Highways Agency

A49 (A40 Ross-on-Wye to Shrewsbury)

The Strategy

Introduction

What is a Route Management Strategy?

A Route Management Strategy is a new method of planning our roads for the future. It looks at the whole picture by assessing the use and needs of a particular route with the intention of making better use by:

• Spending available money more effectively
• Making road planning tie in better with regional transport and planning decisions
• Allowing all users of the route to have their say. Local people often know more about local problems and what the solutions might be.

back to top

Why are we doing this?

The Highways Agency has a set of strategic plans for the trunk road network. Route Management Strategy is the system we want to use to take these plans from the drawing board and into reality - roads that better serve people who use them.

RMS is not about building new roads. It is about making better use of the roads we already have. We can't do this alone: local councils, regional planning authorities, bus and lorry operators, train companies and the police all have a contribution to make. We also need to take account of other plans. Government Offices are leading studies on some routes looking at all modes of transport.

That's why each Route Management Strategy has a carefully thought out process to involve as many people as possible - road users, people living nearby and campaign groups.

back to top

How will we do it?

RMS means we can take a ten-year forward look covering the maintenance, operation and improvement projects for each of the routes that make up the core trunk road network.

It looks at areas such as:

Route Functions and Performance

What does this road do now?

Route Objectives

What do we want this road to do in the future?

Route Strategy

The issues we need to tackle

Route Management Plan

Our ten-year vision for the road and the improvements we'd like to make.

back to top

Route Strategy

The route strategy provides a framework against which proposals for works on or improvements to the A49 between Ross-on-Wye and Shrewsbury can be considered. It will ensure that appropriate works can be implemented in a consistent manner to meeting the agreed route objectives and functions.

All proposed improvement works along the route must be reasonably practicable and provide value-for-money. In many instances, proposed schemes may not fully support the Route Strategy and there will need to be a balance struck between the individual elements of the Strategy when considering the scheme's suitability. Whilst the Route Strategy provides an overview of route requirements, it does not remove the need for development and assessment of schemes through the relevant statutory procedures and other processes.

back to top

Route Functions and Objectives

Route Functions

Like most major roads that pass through both rural and urban areas the A49 between Ross-on-Wye and Shrewsbury has a wide variety of functions serving a variety of users from commuters to equestrians. The use of the route can therefore be divided into 3 main categories:

Strategic

An external strategic route for north-south Welsh traffic

Regional

• Provides for north/south movements and connections to other routes within the region.
• Contributes to and facilitates economic activity, including farming and tourism, and regeneration aspirations
• Provides a public transport route and opportunities for modal interchange

Local

• A regional spine road: providing access to everyday facilities for local communities along and near the route:
• Shopping, education, work, leisure & health - for motorised and non-motorised users
• Provides access for local business, tourism & agricultural movements

Route Objectives

Based upon the functions and problems identified, a number of Route Objectives have been developed. These provide specific objectives for the A49 route which the strategy will seek to achieve, where appropriate, through a number of Actions. The objectives have been categorised under the following headings:

• Environment
• Safety
• Economy
• Accessibility
• Integration

Environment

Government Objective:

To protect and enhance the built and natural environment

Route Objectives:

• To assist efforts to improve air quality within the Hereford Air Quality Management Zone (e.g. by reducing congestion).
• To ensure effective measures are in place to protect the water environment from the effects of the quantity and quality of surface water run-off.
• To protect existing flora and fauna.
• To reduce the visual impact of the highway on its environment
• To improve the environment within communities through which the route passes

Safety

Government Objective:

To improve safety for all travellers

Route Objectives:

• To reduce the number of casualties and the severity of injuries amongst users of the route.
• To provide a standard of route appropriate to all its defined functions.
• To achieve consistent and a high standard of signing along the route.
• To encourage road users to travel at an appropriate speed.
• To improve safety for more vulnerable users, particularly cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians.
• To ensure safe access to schools along the route.

Economy

Government Objective:

To contribute to an efficient economy, and to support sustainable economic growth in appropriate locations

Route Objectives:

• To provide a standard of route appropriate to its strategic functions.
• To assist in reducing congestion on the A49 within Hereford
• To manage journey time reliability.
• To plan all works to achieve optimum whole life costs with minimal disruption to users.

Accessibility

Government Objective:

To promote accessibility to everyday facilities for all, especially those without a car

Route Objectives:

• To improve access to/for public transport.
• To improve facilities for non-motorised users both along and across the route.
• To make appropriate provisions to encourage the use of public transport.
• To reduce community severance.

Integration

Government Objective:

To promote the integration of all forms of transport and land use planning, leading to a better, more efficient transport system.

Route Objectives:

• To improve user information.
• To increase knowledge of user patterns and needs.
• To make better use of the route by working in partnership with road users, transport providers and operators, local authorities and those affected by the network

back to top

Route Problems and Possible Actions

A summary of the significant issues identified as potentially preventing the route performing fully in accordance with the stated objectives (together with the relevant Government investment area in brackets) is given below.

• Collision/Casualty analysis leading to the identification of infrastructure improvements to reduce casualties and severity of injury, (SAFETY)
• Development of a route speed strategy (SAFETY)
• Review of the signing along the route (SAFETY/ ACCESSIBILITY/ INTEGRATION/ ENVIRONMENT)
• Community severance - identify impact and develop measures to improve (SAFETY/ ENVIRONMENT)
• Identifying the needs of non-motorised users and making safe provision for such along and across the route. (SAFETY/ ACCESSIBILITY)
• Identifying particular problems of access to schools. (SAFETY/ ACCESSIBILITY)
• Developing a partnership with Herefordshire Council to address the problem of congestion in Hereford. (ECONOMY)
• Improvements to links to and interchange with public transport (INTEGRATION)
• Consideration of the particular needs of large vehicles and the appropriateness of the road geometry to provide a strategic route (ECONOMY)
• Review of surface water run-off, its threat to the water environment and the need for controls (ENVIRONMENT)
• The protection of wildlife (ENVIRONMENT)

In addition to current work and programmed schemes, specific Route Actions will be proposed to support the Route Strategy Objectives.

The Route Management Plan will show the intended implementation of the prioritised Actions over the 10-year period of the Plan.

A more detailed 3-year Action Plan will be prepared to show the planned sequence of actions over the first 3-years of the draft plan period.