Agenda item

(Report by Head of Network Management)

(1)     The report provided information on the proposed traffic regulation order electronic consultation process that would allow the public to view and comment on Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) via the website.

(2)     KHS occasionally received complaints from County Members and the general public when traffic regulation orders were being implemented stating that they were not adequately consulted through the process. It was clear that another method of reaching a greater number of Members and residents throughout Kent would be helpful. Therefore KHS proposed to use the KCC web site to reach those, and potentially other people.

(3)     All Local Highway Authorities must comply with statutory legislation when conveying information about TROs to the public. The legislation required LHAs to advertise the TROs in a newspaper in the area in which any road or other place to which the order related was situated. To ensure that KCC complied with the legislation, KHS used a countywide newspaper known as the Saturday Observer and the Kent on Sunday newspapers supplied by the KOSmedia Group to advertise TROs in Kent. The newspapers were free papers and relied upon the public to pick them up at supermarkets, garages, etc. KOSMedia Group printed and distributed approximately 160,000 newspapers in Kent that covered all parts of Kent.

(4)     The population of Kent including Medway was over 1million people and approximately 80% of the population had Internet access. Therefore using the KCC web site as an additional means to advertise TROs would reach a greater number of residents of Kent provided it was avertedly sign posted.

(5)     The TRO Notice would appear on the web site on the same day as the Notice appeared in the newspaper and would remain there for the full 21 day consultation period. There would be an opportunity for the public to make their observations or objections to the proposals by clicking in a box on the web page and typing in their reasons for either support or objection of the TRO. They would be advised of the date by which they must reply and if necessary what date their comments would be reported to the relevant Joint Transportation Board.  This would reduce the amount of letters to and from officers.

(6)     The pages that would appear on the web site would be a front cover (giving information and directions of how to proceed), a copy of the Notice of proposals, the proposed Order and a statement of about why the proposals were being advertised.  When the observations and/or objections had been considered and after the Joint Transportation Board the same process would be used when making the Order.

(7)     Promoting the TRO information in a variety of media such as the newspapers, which was a statutory obligation, and the website would capture a wider audience in Kent and would benefit those members of the public who often use technology to keep up to date with current affairs within Kent County Council.

(8)     The Board supported the introduction of a TRO Electronic Consultation via the KCC website.