so by going digital with our traffic information, we’re making sure that drivers have the very latest travel information to rely on.”
Digitising TROs will also help the public “know when proposals are being made” and “help them search by area or across networks and to express their views”, it would also “help utility companies to plan and manage works”, according to the Government.
Mandating sat-nav systems to include TROs comes as part of the Government’s £8.3billion funding redirected from scrapped HS2 plans to improve Britain’s road network. The Government also announced today that it would crack down on disruptive roadworks by extending the current £10,000 per day fine for overrunning street works, which could generate up to £100 million for road resurfacing.
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