Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Easing congestion

Key outcome

By 2010, reduction in congestion on inter-urban trunk roads to 5% below current levels (compared with present forecast growth of 28%)

Our response

We know a key concern for our customers is congestion on the busiest parts of our strategic roads.

To help tackle the problem, we will ensure that we are ready to deliver quickly any road widening or improvements to major junctions that are identified by the Regional Planning Bodies within the strategic multi-modal, road-based or other studies.

We are working with the multi-modal study teams to identify solutions to congested transport corridors. We are also working with the regional planning bodies on solutions to other problems - for example, building new bypasses for hard pressed local communities, or easing bottlenecks at key junctions on our strategic roads.

Where the need for road improvement is agreed, we will continue to ensure that the major schemes we are asked to complete are subject to rigorous appraisal using the New Approach To Appraisal process - and are carefully fitted into the local environment.

In addition, we will continue to deliver the schemes announced in the targeted programme of improvements. By the end of this year, we will have awarded contracts on 13 schemes in the targeted programme of improvements.

By 2005, we will have started work on all 40 schemes currently in the programme, subject only to the completion of outstanding statutory procedures. These schemes will widen around 100 miles of the strategic network and provide bypasses to 19 communities, benefiting nearly 3000 households.

But, not all problems will need to be solved by major schemes. We will also ensure that we are making best use of the existing strategic network through a wide range of measures including: introducing new technology such as the Highways Agency Traffic Control Centre mentioned in the Better Information section; and programmes which tackle the smaller bottlenecks that cause delays. We already have underway a programme of 51 smaller improvements, amongst our 100 Early Action Schemes, that will target these more localised congestion problems over the next three years.

We will develop Route Management Strategies for the strategic road network. Work on the first phase of these will start this year. These strategies will identify, as part of a rolling programme, further smaller, but effective, road improvements aimed at local congestion hot spots.

We will work hard to ensure that the safety record of our roads continues to improve. We want all our customers, motorists and non-motorists, to use the strategic road network in safety. Safer roads will also have fewer of the incidents and accidents that cause major delays.

We will do more to reduce congestion and provide reliable journeys for motorists. We will reduce problems by operating the strategic network more effectively - and clearing up delays faster when things do go wrong.

We will continue to develop better, more effective ways of maintaining the strategic road network. More effective construction and maintenance will mean fewer hold-ups while essential repairs are carried out.

These innovative approaches will allow us, working in close partnership with our stakeholders, to tackle congestion on our strategic roads and deliver the key outcomes anticipated by the Plan.

Further information

To obtain further information use the links below to visit other sections in the Highways Agency website.

• Route Management Strategies - Factsheet
• Stress 2000 (581KB PDF)
• Budget 2000 Schemes (724KB PDF)
• Multi Modal Studies (786KB PDF)
• North East Region (167KB PDF)
• North West Region (294KB PDF)
• Yorkshire & Humberside Region (244KB PDF)
• East Midlamds Region (268KB PDF)
• West Midland Region (309KB PDF)
• Eastern Region (268KB PDF)
• South East Region (366KB PDF)
• South West Region (451KB PDF)