Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

A better service

A better service

Delivery of the 10 Year Plan sets real and welcome challenges for the Highways Agency, in active partnership with many other organisations. The 10 Year Plan offers considerable opportunities and the resources that we need to enhance progressively the services we provide to our customers.

This document, "Strategic Roads 2010", explains in greater detail how the Highways Agency will go about playing its part in delivering the 10 Year Plan, in close partnership with our stakeholders. It gives a high level overview of what the Agency will do over the next 10 years. We will follow it up with more detailed discussions with specific stakeholders on what the plan means for them.

The Highways Agency has a major role to play in delivering six of the key outcomes described in the 10 Year Plan.

Easing Congestion

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

Effective Maintenance

Road condition maintained to a high standard, so that the proportion requiring maintenance in any future year is held at an optimum level (between 7% and 8%).

Safer Travel

A 33% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on the strategic road network and a 10% reduction in the slight casualty rate by 2010.

Better Information

Greater confidence for road users in planning their journeys as a result of instant access to information about conditions on the network.

Quieter Roads

Reduction in traffic noise benefiting 3 million people living within 600m of trunk roads.

Delivering in Partnership

A more effective roads programme, with better evaluation of needs, and options, quicker delivery and lower impacts on the environment. In addition, the 10 Year Plan anticipates that the Highways Agency will make increasing use of new technology to provide more reliable journey times, improve safety and control traffic flows. This will allow smarter network management and operation - our Smarter Roads of the future.

We intend to deliver these outcomes through a wide range of measures and improvements, which are outlined in the following sections. There is a great deal to do. But in meeting these challenges we will work with other transport service providers to ensure better choice, and more seamless journeys for travellers.

These activities will be underpinned by continuous improvements in the delivery of our services, making them more modern and efficient.

Many improvements are already underway; others will take more time. We will make real changes over the next ten years to provide:

• less stressful, more reliable journeys
• best value from our strategic road network
• a safer strategic road network
• better information for drivers
• roads that are easier to live with
• more effective delivery

In short, a better quality service for all our customers.