Highways Agency

At the heart of our operations are several functions in which we excel:

• Safety – where our record for safety improvement is first class, and our network remains one of the safest in the world
• Traffic management – using traffic officers, technology and demand management techniques
• Procurement – where we have met the highest standard of excellence
• Technology and innovation – where we are innovative in a complex environment

The sections below outline the latest developments in these critical areas. Although we are good, we are not complacent; we recognise that we must improve.

Under Looking Forward we explain how we will take our performance to the next level in 2007-08.

See our performance against our Ministerial targets (2.5MB PDF)

Safety

Although we manage one of the busiest high-speed road networks in the world our safety record is one of the best. Yet too many people are still being killed and injured. We continually monitor and manage the network, making sure that it is safe for our customers.

This year we have trialled a new form of safety assessment of the network, in addition to and alongside our continuous accident monitoring. This is based upon the network’s potential performance in the event of an accident. This will give us a new tool to focus safety improvement resources on where they are going to be most effective.

As well as applying engineering solutions we are expanding and developing new ways of working with others, for example with the Vehicle Operating Standards Agency. At ports in the South East, we supplied foreign drivers with adhesive fresnel lenses to alert them and assist them making lane changing manoeuvres. Research has shown driver blind spots on commercial vehicles are a significant cause of accidents.

We are also strengthening our toolkit of information material supporting other road safety issues. The toolkit is available for our staff to use or give to our colleagues in local safety partnerships.We have also developed an educational pack for schools to help teachers warn children of the danger of throwing objects off bridges over roads. We also look after those who work on the network and ensure that it is kept safe and in good condition for millions of road users.

The people that carry out these vital duties are vulnerable to being hit by traffic, and we are reducing these risks by:

• reducing their exposure to live traffic
• raising public awareness of the risks they face
• encouraging better driving standards

Case Study

This year we launched “Great Roads, Great Rides”, a DVD aimed at motorcyclists - over 160,000 copies have been distributed.

Made in conjunction with bike and safety experts it provides tips and advice to motorcyclists about how they can improve their safe driving performance.

Traffic Management - Improving Safety

Making better use of our road space is a priority. We need to manage the demands on our strategic roads and motorways to make the best use of our hardworking assets. Here are just a few of the schemes we are pioneering.

Development of the traffic officer service

This year we achieved full network operator status for the motorway network in England. Traffic officers and regional control centres are now operational throughout the country, taking responsibility for keeping traffi c moving on strategic roads.

Traffic officers have begun managing routine incidents on the motorway network previously dealt with by the police, including:

• removing abandoned, damaged and broken down vehicles
• providing rolling roadblocks and temporary road closures
• clearing debris
• monitoring road works

The seven Regional Control Centres oversee these operations, setting the appropriate signs and signals.

Active Traffic Management

We have trialled the controlled use of the hard shoulder as a running lane during periods of congestion, or when incidents occur, through our Active Traffic Management (ATM) project on the busy M42 motorway east of Birmingham.

While it is too early to draw definitive conclusions, the initial results are encouraging:

• capacity increased by around 13%
• average journey times at peak periods have been reduced
• there is less variability of journey times during weekdays

Once we are able to evaluate fully the results of the trial we will be able to assess whether ATM would offer a value for money solution on other congested motorways.

The scheme uses a mix of existing and new technologies including:

• comprehensive CCTV monitoring
• automatic queue detection
• the latest variable message signs capable of displaying text and images
• emergency refuge areas positioned away from moving traffic

Find out more about Active Traffic Management

Motorway access management

During busy periods, congestion often occurs where vehicles join motorways from the entry slip roads. To improve the fl ow of traffic we began work in 2006 on a £6 million project to introduce a total of 30 motorway access management sites by April 2007.

Access management helps to reduce congestion by carefully regulating the amount of traffi c joining motorways. On the M6 north of Birmingham, where motorway access management was fi rst introduced, journey times have improved by 11%.

Find out more about Motorway Access Management

Car share lanes

On some sections of our roads, up to 90% of cars have no passengers. We are planning to trial high occupancy vehicle ‘car share’ lanes on motorways for use during peak periods, allowing vehicles carrying more than one occupant, to bypass congestion. Preparatory construction works for the trial at the junction between the M606 and M62 are planned for 2007.

We will look carefully at the results from the trial before deciding whether to introduce car share lanes more widely on motorways. Elsewhere in the UK and abroad, they have been shown to work well.

Find out more about car share lanes

Procurement

Our procurement policies and procedures have been highly acclaimed in an independent assessment by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS). Their certification programme sets the benchmark in procurement competence.

We have met the high standard of procurement excellence required, placing us among the best procurement organisations in the UK. Our well developed and sophisticated procurement function underpins our day to day business.

For instance, we have dramatically reduced the time it takes to open major new-build road schemes. It used to take 12-15 years, but by continually improving contractual arrangements, such as involving contractors much earlier in the process, we have brought this down to seven years.

View the procurement area of our website

Technology and innovation – better value, new ideas

We have an ambitious programme to harness new technologies, supporting our network operator role with new technology to provide up-to-date traffic information to drivers through our website and telephone service, electronic message signs next to roads and through traffic information broadcasts via the travel media and our new digital traffic radio service.

We research how new technology measures can improve road safety and journey time reliability, and investigate steps to mitigate our impact on the environment. We aim to maximise benefits and value, with practical applications being brought into use on the network. For instance we have introduced innovative solarpowered road studs, ten times brighter than traditional ones.

Visit the traffic technology area of our website