Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose of this Document

The Highways Agency (HA) is the network operator for England's network of trunk roads, including motorways. Whilst this network represents only a small proportion of the national road estate it has a far greater significance in terms of the extent to which it is used. Over 30% of all traffic is carried on the HA network and the proportion of HGV traffic is nearer 70% (by vehicle miles). Carrying such large volumes of traffic means that in areas near to busy trunk roads air quality is likely to be significantly influenced by vehicle emissions.

The need to consider air quality issues is however not something new to the HA and for several years the HA has been gaining expertise and experience in the assessment of air quality impacts and measures that may contribute to their reduction. Identified as a statutory consultee through the Environment Act 1995, the HA is committed to working in partnership with local authorities towards the delivery of the Air Quality Strategy (AQS). The objective of this document is to provide our partners with a guide to engaging with the HA. The document has three main purposes:

• to introduce the HA and set out the processes and contacts through which the HA can be engaged in the LAQM activity ;
• to describe how the HA can work in partnership with local authorities to deliver the Air Quality Strategy; and
• to indicate how emissions or concentrations can be affected by proposals.

1.2 Introducing the Highways Agency

Whilst the HA is well known to many local authorities there are many for whom contact prior to the AQS has been limited. Established in 1994, the HA is an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). The Secretary of State is responsible for overall Government policy on motorways and trunk roads in England and determining the strategic framework and the financial resources within which it operates.

1.2.1 What does the HA do?

The HA maintains, operates and improves the network of trunk roads and motorways in England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. The Agency currently manages and maintains a network of some 8,255 km of motorways and trunk roads in England.

Our aim is "Safe Roads, Reliable Journeys, Informed Travellers".

We have five key objectives:

1. To deliver a high quality service to all our customers by:

• improving road safety;
• making journeys more reliable through better network management and information; and
• respecting the environment.

2. To ensure more effective delivery through better working relationships
3. To implement best practice and innovative solutions to improve service now and in the future.
4. To be a good employer.
5. To be an efficient Agency with effective business processes and resource management systems.

Introducing the Highways Agency

1.2.2 Engaging the HA in Air Quality Management

The HA operates from seven regional offices with a small headquarters office in London. Each region is divided into areas containing a number of trunk road routes. To each is allocated a dedicated team and each route within an area has a route manager. In the first instance all contact with the HA on local air quality management issues should be with the relevant route manager.

The Agency's areas are shown on the map and are broadly summarized to the side. Please note that some counties appear in several Agency areas but the map shows which roads are included in each area.

Agency Areas

Broad Description

1. Cornwall and Devon
2. Somerset, Avon, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire
3. Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
4. Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex
5. Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey (M25 sphere including associated link roads, stubs and tails in London)
6. Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk
7. Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
8. Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Leicestershire
9. West Midlands, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and part of Warwickshire
10. Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and the Wirrel
11. Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire
12. Yorkshire and Humberside
13. Cumbria and parts of Lancashire
14. Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and North Yorkshire

The individual Agency areas can be seen here. The route manager can be identified by selecting which Area the road is in and emailing odareax@highways.gsi.gov.uk where x is the area number (for example odarea1@highways.gsi.gov.uk) and stating which road you are interested in and that you would like to contact the route manager.

The HA can also be contacted by telephone - the National Switchboard number is 08459 55 65 75 and the Information Line number is 08457 50 40 30.

To advise our route managers the HA also has specialist technical staff. The Environmental Policy group is responsible for the provision of technical advice including the air quality section within the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Volume 11, Part 3, Section1. This group also supports a number of air quality research projects and the HA's network of long term roadside air quality monitoring sites.