Recommendations & Conclusions
14 items
1
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Deferred
The Strategic Road Network plays an important role in economic growth and productivity. However, the extent to which further investment in the Network would help to boost growth, in comparison to investment in other modes of transport and connectivity, is contested. We intend to look in more detail at how …
Government response. The government noted the committee's recommendation and its intention to conduct a future inquiry, then proceeded to outline its existing decarbonisation strategy for transport and plans for reviewing progress.
Department for Transport
2
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Accepted
Transport remains the biggest greenhouse gas contributor in the UK and the Government’s strategy for decarbonising transport by 2050 is reliant on a rapid switch to zero emissions vehicles. However, in all future scenarios modelled by the Department for Transport, traffic on the Strategic Road Network is forecast to increase, …
Government response. The government partially agreed, outlining its credible strategies for the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including a planned zero emission HGV infrastructure strategy for 2024, and work on hydrogen refuelling stations, but did not explicitly address managing demand for …
Department for Transport
3
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Acknowledged
In our recent report on Implementation of the National Bus Strategy we recommended that a debate needs to be had about whether the Department for Transport should introduce a target to reduce car usage in England by the end of the decade, such as those seen in Scotland and Wales. …
Government response. The government stated it agrees with the recommendation that a debate is needed on introducing a car usage reduction target for England. However, the response then outlined existing investment in strategic road network maintenance and upgrades, without specifying how the …
Department for Transport
4
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Deferred
The Government should model and report on scenarios where traffic levels on the SRN are a) reduced and b) maintained at current levels, alongside the transition to a cleaner vehicle fleet, in order to assess the potential contribution of demand management to reaching net zero.
Government response. The government noted the recommendation but did not commit to modelling and reporting on scenarios where traffic levels on the Strategic Road Network are reduced or maintained at current levels. Instead, it discussed past consultation processes, current maintenance spending, and …
Department for Transport
5
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Deferred
We welcome Project Rapid’s dedicated fund for enhancing electric vehicle charging provision on the Strategic Road Network, but a quicker and greater rollout of rapid charging points and supporting infrastructure will be required to support a future electric vehicle fleet, especially considering the target for all new freight vehicles to …
Government response. The government notes the recommendation and explains its existing processes for assessing deliverability in Road Investment Strategies (RIS). It states that specific details on future investment priorities for rapid charging infrastructure will be set out in the draft RIS3 later …
Department for Transport
6
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Accepted
The Government must provide a credible strategy which sets out how the SRN will meet the fuel needs of the future vehicle fleet, including for freight, and provide milestone targets for delivering infrastructure to do so. (Paragraph 26) Meeting user priorities
Government response. The government partially agrees, explaining its existing use of experts like the ORR and IPA in developing and scrutinising Road Investment Strategies. It states that existing plans are in place to mitigate risks to project delivery, but does not commit …
Department for Transport
7
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Accepted
The existing Strategic Road Network is ageing and requires significant renewal work in places, while many users want to see better day-to-day maintenance and upkeep of the network. Future investment should be focused on renewing older parts of the SRN and ensuring that resources are available to run the network …
Government response. The government notes the recommendation, describing its existing engagement with Sub-national Transport Bodies and National Highways' current license requirements regarding stakeholder views for investment priorities. It does not commit to prioritising maintenance and renewal over new projects in future Road …
Department for Transport
8
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Deferred
Providing the level of day-to-day running and upkeep that meets the needs of SRN users will require revenue funding alongside capital investment in more costly renewal and repair projects. The Government must, therefore, make sufficient provision for both revenue and capital maintenance funds. This funding could be gained by cancelling …
Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation but addresses the aspect of project reporting rather than funding levels for maintenance. It committed to exploring the opportunity for more frequent public project reporting in a single dashboard format with National Highways and …
Department for Transport
9
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Acknowledged
Throughout RIS 1 and 2, there has been a consistent theme of overly ambitious portfolio planning, and National Highways has overspent and underdelivered. Despite delays in RIS 1, an even more ambitious portfolio was chosen for RIS 2. Schemes have been consistently pushed back into the following RIS portfolio, and …
Government response. The government acknowledges the recommendation, stating that deliverability is assessed when setting a RIS and that the ORR has an important role in the process. They highlight actions taken to manage RIS2, including increased staffing and lessons learned from RIS1, …
Department for Transport
10
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Rejected
Given the history of consistent delays to complex projects, it seems that portfolios to date have been too ambitious and have suffered from ‘optimism bias’. The Department needs to ensure that future RIS portfolios which include such projects are deliverable; it is time for the Government to reconsider its portfolio …
Government response. The government notes the recommendation, stating it already assesses deliverability with independent scrutiny and has increased resources. It rejects the idea of making portfolios smaller due to inefficiency and long delivery periods for complex projects, but confirms investment priorities for …
Department for Transport
11
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Accepted in Part
The Government should implement more robust and transparent measures to assess deliverability when setting a RIS so that a wider range of stakeholders can flag risks to completing projects on time. We are scrutinising the draft revised National Networks National Policy Statement in a separate inquiry, but regardless of what …
Government response. The government partially agrees, stating that existing expert involvement (ORR, IPA) is adequate for assessing deliverability. It commits to continue managing portfolio and project risks, citing existing action plans for DCO risks and mitigation strategies for inflation.
Department for Transport
12
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Rejected
Sub-national transport bodies were established following the publication of National Highways’ licence, and therefore have no codified role in the RIS setting process. There are good examples of collaborative planning and working between STBs and National Highways, but this is inconsistent. An acknowledgement of STBs in National Strategic road investment …
Government response. The government notes the recommendation but is not currently planning to review or re-issue National Highways' licence to include a formalised engagement process with STBs. It states that STBs are already engaged through existing licence requirements and joint action plans.
Department for Transport
13
Conclusion
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Accepted
Understanding and scrutinising the delivery progress of a RIS portfolio, or given project is not simple. It involves cross-referencing several annual reporting documents from National Highways and the Office of Rail and Road which are not updated with changes made in the interim. This is not accessible or transparent, especially …
Government response. The government agrees with the recommendation and will work with National Highways and the ORR to explore the opportunity for more frequent public project reporting in one place, while acknowledging that a genuinely 'live' update system is not practical.
Department for Transport
14
Recommendation
Sixth Report - Strategic road investment
Accepted in Part
The Government should work with National Highways to introduce a “live” project dashboard which provides up-to-date information on each project in the RIS 1, RIS 2 and subsequent RIS portfolios. The dashboard should provide information on original and current: costs; Start of Work date; Open for Traffic date; and planning …
Government response. The government accepts the recommendation in principle, agreeing to work with National Highways and the ORR to explore opportunities for more frequent public project reporting in a single dashboard, acknowledging that a truly 'live' system would not be practical.
Department for Transport