Improvements in journey distance and travel time from £15bn cash injection
In November 2014, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the government will be spending £15bn on UK road improvements to improve distance and travel times from some of the country’s traffic hotspots.
Speaking to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) at the end of last year, Mr Cameron identified several projects where driving distances and time were causing problems, including routes across the Pennines, the A1 north of Newcastle and the A27, which runs along the south coast.
Collecting Journey Data
Quality of data is a key factor in deciding where the new money is best spent. Whilst the areas identified all have anecdotal evidence of time and distance problems, accurate, reliable information will be needed to plan and implement any improvements – and that means collecting tightly defined information. Journey times are extremely important for commuters, general travellers and particularly for haulage firms, all of whom will welcome the additional funding for road improvements.
Going the distance for travel time
In his speech, Mr Cameron said:
“In the ‘50s it took us eight years to design and build the first 50 miles of the M1. Today it can take that long just to widen one section of a motorway. So we are speeding things up.
Since we came to office we haven’t just announced a load of road and railways schemes, yes – we have actually got diggers on the ground on the A23, the M62, the M4, M5 and M6. What’s more it’s our ambition to cut the time it takes to upgrade our roads in half. So we are determined to dismantle some of the procedures that have been slowing us down and slowing you down.”
Driving time and distance surveys from RDS
At RDS, we can devise, implement and report on journey times, giving you the opportunity to convert information which you can use for planning, development or proposals to improve your road system.
We can plan a journey survey in conjunction with speed surveys and traffic count surveys to give you a clear picture of what’s happening on the roads that concern you most. To find out more, contact us today.
