Keysoft Traffic | Time to prepare for new traffic regulations

The delayed implementation of new traffic signs regulations will give highways engineers more time to prepare for the changes and assess the cost implications for planned road schemes, according to the traffic management software developer Keysoft Solutions.

The new Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) 2015 was expected to become law this March but the DfT has recently announced that this will be put back until the next Parliament, with industry expectations that this will lead to a delay of at least six months. However, in the meantime, the DfT has invited interested parties to conduct a ‘technical review and general sense check.’

The proposed legislation aims to reduce signage clutter and will give local councils and highway authorities much more discretion and flexibility in how and where they place traffic signs.  The reduction in regulatory requirements will lead to cost savings because councils won’t require the same high level of signage and there will also be a relaxation of the rules on sign lighting, leading to significant environmental benefits too. The TSRGD 2015 also aims to remove some of the regulatory barriers to the design of traffic signs.

Will Baron, product director at Keysoft Solutions, explains: “Whilst there may be some disappointment in the industry that this planned legislation change hasn’t taken place as soon as we expected, it is good news that the TSRGD is being made available for review in advance of it becoming law.  This means that local authorities have more time to assess the cost of schemes they already have in preparation, based on both the current and proposed regulations.  For example, a scheme to change a speed limit on a section of road could see a significant reduction in the number of road signs required under the new TSRGD, so the large cost savings may result in schemes like this being delayed until it becomes law.

“However, highways engineers will need to make an assessment on a scheme by scheme basis, depending on different factors such as road safety priorities.  The fact that stakeholders have more time to understand the forthcoming TSRGD should lead to well informed planning decisions, where some schemes will be delayed and others brought forward or progressed as planned.

“The technical review of the TSRGD is not a consultation process as it has already been published in the European Journal.  However, it does give highways engineers a chance to familiarise themselves with the new guidance, prepare for the changes and take part in the technical review by reporting back on any inaccuracies.  This means that any potential teething problems can be resolved before the TSRGD becomes law, making the document the best it can be.”

Keysoft’s KeySIGN software enables designers to create road signs quickly and easily in line with TSRGD and design guidelines.  Will Baron adds: “We have invested a great deal of time making sure our software was ready for the planned March launch of the new TSRGD, although the inherent flexibility of the current version of our system already provides for the new designs.  In the short term, we will be able to make some of the new signs available for those customers that need them.  However, this is only for the purposes of ordering signs ahead of the TSRGD 2015 becoming law, ready for them to be installed as soon as they are prescribed under the new regulations.”

If you would like to take part in the technical review by considering part or all of the draft TSRGD, you can e-mail traffic.signs@dft.gsi.gov.uk