The state of local roads – could traffic surveys contribute to inquiry?
Earlier this month, the Transport Select Committee launched an inquiry into the funding and governance of local roads in England. This is an acknowledgement of the considerable amount of traffic carried by the local network and the relative lack of funding and upgrading when compared to the main motorway network.
In fact, local roads make up 98% of England’s road network – which totals about 245,000 miles of road – and they carry the majority of traffic. Whilst the government has been keen to sort out the motorway network, with a variety of extension and upgrade programmes, local roads tend to be the responsibility of local authorities and so maintenance and upgrade varies across the network.
What is the Committee is looking for?
The Transport Select Committee wants to get a clear picture of the current state of local roads across England and the approach to funding and maintenance. In particular, they want to see written evidence about:
- The condition of local roads in England and how they have fared over time, particularly compared with other parts of England’s road network;
- The direct and wider economic and social costs of not maintaining local roads;
- The quality of monitoring and reporting of local road conditions;
- Whether the current approach to maintenance of local roads is appropriate and whether it needs to be improved;
- The suitability of governance structures for maintaining local roads and whether any changes are required;
- The funding requirements of local roads and the suitability of current funding streams for the immediate and longer-term future;
- Whether there is a role for alternative funding models for local roads maintenance and investment; and
- The regional distribution of local roads funding across England.Professional traffic surveys give an accurate picture of local road use, including areas that are regularly congested, and roads that are often used as shortcuts or ‘rat-runs’. Our local traffic surveys are often used to inform decisions about re-routing, upgrading or introducing traffic-calming measures and can go hand-in-hand with plans for new residential, commercial or retail developments. They provide excellent, up-to-date data about the ways particular roads and routes are used.To find out more about our traffic, journey time, Automatic count and other dedicated surveys, contact us today.
- The Transport Select Committee’s inquiry is taking evidence until October 2nd, and anyone who wants to contribute can put their evidence in writing and submit it via the Committee’s website.
- How can traffic survey data help?
