Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Deferred
Paragraph: 21
Model and report SRN traffic scenarios to assess demand management contribution to net zero
Recommendation
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 Summary
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 user satisfaction metrics.
Paragraph Reference:
21
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The Government notes this recommendation. In preparing for RIS2, the Government undertook a significant consultation process, which captured the views and priorities of individuals and businesses. The work of Transport Focus was also invaluable for developing the content of RIS2. An overarching theme was the need for the right level of funding for SRN maintenance and renewal, alongside investment in upgrades. Capital spending on maintenance and renewals increased by over 50 per cent between RIS1 and RIS2, with a commitment to long term, multi-road period plans for structures renewals, retiring concrete roads and safety barrier replacement. As noted in the Government’s response to Recommendation 3, in RIS2, almost half of the investment in strategic roads, though often described as roadbuilding, is in fact for renewing, maintaining and operating the existing network or for funds to retrofit the existing network to improve safety, enhance the natural environment, and tackle noise or pollution. It remains important to strike the right balance between renewing and maintaining the SRN while also delivering enhancement projects that support other objectives, such as improving safety, and which include work to maintain, renew and improve the resilience of existing assets, often addressing enduring legacy issues of poor network performance. In RIS2, National Highways already reports against a road user satisfaction key performance indicator (KPI), with a 73 per cent target agreed for 2023/24. Due to the nature of this data collection, monitoring National Highways’ performance against this metric was suspended during the Covid 19 pandemic. However, new methodology has been developed and agreed with Transport Focus, and been reinstated for 2023/24. Looking ahead to RIS3, Transport Focus is directly involved as an active participant in the strategy-setting process alongside the Department for Transport, National Highways and the ORR. Transport Focus’s participation ensures the user voice is incorporated throughout the process. We continue to think through the investment priorities for RIS3. More details will be set out in the draft RIS3 later in 2023.