Highways Agency

• Traffic Incident Management Bulletin

October 2007

Background

The Highways Agency network is universally recognised as one of the safest and most efficient road systems operating in the world today. However, traffic incidents, periods of high demand and severe weather can have a significant and negative impact upon traffic flows which can result in delays, the duration of which can be influenced by a whole host of variables.
 
The most effective way of relieving serious traffic congestion is to employ recognised incident management techniques and attempt to clear incidents as quickly as possible. However, there are occasions where severe congestion and extended delays are unavoidable which can lead to the travelling public being stranded on the network. Previously, a co-operative multi-agency effort has been used to provide stranded customers with basic emergency welfare items such as:

• drinking water
• food
• shelter
• blankets

A recent example of this is the ‘freak flooding’ in summer 2007 which affected areas in and around Gloucestershire and Worcestershire and resulted in an overnight closure of the M5.

Picture of the flooded M50

The Highways Agency has recently released Area Management Memorandum 94/07 (AMM 94/07) Emergency Customer Welfare. This sets out the Agency’s welfare policy. The introduction of this has been largely due to our apparently changing  climate and past severe weather events which may well become more frequent. This stresses the importance of Emergency Customer Welfare becoming a key component of the Highways Agency’s incident management capabilities.

It must be noted that Emergency Customer Welfare will only be used under exceptional circumstances and where all other incident management strategies have been attempted and exhausted.

Area Management Memorandum 94/07

The Highways Agency has no legal duty to provide welfare support. However recommendations from the Highways Agency’s Audit, Inspection and Consultancy Division, alongside commitments made to the Civil Contingencies Secretariat have resulted in the Highways Agency accepting responsibility for its customers’ welfare when journeys are disrupted and delayed on their network.

Issued on October 2nd, AMM 94/07 has been developed following wide ranging internal Highways Agency and multi-agency consultation. It was released with the specific purpose of introducing the new Emergency Customer Welfare national policy guidance and procedures. The new 2 part policy provides a structured approach to the provision of emergency welfare for persons, pets and livestock who become unavoidably detained and stranded on the Highways Agency network. 

The objectives of this AMM are to:

• summarise the development of these arrangements
• outline the new arrangements
• introduce and provide a direct link via the Highways Agency’s Portal and PartnerNET sites, to the Emergency Customer Welfare policy guidance documents

AMM 94/07 is supported by national policy guidance which is divided into two sections:

Volume 1 – Key Guidance

• How to implement ECW during an incident
• Role and Responsibilities
• Lines of communications

Volume 2 – Supporting Information

• Background information
• Advice on issues – emergency preparedness/legalities

Please follow the link to be directed to the guidance information.

Roles and Responsibilities

Under the new arrangements, a designated Traffic Officer will be appointed to act as the Bronze Welfare Liaison between the Emergency Customer Welfare Provider(s) and other responders present at the scene.

Role of Bronze Welfare Liaison Traffic Officer

Supply Chain Assistance

The Highways Agency has decided that welfare should be delivered by themselves, in partnership with an established and recommended supplier. The key advantage of this is to eliminate the requirement and creation of an additional internal infrastructure for the retention and management of perishable goods, such as food and drinks.

Subsequently, the Highways Agency appointed the British Red Cross and WRVS as preferred suppliers. A Memorandum of Understanding has since been developed with both providers which outlines an appropriate level of agreement should they be required to respond on behalf of the Highways Agency and provide Emergency Customer Welfare.

In addition to this, a separate agreement made in consultation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DeFRA) and Animal Health department, formerly State Veterinary Service (SVS), has resulted in RSPCA inspectors or animal collection officers being available for call out to attend incident scenes and provide emergency welfare assistance for livestock/pet animals who similarly become stranded along with their carers on the network.

The Highways Agency welfare policy is set out within AMM 94/07, providing a structured approach to the provision of Emergency Customer Welfare.  The new policy and procedures will only be activated under exceptional and extreme circumstances and where all other techniques have been attempted and exhausted. In doing this, the Highways Agency remains committed first and foremost to promoting the message of ‘travel prepared’, urging motorists to always carry their own personal welfare items when undertaking any journey on the roads, based on the fact that they never know when they might need it. 

Traffic congestion

Has this article been worthwhile reading? Why not take a moment to send us your comments, thoughts or questions. Please e-mail TIMbulletin@highways.gsi.gov.uk.