The main objective for the UK is to tackle road congestion and pollution, and to transform the whole of our transport system. In England, the Highways Agency is responsible for the building and maintenance of the strategic road network on behalf of the Department for Transport. Planning Policy Guidance Notes set out objectives to integrate planning and transport, promote sustainable transport choices and create better accessibility through public transport. Regional Transport Strategies (RTS) enable road users' needs to be addressed regionally in a sustainable manner, based on environmentally friendly modes, focusing on making better use of the existing transport infrastructure. The Highways Agency's Network Strategy sets out to influence the RTS to reflect the service provided to users by motorways and trunk roads. It highlights priorities for effective investment, management and delivery of road network solutions. At the local level, authorities are required to submit plans setting out their objectives and targets for transport strategies in line with national objectives. To improve existing policies to reduce pollution, road casualties, and to ease congestion. Emphasise the need to integrate environmental, social and economic factors into transport projects. Impact of road projects. In the UK, roads provide increased mobility with better access to employment and services. However those without access to a car are in danger of 'social exclusion' Pollution. The Government is attempting to reduce noise and air pollution with a number of initiatives e.g. introduction of 'cleaner' fuels. 'Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone' is a new Government Strategy, which sets out road safety and casualty reduction targets to be achieved by 2010. All strategic road proposals in the UK are subject to public consultation, concern about their impact has meant that some schemes have received a hostile response from a small proportion of the local public and from lobby groups. Implementing a 'roads and sustainable development ' policy Environmental impacts are now taken into account when planning and designing new transport projects, considering air quality, noise, emissions, land, wildlife etc. 'Toolkit' focuses on integrating the trunk road network with other modes of transport through measures such as safer interchanges between modes, up to date information, public transport issues, managing traffic and the efficiency of the network. Multi modal studies provide a comprehensive look at transport problems, and offer solutions in which all types of transport can play a part, rather than the one-dimensional approach used in the past. Transport policies and programmes require integration with other transport modes, in order to ensure that outcomes are beneficial in economic, environmental and social terms. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135448.
Abstract