Martin Saarinen

Delaying repairs is not the answer to reducing jams on our creaking road network

IN Issue 1,496, we reported on how jams on the UK’S motorways and A-roads are costing the economy £9billion a year in lost productivity, fuel wastage and pollution. Headline figures showed over 1.35 million instances of congestion in the past 12 months with the worst lasting over 15 hours and costing £2.36million.

We even polled the UK’S road experts on what can be done to improve our cluttered network, and they suggested everything from redesigning crash barriers so they can be easily removed to alerting drivers of accidents quicker and redesigning the road system to accommodate more vehicles than ever before.

None of the suggestions included delaying much-needed repairs and improvements to the road system, but this is exactly what Highways England has decided in recent days.

Last month, the body announced delays to 22 road schemes, with 16 held back by anywhere between three months and two years.

Some of the delayed works are on known congestion hotspots like the M25 and M60. Others will be scrapped as the agency considers whether they represent good value, while others are being held back as Highways England says doing too many repairs at once could cause congestion.

Highways England has promised to start 10 other roadworks schemes sooner than anticipated, but this isn’t enough according to motoring experts who point out that by ignoring these vital repairs they’re only allowing the problems to build up. No solution to a problem has ever come from ignoring it. It’s time our highways agencies start learning this.

“No expert suggested delaying road repairs to cut jams, as Highways England has now done”