The transport industry has welcomed comments made by the Prime Minister about a ‘roads revolution’ that will see £15 billion invested in the motorway network over the next six years.
Speaking at the CBI Conference this week, David Cameron said that government will embark on “the biggest, boldest and most far-reaching road improvement programme” for 40 years and that the more details will be outlined in the Autumn Statement on 3 December.
Malcolm Bingham, FTA’s head of Road Network Management Policy said, “FTA is pleased to hear of the planned ‘roads revolution’, as such improvements have to be good news for all UK freight operators. Improved road reliability will help to ensure transport operators can provide an efficient service to their customers and will reduce the unnecessary costs associated with traffic jams.”
Traffic data firm Inrix welcomed the proposals, but questioned whether simply widening roads would produce the increase in capacity required. Nick Simmonds, General Manager said, “Roads are the lifeblood of the UK’s transport infrastructure and while a £15 billion investment may help ease gridlock across the country in the short term, we also need to be looking at alternative methods underpinned by innovative new technologies and traffic data.”
A spokesperson for SMMT said, “Commercial vehicles are vitally important to the day-to-day functioning of the UK, and any investment into the road network to facilitate their operation is welcome. We will await further details of the proposed funding before commenting further.”
