About the consultation
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is reviewing its list of traffic sensitive streets. These are roads where roadworks or other activities can cause major disruption to traffic. The review is part of national changes introduced in 2023 under the Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street and Road Works.
The last review was done in 2010. Since then, traffic patterns have changed due to:
- More vehicles on the road
- New housing, business and retail developments
- Road improvement projects
- Growth in delivery services
Keeping traffic moving smoothly is important for everyone – from daily commuters to local businesses.
What does “traffic sensitive” mean?
A street is marked as traffic sensitive if roadworks there are likely to cause significant delays. This doesn’t mean works can’t happen – but they may be restricted to certain times to reduce disruption.
How are streets assessed?
We use national guidelines and traffic data to decide which streets should be designated.
Key factors include:
- High traffic volumes (over 500 vehicles per hour per lane)
- Narrow roads with heavy traffic
- High numbers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)
- Frequent bus services (more than 8 buses per hour)
- Proximity to busy junctions or roundabouts
Pedestrian traffic is not currently used as a factor in Stoke-on-Trent.
What’s changing?
We’re proposing to:
- Remove 14 streets from the current traffic sensitive list
- Add 61 new streets based on updated data and criteria
Details of the current list and proposed changes are available in:
Appendix 1: Current traffic sensitive streets
Appendix 2: Proposed changes and reasons
Who are we consulting?
We’re inviting feedback from:
- Utility companies and contractors
- Emergency services
- Transport operators
- Other local authorities
- Anyone who has asked to be notified
How to take part in the consultation
If you have questions or objections, please email us at: streetworks@stoke.gov.uk.
All feedback will be reviewed carefully. The council may adjust the proposals before making final decisions.
Consultation closes on Friday 31 October 2025.