Summary and Overview of the Act Part 1 .Traffic Officers
5.Part 1 empowers the Secretary of State for Transport, in his capacity as highway and traffic authority for the strategic road network in England, (i.e. most motorways and all other trunk roads), to establish a uniformed on-road traffic officer service to manage the traffic consequences of random incidents (such as accidents, obstructions, debris and break downs) and manage programmed highway events such as the passage of abnormal loads. In practice the Secretary of State carries out his functions as highway and traffic authority through the Highways Agency, which is an executive agency of the Department for Transport, and the Highways Agency would be implementing this part of the Act on his behalf.
6.The Act also empowers the National Assembly for Wales, in their capacity as highway and traffic authority for the strategic road network in Wales, to so establish a traffic officer service in Wales.
7.The Act enables some traffic management functions on motorways and other trunk roads currently carried out by the police to be carried out by traffic officers. The Act provides for traffic officers to have powers to stop and direct traffic, and place and operate traffic signs to deal with incidents and keep traffic moving.