Traffic Management Act 2004

General duties relating to network management

16 The network management duty

(1) It is the duty of a local traffic authority to manage their road network with a view to achieving, so far as may be reasonably practicable having regard to their other obligations, policies and objectives, the following objectives—

(a) securing the expeditious movement of traffic on the authority’s road network; and

(b) facilitating the expeditious movement of traffic on road networks for which another authority is the traffic authority.

(2) The action which the authority may take in performing that duty includes, in particular, any action which they consider will contribute to securing—

(a) the more efficient use of their road network; or

(b) the avoidance, elimination or reduction of road congestion or other disruption to the movement of traffic on their road network or a road network for which another authority is the traffic authority;

and may involve the exercise of any power to regulate or co-ordinate the uses made of any road (or part of a road) in the road network (whether or not the power was conferred on them in their capacity as a traffic authority).

(3) In this Part “network management duty”, in relation to a local traffic authority, means their duty under this section.

17 Arrangements for network management

(1) A local traffic authority shall make such arrangements as they consider appropriate for planning and carrying out the action to be taken in performing the network management duty.

(2) The arrangements must include provision for the appointment of a person (to be known as the “traffic manager”) to perform such tasks as the authority consider will assist them to perform their network management duty.

(3) The traffic manager may (but need not) be an employee of the authority.

(4) The arrangements must include provision for establishing processes for ensuring (so far as may be reasonably practicable) that the authority—

(a) identify things (including future occurrences) which are causing, or which have the potential to cause, road congestion or other disruption to the movement of traffic on their road network; and

(b) consider any possible action that could be taken in response to (or in anticipation of) anything so identified;

but nothing in this subsection is to be taken to require the identification or consideration of anything appearing to have only an insignificant effect (or potential effect) on the movement of traffic on their road network.

(5) The arrangements must include provision for ensuring that the authority—

(a) determine specific policies or objectives in relation to different roads or classes of road in their road network;

(b) monitor the effectiveness of—

(i) the authority’s organisation and decision-making processes; and

(ii) the implementation of their decisions; and

(c) assess their performance in managing their road network.

(6) The authority must keep under review the effectiveness of the arrangements they have in place under this section.

18 Guidance to local traffic authorities

(1) The appropriate national authority may publish guidance to local traffic authorities about the techniques of network management or any other matter relating to the performance of the duties imposed by sections 16 and 17.

(2) In performing those duties a local traffic authority shall have regard to any such guidance.

19 Power to require information relating to network management

(1) The appropriate national authority may direct a local traffic authority to provide it, within a specified period, with specified information connected with any aspect of the performance of their duties under sections 16 and 17.

(2) The information that may be specified in such a direction—

(a) must be information which the authority have in their possession or can reasonably be expected to acquire; and

(b) includes, in particular, information relating to—

(i) the management of a local traffic authority’s road network; or

(ii) the use of their road network by different kinds of traffic or the effects of that use.

(3) A direction under this section may be given to two or more local traffic authorities or to local traffic authorities of a description specified in the direction.

(4) A direction under this section given to a London authority must be copied to the Mayor.