The strategy sets out a long-term approach for infrastructure spending and includes plans for a new major road network, which would see a share of the National Road Fund, funded by vehicle excise duty (VED), given to local authorities to use for A roads under their management.
The aim is to better connect towns and cities, tackling bottlenecks and traffic jams and redirecting lorries from rural villages to main roads.
Transport secretary Chris Grayling says: “Getting transport spending right is crucial for the country’s future.
“The transport investment strategy sets out a blueprint for how we can harness the power of transport investment to drive balanced economic growth, unlock new housing projects, and support the government’s modern industrial strategy.”
The proposals for the major road network respond to a study last year, which highlighted the disparity between the funding and planning of Britain’s motorways and local authority A roads – previously, the VED-funded National Roads Fund was for national routes only.
The government’s strategy has been broadly welcomed by the road transport sector.
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) called it “good news for the sector”, but warned that VED funds alone cannot finance future road infrastructure projects.
“Major local authority roads form a crucial part of the road network so our members welcome the news that the new fund can be allocated to support a wider range of projects,” said FTA head of policy Christopher Snelling.
“However, this extension of use will undoubtedly mean greater calls on one pot of money, so the government will need to support infrastructure investment beyond just that provided by VED.”
The Road Haulage Association also welcomed the strategy’s key points, noting in particular that the new major road network will reduce journey times for all and “bring long awaited relief to those whose lives are disrupted by HGV traffic on main roads in rural areas”.
Richard Burnett, RHA chief executive, called for the plans to be implemented as soon as possible: “The devil lies in the detail. We need to know the timescale for the improvements – many of which will mean major civil engineering projects.
“These works must be completed on time. The agony of using the UK road network must not be prolonged any longer than necessary.”
Click the link below to see the transport investment strategy.