RHA is calling on members to respond to a consultation on proposals laid out in the recently published National Highways 2025-2030 plan for the Strategic Road Network.

The plan, which comes under the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), eshews major new road building, focusing instead on upgrading existing roads, via proactive maintenance and improvement works.

The Strategic Road Network Initial Report for 2025-2030, published last week, also reveals National Highways plans to boost investment in schemes valued between £2m to £25m.

Despite its focus away from new road building, the report confirms that work will continue on delivering a number of schemes included within the 2020 to 2025 RIS2 plan during the RIS3 period.

These include projects such as the Stonehenge Tunnel, the Lower Thames Crossing and the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine dualling scheme.

Commenting on the report, RHA managing director Richard Smith called for members to submit their views on the report for inclusion in RHA’s submission. The consultation closes on 13 July 2023.

He added: “Of course we support the concept of greener ways to travel but road freight operators will always play a major role in the movement of goods from A to B.

“Poorly maintained roads cost the haulage industry millions of pounds each year. Vehicles in the workshop for repairs are losing operators across the UK thousands of pounds every hour.

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“Part of the costs can be recouped by increasing rates, but this is not enough. Why should the very industry, so vital to moving the economy, have to pay for the privilege of driving on a smooth road surface?”

Other proposals in the report include a continued focus on safety,with the aim of reducing fatalities and serious injuries through interventions such as targeted upgrades to single carriageway A-roads, initially focusing on 17 routes covering 235km.

National Highways is also planning to increase proactive maintenance as a way of reducing lengthy repairs and disruption on the network.

The report also proposes to increase the provision of real-time and personalised information for road users covering congestion, on-going incidents and planned roadworks.

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