Highways Agency

M6 Jct 20 to 44 / A74 Warrington to Scottish Border

The Strategy

What is the M6 Route Management Strategy?

The M6 Route Management Strategy is an action plan for the operation and maintenance of the highway for the next ten years.

It is based upon a systematic analysis of the characteristics, functions and problems on the highway to enable considered investment decisions throughout the network.

In developing this strategy, the Highways Agency has listened to the views of key stakeholders such as local councils, regional planning authorities, freight operators, the police and other relevant organisations.

This website outlines the functions & objectives for this length of the M6 and lists proposed actions for the future management & improvement of the route.

Further information on Safety, Congestion, Development and Land Use, Public Transport and Car Sharing, as well as the Route Action and Management Plan, is also available on this website.

Strategic Aim

The Strategic Aim is as follows:

To contribute to sustainable development by maintaining, operating and improving the road network in support of the Government's integrated transport and land use planning policies.

The Route Management Strategy (RMS) embraces five key policy objectives:

1. To protect and enhance the built and natural environment.
2. To improve safety for all travellers.
3. To contribute to an efficient economy to support sustainable economic growth in appropriate locations.
4. To promote accessibility to everyday facilities for all, especially those without access to a car.
5. To promote the integration of all forms of transport and land use planning, leading to a better, more efficient transport system.

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Why have a Route Management Strategy?

The Highways Agency has a set of strategic plans for the road network. The RMS has been designed to ensure that these plans are used to develop roads that better serve the people who use them.

The process has involved consultation with a wide variety of organisations from local councils to public transport operators. The views of the general public have also been considered.

Finally, the RMS ensures that transport improvements are integrated with other Studies and Plans, such as Multi-Modal Studies and Local Transport Plans.

How do we develop the Route Management Strategy?

The issues raised throughout the consultation determine the structure of the RMS and its development.

The timetable sets out the key dates in the development of the strategy.

Route Functions

The functions that the route serves now, and in the future are as follows:

National

• Is part of the Trans-European network
• Provides a major transport link for the movement of freight from Ireland and Scotland, through North West England, to Wales, the rest of England and Mainland Europe
• Helps provide a transport link from Irish Sea ports, East Coast ports, inland waterways and airports in the North West of England to other major routes
• Is a major part of the national motorway network
• Provides a link to important inter-regional east-west road and transport corridors (A75/A69, A66, M62, M56)
• Is an integral part of the main north-south transport spine in North West England alongside the West Coast Main Line

Regional

• Is a principal road link between the North West conurbations and national parks, recreational and rural areas
• Provides a major transport link between regional centres of population, education and major regional employment
• Is of vital importance to the economic performance of the North West Region
• Provides an all weather road crossing over major waterways (Manchester Ship Canal, Mersey, Ribble, Lune, Eden and Esk) and the Cumbrian Fells
• Is an important link to regional east-west corridors such as the M55, A580 and M58

Local

• Provides a bypass around urban areas
• Provides local access for employment, emergency services, health, education, social, retail and leisure purposes and passenger transport
• Should act as a future public transport corridor
• Provides access to inter-modal facilities, such as park and ride sites, freight terminals and coach interchanges.

Route Objectives

Route objectives have been derived for each of the Government's five investment criteria for transport as follows:

Environment: To minimise the impact of the trunk road network on both the natural and built environment

Safety: To improve safety for all road users and contribute to the Government's new safety strategy and targets for 2010

Economy: To take action to reduce congestion and increase the reliability of journey times. To give priority to the maintenance of trunk roads and bridge with the broad objective of minimising whole life costs

Accessibility: To implement traffic management, network control and other measures aimed at making best use of the existing infrastructure, to facilitate integration with other transport modes and to improve facilities for non-motorised users

Integration: To contribute to sustainable development by maintaining, operating and improving the trunk road network in support of the Government's integrated transport and land use planning policies.

Problems Identified

Problems identified along the route include:

• Accident clusters at particular locations
• High severity of accidents at some locations
• Regular congestion at certain locations
• Congestion due to delays in clearing incidents
• Poor lane discipline on the approach to some junctions
• Low standard of some motorway slip roads
• Difficult access at certain junctions in peak hours.

The Action Identification Framework, accessible through the links on the publications page, outlines the measures planned to address the problems identified.

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Route wide Actions

The following actions are suggested along the whole length of the route, categorised in accordance with the five objective categories:

Safety

• undertake safety and accident investigations along the route and implement remedial measures if necessary
• consider the provision of safety fencing where necessary
• review service area standards, parking provision and misuse of accesses by local traffic
• carry out a study into the need for improved provision of emergency telephones and the effects of discontinuities in the hard shoulder along the route.
• introduce Incident Support Units

Economy

• improve journey-time reliability
• in partnership with relevant stakeholders, develop and implement land use and development guidelines to encourage sustainable development at appropriate locations
• review of strategic signing to ports and airports, to towns and cities and at major interchanges

Environment

• use low-noise surfacing material for all new resurfacing works
• implement the Route Landscape and Biodiversity Action Plans

Integration

• investigate the potential for improved car sharing and/or park and ride facilities along the route, and the need for relevant driver information

Accessibility

• improve pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian crossing facilities at the appropriate locations.