Every highway authority in England is to receive £37,000 to support the move to Digital Traffic Regulation Orders (D-TROs), the Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed.
The one-year new burdens funding amounts to around £5.9m across the sector. The allocation is the same for each authority, regardless of its size or whether it already has D-TRO software in place.
The announcement was made during the DfT’s D-TRO technical webinar on 24 September 2026. Payments to authorities outside London are expected from mid-October, with London boroughs due to receive funding subsequently.
Funding can support software and project work
Authorities will be able to use the money flexibly, including on new software, additional modules or project work with an existing supplier.
AppyWay founder and chief executive Dan Hubert welcomed the confirmation after the company had campaigned for the digitisation of traffic orders for more than a decade.
“Local authorities can finally leave the dark ages behind. Instead of managing regulation through paper-based processes, they can start focusing on achieving their targets,” he said.
Mike Potter, AppyWay’s head of commercial, said the funding should prompt traffic order teams to engage with senior officers and budget holders before the money is received.
“£37,000 is a real chance to get ahead of D-TRO. My advice is: don’t assume the money will find its way to you. Talk to your head of service now, before it arrives,” he said.
Potter added that D-TRO is a statutory requirement for every English highway authority and said the teams responsible for delivering it should have first call on the funding.