Transport User Voice – Users have their say on future roads investment

30 June 2017

Having spoken to more than 10,000 road users since becoming the watchdog in 2015, Transport Focus is calling for a commitment to deliver their top priorities for improvement for England’s major roads.

Launched at the New Civil Engineer’s UK Transport conference, our latest report, Road users’ priorities for the Road Investment Strategy, 2020-25, details the top road user issues that should be tackled by the second Road Investment Strategy.

Drawing on our road user research, the report calls for a number of areas of improvement to be delivered as part of the next Road Investment Strategy.

Launching the report our Chief Executive Anthony Smith said:

“What road users want must be at the heart of the second Road Investment Strategy, whether it’s about maintaining the existing roads or providing more capacity to increase reliability and reduced journey times.”

“As Government decides what it will buy from Highways England in the next five years, the voice of the road user must be heard loud and clear. Transport Focus will provide that voice. Car drivers have different needs to lorry drivers, who have different needs to cyclists. All have to be taken into account.”

The report’s key recommendations, drawn on a number of Transport Focus research projects, include:

Enhancing safety

• Further reductions in the number of accidents on motorways and major ‘A’ roads, including those which do not result in death or serious injury

Improving journey times

• Reducing congestion and increasing predictability through better operation of the network and investment in new capacity

Future-proofing new investment

• Making sure investment made in the second Road Investment Strategy is ready to accommodate connected and autonomous vehicles

Improving roadside facilities

• Addressing deficiencies at motorway services, particularly in provision for lorry drivers and in facilities for users of Highways England’s ‘A’ roads

Providing better information for users

• Providing the information road users, including the logistics industry, need to take informed decisions at times of disruption, whether planned or unplanned

Improving road surface quality, signage and lighting

• A zero-tolerance approach to poor quality road surface, signage, road-markings and lighting.

Road users’ priorities for the Road Investment Strategy, 2020-25 report can be found here.

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