Highways Agency

Reducing congestion and improving reliability

Tackling congestion

Delays caused by volume of traffic, incidents and roadworks lead to frustration for road users and increased costs for industry. With vehicle ownership rising steadily, congestion will increase unless action is taken.

The Government's ten-year plan for transport recognised that action was required and determined that congestion on the inter-urban trunk road network should be reduced to below 2000 levels by 2010. In December 2002 DfT published "Delivering Better Transport: Progress Report" which explained that it had become clear that tackling road congestion was going to be even more challenging than the ten year plan had envisaged. On the inter-urban strategic network, latest forecasts suggest that congestion by 2010 could grow by between 52% and 67% without the measures contained in the ten-year plan, and grow by between 1% and 15% even with implementation of the planned measures.

To meet the increased challenge of tackling congestion, we are undertaking a targeted programme of road improvements. Whilst this should deliver longer-term benefits, disruption from road improvements during construction could lead to temporary increases in congestion so we are putting more resource into actively managing traffic and giving improved information to travellers to influence their travel behaviour.

Improving the network

Some problems, however, can be solved only by providing more capacity. This requires an integrated approach across all modes of transport to produce a sustainable long-term solution. In 1999 the Government set up a series of multi-modal and road-based studies to look at the most serious problems on the network. Proposals made in 2003, as a result of these studies, were added to our programme of work where appropriate.

Our major schemes programme

In 2004-05 we will be investing some £265 million of capital funding into major improvements such as road widening. The programme of investment in improvements to the trunk road and motorway network - the targeted programme of improvements (TPI) - comprises a number of major schemes each costing more than £5 million, funded either conventionally or through public-private partnerships. The programme aims to address the most pressing network problems: easing congestion and making traffic safer; providing safer and healthier communities; and supporting regeneration and integration. During 2003-04, 20 schemes were added to the programme bringing the total number of schemes in the targeted programme of improvements to 91 as at 3 March 2004. Details of these major schemes and the key/critical events in the forthcoming year are shown in Appendix 6 (24KB PDF).

To ensure the benefits of new schemes are realised as early as possible, the Agency has adopted a number of approaches to speed up delivery without compromising the rights of people and communities to be consulted and involved in the planning process. For example, early contractor involvement (ECI) is one of the strategies being developed under the initiative. ECI is gaining enthusiastic support from industry and offers the prospect of speedier delivery by involving contractors earlier in the design process.

Previously, performance in delivering the targeted programme of improvements has been measured solely through the use of scheme milestones, but this is being replaced by a system of progress points, which works on the basis of awarding points during the lifetime of a road scheme. This approach is more flexible, allowing for unavoidable delays on some schemes to be compensated through speeding up delivery on others. Points are claimed as events in the delivery of a scheme are achieved. A profile for each scheme's progress is established from the point it enters the programme and progress is measured against this profile with a cumulative total of 100 points achieved when a scheme is completed. A chart showing points achievable is at Appendix 7. At the start of April 2004 we will have currently achieved approximately 4590 progress points. These points represent the progress already made, up to the current event, on all schemes already in the TPI programme, including 18 schemes, accounting for 1800 points, that have been completed. The other 2790 points represent progress on the remaining schemes currently in the TPI programme.

Priority action sites

The programme of 92 schemes, announced in October 2002, to tackle congestion and improve safety at junctions across the trunk road and motorway network is progressing well. Some 16 schemes are expected to have been completed by April 2004, up to 26 are expected to be completed in 2004-05 and the remainder are on track to be delivered by 2007-08. The majority of these schemes cost less than £5 million but deliver significant local congestion and safety benefits.

Local Network Management Schemes

These are relatively small in financial terms, but they do enable us to achieve some significant improvements at a local level. These are "quick wins" not only in terms of improved safety; but also in terms of helping to improve journey-time reliability, accessibility, integration, information and/or the environment.

Managing traffic

2004 heralds a range of innovative and exciting developments all designed to give road users - our customers - a better service. By improving the way we manage traffic we can help control congestion and reduce the economic costs to business and the impact on society. Drivers in 2004 will get better information before they set off and while on the road. They will also see new traffic officers on motorways in the West Midlands. Behind the scenes, new technology and control centres will mean that road users will benefit from as-it-happens information, and more coordinated responses to incidents. All this will happen 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

New traffic officers working in partnership with the police

The idea of introducing traffic officers was developed jointly by the Highways Agency and the police, following a review of their respective roles and responsibilities on England's core road network. The police will still be responsible for tackling crime and law enforcement, with the traffic officers responsible for managing the traffic around incidents and opening routes when the police have completed their investigations.

Drivers will benefit from a dedicated, uniformed service 24 hours a day, specifically tasked with getting traffic moving again as soon and as safely as possible after incidents. Other regions in England will benefit from this service, with all areas due to have traffic officers by 2006.

Regional Control Centres (RCC's)

Traffic officers will be supported by regional control centres (RCCs), jointly staffed by the Agency and police, which will monitor the roads and coordinate responses to incidents. Seven RCCs will be introduced across the network in a phased rollout finishing by 2006.

Each regional control centre will serve the areas currently covered by a number of police control offices, and will bring several police forces together in partnership with us. A map of the planned RCC areas is shown at Figure 2.3.

The initial RCC areas will be based on existing partnerships. That in the West Midlands will be based on the Central Motorway Policing Group of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands forces. In the northwest the joint control arrangements will commence with Greater Manchester, extending to include Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside.

In the south and east, the existing integrated policing group, comprising the Highways Agency, the Metropolitan police and forces of Kent, Surrey, Thames Valley, Hertfordshire and Essex, will form the basis of the south and east RCC areas. The RCC at Godstone will initially be a partnership with Kent and Surrey, extending to include Hampshire and Sussex as soon as possible. In the East, the RCC based at South Mimms, will cover Thames Valley, Hertfordshire, Essex and the Metropolitan police, extending to include Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire at the earliest opportunity, followed by Norfolk and Suffolk.

Discussions in the north-east have begun with Durham, Northumbria, Cleveland, North, West and South Yorkshire and Humberside. Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire are expected to form an East Midlands RCC, and Avon & Somerset, Devon & Cornwall, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire an RCC for the south-west.

Fig 2.3: Highways Agency Regional Control Centre Areas

Improved traffic management technology

In 2004-05 we will be making a capital investment of some £107 million to improve our capability to manage demand and improve traffic flow using the latest techniques and technology.

These include "active traffic management", a pilot on a section of the M42, which is targeted to begin the rollout of different traffic management techniques by March 2005. It aims to tackle congestion through the innovative use of technology-based solutions. Closed circuit television will enable us to monitor conditions, react more quickly to incidents and provide information to road users.

Better information for road users with the National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC)

The Agency's National Traffic Control Centre, based in Birmingham, is now operational. It collects information on our network, setting the on-road variable message signs to give drivers route advice, and keeping the travel news on radio, television and the web and other organisations updated on traffic conditions in real-time.

During 2004, further customer-focused services will be added, including:

• New website

  Our website - www.highways.gov.uk - will be re-launched during 2004 and another real-time traffic information site called "Traffic England" will begin. Both represent a significant upgrade to our web services in design and usability. A redesigned traffic information section of the Agency's website will provide the latest information on traffic conditions across the whole of our network.

• Automated telephone service

  This will provide the latest information on traffic conditions across the whole of the Agency's network, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To complement this service, we are considering whether to increase the hours of operation of the Highways Agency information line (HAIL) beyond the current service (8am- 8pm on weekdays and 9am-5pm at weekends) as part of the continuous improvement of our service to customers.

We work closely with a wide range of organisations, including the police, major event organisers, local authorities and our own maintaining agents and contractors to ensure that accurate and timely information is available to the NTCC about incidents, roadworks and other activities that might affect the performance of the network. The Agency is also working with the media and with other traffic information providers to ensure that information about traffic conditions is made as widely available as possible.

Abnormal loads

During 2003 we took over responsibility for the movement of the largest and heaviest abnormal indivisible loads on all roads in Great Britain from another area of the Department for Transport. This work involves approving the detailed arrangements for the movement of these large and heavy loads. The Agency has a number of initiatives to improve the service to hauliers and to reduce the congestion that can be caused. These include improving the way hauliers can check the suitability of routes and introducing self-escorting, which will allow hauliers rather than the police to escort abnormal loads. We are also working jointly with other areas of the Department for Transport to try to get more loads moved on water.

Influencing travel behaviour

The provision of improved information helps both to reduce congestion and ensure that our customers have reliable journeys by influencing their decisions on travel modes and patterns. The work of the National Traffic Control Centre described above, will go a long way in helping with this.

Meeting our customers

The Agency displays and explains its work to its customers at many exhibitions ranging from local events to the International Motor Show.

Working with motoring organisations

We work closely with motoring organisations to provide up-to-date information of interest to their members - including keeping them informed of new projects and other initiatives around the network.

Charging for road use

In July 2003 the Secretary of State announced a comprehensive feasibility study of road user charging. The Agency is now supporting DfT research into charging. The results of this study are due to be published in summer 2004.

The Agency is also working with other areas of the DfT and HM Customs and Excise, who have responsibility for implementing the introduction of a lorry road user charge.

Leaflets and publications

We publish a wide range of leaflets explaining what we do on national, regional and local issues.