Transport Insights

My deep dive into National Highways’ record of safety improvements up to the end of the 2020-25 Roads Period has thrown up what I hope will be some useful information for people in the sector.

The company’s webpages on its various “designated funds” include one on “Safety”, which states:

In Roads Period 2 (2020-2025), we delivered over 570 safety schemes, focused on delivering the greatest possible impact for road users. 

This is implies that the schemes were paid for from the designated fund for “Safety and Congestion”, which was originally worth £140m over the five years but was cut along the way.

I asked National Highways’ regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, what it knew about this, eventually using the Freedom of Information Act to get an answer.

It helpfully replied that does not hold a record of 570 schemes…

However, we do have a list of [76] safety schemes that National Highways have claimed to have delivered in RP2 under designated funds that fall within scope of your request.

While this would suggest that National Highways carries out a lot of safety improvements outside its designated funds programme, the significance of this needs to be judged in terms of the scale and effectiveness of the other 494 improvements and whether they were safety schemes or other enhancements with a safety benefit.

But that total of 570 over five years also puts into context National Highways claim to have planned an “additional” 24 road safety schemes in 2024-25 under an “enhanced” plan to improve its poor record in reducing serious casualties, of which it implemented just five by March.

Anyway, here are the names of the 76 designated funds schemes as supplied by the ORR…

A46/A1 Eastern Junction

M1 J27 Safety Improvements

A52 Bramcote to Priory SPECS Cameras

A66 Cumbria-Bowes Gaps DF T4

A64 Village Gateways

A64 Whitwell Duals

A63 South Cave – MSIF

A46 Cattlemarket Roundabout

A46/A1 Western Junction

Old Stratford Roundabout Improvement

A421 – Salford Road Junction Improvement Trial

A12 J25 Easthorpe

A21 Kippings Cross & Scotney Roundabouts

A3 Potter Lane DS option

Wrong Way Driving Junction Locations A1(M) Junction 4 and Junction 5* and M25 Clacket Lane Motorway Services Area

A30 Crowlas Speed Limit

A66 New Lane Junction

A27 Falmer VRS Phase 2

A30 Treswithian to St Erth Signing Scheme

A30 to A38 M5 J31 Link Safety Review

A259 VSL Sign Replacement, Guestling Bradshaw School

M1 J2 Speed Reduction

A30 Honiton EB 246.8 Layby

A590 Roundabouts – A590 Brettargh Holt Roundabout

A590 – Newby Bridge RTL

A3 Potters Lane Junction

A27 Lewes Bonfire and Clearway – Permanent Solution

A5 Hobby Fish Safety Improvement

A5 Northampton Road Junction Safety Improvement

A63 Brighton Street

A303 Honiton 247.2-234.2 Sfty

A36 Alderbury Bypass Wrong Way Driving

A30 Victoria Junction Safety

A38 G’dstne-Drybrdge Closure of Gap in Barrier

A616 / A628 Village Gateways

A46 Warwickshire Junction Treatment

A21 Tonbridge Pembury NMU_AD

A27 Cophall Farm Roundabout for Major Projects

A550 Route Consistency South

A19 Link 7 Safety

A46 Worcestershire (A435 to A4184) Safety Improvements (bends package)

M4 J17-19 Barrier Gap Closure Feas

A19 Link 9 Safety

A49 Shropshire Junction Treatments

A49 Shropshire Bends

A31 B3078 Lake Gates

A35 Penn Duals MSIF

A47-A1064 Acle Roundabout Safety Improvement

A46 Worcestershire Junction Treatments

A50 BP Services Safety Improvements

A1 Water Newton KSI Improvements

A12 J17 Howe Green – Safety Improvement

Area 14 A1T Haggerston Safety & Congestion Feasibility 21/22

A66 Warcop Signs 

A66 Stainmore Café Signs 

A1(M) J6 NB Safety Improvement DF

M5 J9-12 Barrier Gap Closures

A36 82.7-81.9 BD Speed Limit

A5 Jcn Grays Lane & Pury Road Junction Safety Improvement

M1 J8-J9 Safety Improvements DFS1700

A1M J9-J8 Safety Improvements DFS1702

M65 J2 Safety

A12 Marks Tey to J29 Colchester Safety Improvements DFS1701

A47 Kings Lynn to Pentney Safety Improvements DFS1704

A595 Howgate Roundabout

A23 Brighton Road Hooley Speed Limit Review

A49 Herefordshire Bends

A49 Herefordshire Junctions

A47 Brundall RAB with Cucumber Lane, Brundall Safety Improvements

A1 Safety Improvements South of Grantham

A585 Norcross to Thornton Speed Limit Review

A590 Foulshaw Moss

A66 Newbiggin Junction Improvement

A40 Huntley to Boxbush BD MP 186.2 – 182.9 Speed Reduction

A417 Birdlip Double White Lining Safety Scheme

A595/A66 Fitz Roundabout