Highway authorities in the United Kingdom have made good progress in developing and maintaining their networks to provide the best service to road users and to keep inconvenience to a minimum. The UK's response to user demands has been evidenced by: The development of high-level strategies and plans for road-based transportation in each of the 4 countries making up the United Kingdom, all of which have been subject to wide-ranging public consultation. The emergence of the Best Value initiative which uses a structured process to determine the needs and expectations of local people, and through the use of benchmarking and competition has developed key performance indicators, within a performance management framework, as a hallmark of good service. There have been technological innovations to reduce inconvenience to road users: Smarter network management through the increasing use of Intelligent Transport Systems. This includes incident detection and traffic information services to provide the road user with timely and credible data on which to base decisions about route selection, travel time and choice of travel mode. Urban Traffic Management and Control systems to optimise travel time through the network and give public transport priority over other vehicles. Advances in winter service management systems for faster dissemination of forecasts and real-time weather data to those making treatment decisions, so helping to keep traffic moving on the busier roads by applying treatment at the optimum times. Technical advances have provided better service to road users through: The use of innovative materials such as thin wearing course systems, and the quality assurance procedures necessary to ensure fitness for purpose. Improved design methods and standards to produce better and more economical solutions to difficult problems such as poor ground conditions. The Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance and more rigorous pavement assessment systems have improved the management of road maintenance. New techniques to reduce the impact of roads on the communities they pass through. Intelligent Transport Systems to improve public transport systems for those without access to a car. Improvements in the organisation of construction and maintenance works have provided better service by: Better procurement strategies, designed to produce more economical projects through a partnership approach among the construction team. The use of Public/Private partnerships to promote innovation and to optimise whole life project costs and delivery of service outcomes. The increasing use of performance specifications to reduce works cost and encourage innovation. Better management of utility companies to reduce the disruption caused when they place equipment under the road. Robust regimes for routine safety inspections to improve safety for road users. Increased awareness of good environmental practice to improve the sustainability of road projects. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135448.
Abstract