RAC welcomes roads investment strategy as a victory for common sense

RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: “Today’s announcement is to be applauded as a victory for common sense and a clear blueprint for investment in England’s strategic road network which will deliver long-term benefits for all road users and for the UK economy.

“The strategy is primarily aimed at improving the existing network with only a small minority of schemes involving new routes and in this way, environmental impact is minimized. The announcement of 127 high-grade projects across England including 400 additional miles of Smart motorway and the upgrading of major stretches of the most heavily used A-routes to ‘Expressway’ status is great news. This will deliver significant improvements to journey times, reliability and user experience for businesses, commuters and family motorists.

“The challenge for the vast majority of road users who will benefit from these schemes is to secure the commitment of the next government, to ensure that that they are delivered on time and within budget and that the strategy does not become just another set of empty promises.

“Another concern for motorists must be that without matching the investment in the strategic network by an equally bold investment in local roads, strategic roads could become ‘roads to nowhere’. With current pressure on budgets, local authorities cannot afford to deal with the £12 billion backlog in road maintenance and greater support from central government is essential.

“Local roads account for 97% of the road network and most journeys start and end on them and their maintenance is the number one transport spending priority for a majority of motorists, who contribute over £40 billion to the Treasury from motoring taxes every year.”