M62 - Your Local History
A lot of finds were uncovered during the archaeological evaluation carried out for the M62 Junction 6 Improvement scheme so we thought it would be nice to provide an interactive website so you can see what we found.
Better information for your journey
The National Traffic Control Centre collects real-time information on road conditions
Lane Hog!
John Stapleton looks into why people Lane Hog and what effects it has on the driver hogging the lane and other road users.
Educating tomorrow's drivers
See how we are driving through key messages about safety on our network for the drivers of tomorrow.
Meet the Ancestors
Find out about the history of roads and the work the Agency does to preserve archaeological remains.
See when traffic will be lightest
Our traffic forecaster can help get you there quicker
Highways Agency comments on the issues raised
Comments follow on the major issues that have arisen from the consultation within four broad areas:
Service provision
The Agency is encouraged by the support expressed for the RTCC initiative from both public and private sectors. To answer some of the more specific questions on service, we need to define the RTCC service specifications and operational boundaries, giving a high priority to the needs of road users. The aim will be to define the core services to be provided by RTCC operators. This will assist Ministers in considering the initiative in the context of their current transport policy reviews.
During the service-definition phase, the Agency will consult further with existing driver information providers to ensure that the RTCC initiative can facilitate the creation of a traffic, or travel, information highway. This is likely to include consultation with service providers for modes of travel other than roads, who might help formulate proposals for the supply of information about integrated transport services.
In-car driver information systems are beginning to emerge and these all rely on robust real-time traffic data. RTCCs are seen as a potential supplier of consistent and reliable real-time traffic information and the Agency will now develop requirements for this information flow as part of the RTCC's core services.
The definition of free public service information is very important. The Agency will draw a clear distinction between these free services and the value-added revenue-generating opportunities in the service definition. The need to ensure that all road users benefit from road safety advice will be a major influence when defining the free services specification.
Institutional issues
RTCCs appear to offer a good way of achieving strategic traffic control on the network but they are likely to have an impact on existing PCOs. The Agency will seek to agree a memorandum of understanding with the police service covering the authority and responsibilities of RTCCs in relation to police operations. The Agency will hope to achieve this through the existing joint study committee comprising representatives of the Agency and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).
The agreements reached with external organisations are intended to frame the operational boundaries within the service definition. The overriding aim will be to achieve effective and safe national strategic management of the trunk road network on behalf of the Highways Agency, whilst still ensuring rapid tactical level response to local traffic conditions.
Further consultation will also take place to help determine the necessary liaison arrangements between RTCC operators and local authorities. The Agency intends that RTCCs will avoid diverting traffic from the trunk road network on to local authority roads by giving drivers appropriate strategic alternative routes while they are still well away from congestion and incidents.
The Agency believes that strategic decisions about network management would be best achieved by the RTCC operator having sufficient staff with traffic engineering and operations expertise. The RTCC operator would implement established procedures and plans agreed with the police, local authorities and the Highways Agency. This would be reflected in the core service definition.
The Agency will also establish the liaison requirements between their maintaining agents and RTCC operators regarding the timing and operation of roadworks, but further contractual agreements are not envisaged. The overall aim will be to manage the network through close co-operation and liaison with those responsible for maintenance. These arrangements would include DBFO operators, but again further formal agreements are not envisaged.
It is important to ensure compatibility with initiatives taking place in Scotland, Wales, the rest of Europe and the Urban Traffic Management and Control initiative. This should include the ability to exchange information about congestion and incidents between RTCCs and other UK and European centres. The Agency is already liaising closely with all other UK initiatives and keeping abreast of developments elsewhere. Appropriate European protocols and standards will be adopted for RTCCs.
Financial issues
A strong message from the consultation was that the private sector considers the current potential revenue streams to be insufficient for a fully self-financing project. The Agency will explore these areas further with the private sector and also examine alternative procurement options based on public and private partnerships. This will take into account the new guidelines for private/public partnership projects issued by the Paymaster General in late June.
Once RTCC services have been defined, operator performance targets - and possibly financial bonuses/penalties - will be considered. These will be developed to act as a mechanism to ensure a good-quality service to road users and proper accountability of RTCC operators to the Highways Agency. Indicators to define and measure the performance of both the RTCC operators and the road network are likely to be required.
Implementation issues
The number of contracts required to implement the RTCC initiative will be determined by considering the national strategic operation of RTCCs, the need for a detailed knowledge of the local road network, and a procurement strategy. One RTCC covering the whole country would permit the simplest network management operations but the Agency will wish to ensure competition for the supply of RTCC services, through its procurement procedures.
The Agency will wish to act as the client for the provision of the RTCC services, and as such would expect to exercise management control through service level agreements. We do not envisage having an independent regulator.
The Agency's procurement philosophy is to specify core service requirements and operational obligations to third parties. This would, however, still give tenderers maximum freedom to propose ways of delivering these services. Such an approach is likely to deliver the most efficient projects and the best value for money.
