The Transport Planning Society has submitted a response to the DfT consultation on transforming the Highways Agency into a government-owned company.

The key TPS recommendations are :

• enhanced use of available data to assess and make transparent SRN performance
• a proper balance between interventions of different types – infrastructure, technological, operational and management
• robust appraisal of major schemes, including independent auditing of modelling work
• democratic scrutiny of highway proposals to remain essential
  attention to be paid to human factors involved in accident risk
• improved management of traffic in the aftermath of an incident, including predictive forecasts of delay
• environmental outcomes to be carefully specified to take into account legislative requirements as well as the views of interested groups
• carbon outputs from the SRN to be reported in relation to the national transport targets for reduction, to include also construction, maintenance and operations
• User Watchdog to pay heed to the interests of non-motorised users of the network as well as other impacted parties such as frontagers
• co-operation with local highway authorities is essential, cooperation to cover operations, joint funding of mutually beneficial projects, demand management and an involvement in land-use planning
• development of a network wide assignment model to allow impacts of economic growth to be assessed more accurately and avoid double counting.

TPS Lead Board Member, Tim Morton, commented:

“We see the transformation of the Highways Agency as an opportunity to further improve the service offered to users and others affected by the Strategic Road Network (SRN), but there are serious risks which the DfT have failed to take into account. The consultation proposals lack appropriate safeguards, obligations and performance indicators being included in the proposed Roads Investment Strategy and the new company’s licence.  This will inhibit the development of an integrated approach across all modes.  The lack of an effective National Transport Strategy is a continuing major weakness meaning there is no policy framework within which the objectives of the new company can be set.”

Contact: Tim Morton (tpsmorton@o2.co.uk)