Recommendation 6

The Department has not provided enough support and guidance to local authorities to deal with current and future challenges in maintaining local roads. The Department is responsible for providing local authorities with guidance on the management and maintenance of local roads. However, it has not updated its guidance for several years, including on best practice, that could have helped local authorities in completing their work more effectively. The Department is looking to update its Code of 6 Practice for managing highway infrastructure for local authorities, but we are not clear whether this will be comprehensive in its consideration of road usage. For example, there are issues around safety, such as accessibility and visibility of walkways and cycle paths, which as technological and environmental requirements have developed may not have been considered. Future challenges also exist which the Department will have to consider, including how local roads will be fit for the introduction of autonomous vehicles and heavier electric heavy goods vehicles. recommendation a. As part of revising its Code of Practice, the Department should look to set out updated practices local authorities are expected to adopt and consider if following this best practice should be attached to funding. This should include guidance around supporting safety and accessibility for all road users, consideration of technology advances such as autonomous vehicles and consideration of the effect of maintenance on roads and bridges of heavier electric heavy goods vehicles, particularly if the 44 Gross Vehicle Weight were to be increased. b. The Department should regularly revise the Code of Practice as the road environment and the demands placed upon it continue to change. The Department should set out how it plans to do this in its response to the Committee’s report. 7 1 The Department for Transport’s oversight Introduction