Road and Traffic Orders

On behalf of the Scottish Ministers, Transport Scotland promotes road and traffic orders that provide the statutory authority to improve and maintain Scotland’s trunk roads.

Trunk Road Orders are published as local Scottish Statutory Instruments (SSIs).

Trunk road improvement schemes require the drafting and publication of statutory Trunk road, Side roads and Compulsory Purchase Orders.

These are open to objection.  Should an objection from a Statutory Consultee be unresolved this may lead to a Public Local Inquiry.  The procedure for promoting road Orders is set out in the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and for draft CPOs in The Compulsory Purchase of Land (Scotland) Regulations 2003.

Traffic Regulation Orders involve both Temporary (TTROs) and Permanent (PTROs) Traffic Regulation Orders. These are promoted under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to either restrict or prohibit traffic on trunk roads and motorways for safety reasons.

They are mainly required in connection with maintenance, repair and construction works.  They are not open to objection although certain statutory procedures need to be followed as set out in the regulations relating to the TTROs

• The Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Procedure Regulation 1992
• The Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Procedure Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2005

Types of road orders

• Trunk Road Orders - establish the route of a new road.
• Side Roads Orders - cover connecting local roads associated with a new road scheme and the stopping up and providing new local roads/private means of access and any improvements required to the local road network as a consequence of a new trunk road or motorway road.
• Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) - secure the necessary land purchase and rights in relation to the Trunk Road and or Side Roads Orders.
• Temporary / Permanent Traffic Regulation Orders (PTROs) - ensure the safe movement of traffic (introducing a speed limit, prohibiting parking, prohibiting certain movements etc) on a permanent basis and are open to objection.  The procedure for promoting PTROs is set out in The Secretary of State’s Traffic Orders (Procedure)(Scotland) Regulations 1987.

Publication of road orders

Draft Road Orders are published in the local press and in the Edinburgh Gazette. Notice of CPOs are also published in the local press. 

Draft Road Orders and draft CPOs are available for inspection locally during their objection period and at Transport Scotland’s office in Glasgow.  They are published on the relevant projects page of the Transport Scotland website.

Made trunk road Orders (SSIs) can be found on the Office of the Queen’s Printer for Scotland website.

PTROs are published in the local press and in the Edinburgh Gazette. They are available for inspection locally during their objection period and at Transport Scotland’s office in Glasgow.  They are published on  the Traffic Orders page of the Transport Scotland website.

TTROs are published in the local press. Current TTROs can be viewed on the Traffic Orders page of the Transport Scotland website.