Tag: national highways

• RIS 3 to feature “Safety National Programme”

  Back on the subject of what National Highways might actually deliver by way of safety improvements during the new Road Investment Strategy (RIS), a minister has confirmed that there will at least be one of the new-style National Programmes with “safety” as a title.

  With the 2026-31 strategy (RIS 3) is set to be published this week, probably Thursday, here’s what last summer’s draft RIS said:

  We are considering introducing new National Programmes to deliver defined outputs that support RIS objectives or commitments which are not within other programmes (for example, supporting specific programmes of activity around safety and environmental mitigation). These types of projects would have been funded via the Designated Funds in RIS1 and RIS2 but by making them distinct programmes we can more effectively monitor their delivery and outcomes. If these National Programmes were to feature in RIS3, their core purposes would remain the same as the Designated Funds, but they will provide a different delivery and funding model to complement the more flexible Designated Funds. If approved, the scope and size of Designated Funds will need to be reviewed as we define exactly what should be considered under each programme.

  In response to a written parliamentary question from Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, roads minister Lilian Greenwood said:

  National Highways has assessed the safety performance of the 6-mile section of the A483 between Oswestry and the Welsh Border, which includes the Llynclys Crossroads. Improvements to the route are being considered for delivery as part of the Safety National Programme within RIS3, which is due to be published later in March.

  

  The background to this is that two years ago Morgan (pictured) welcomed plans to cut the speed limit and install speed cameras at Llynclys Crossroads but this was subject to funding that never materialised. Now National Highways is believed to be looking at a roundabout, which would be a lot more expensive.

  It remains to be seen what the budget for the National Programme will be and indeed whether the A483 will be part of it, but a dedicated fund for safety is an improvement on the “Safety and Congestion” designated fund in the last RIS.

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  2026.03.23

• Third time lucky on National Highways’ most dangerous roads?

  With the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS 3) due imminently, does the latest safety report from National Highways’ regulator give any reliable hints about what the government-owned company will be expected to do to improve the inherent safety of its roads?

  While the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) seems to be on a mission to give National Highways a free pass as it fails badly to meet its safety targets, its recent annual assessment of safety performance on the strategic road network suggests that National Highways is planning to make at least some improvements.

  iRAP star rating provides an objective measure of the level of ‘built-in’ safety for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. It uses star ratings on a five-point scale, where a 1-star rating reflects a high-risk road with little safety infrastructure, while 5-star indicates a road with minimal risk, designed for safety.

  As part of our work to assess National Highways’ approach to improving safety we asked the company to demonstrate how it uses iRAP assessments to inform the development of safety interventions on the SRN. We have reviewed case studies and evidence the company has used to develop schemes currently in feasibility and design stages, for potential delivery in road period 3 (RP3).

  The report concludes:

  The evidence provided shows that National Highways is applying iRAP analysis to existing 1- and 2-star routes to identify the interventions most likely to improve safety outcomes. These include measures such as improved lane delineation, enhanced signing, pedestrian and cyclist safety improvements, speed management and access control (where road users join the SRN from local or other major roads). The aim of these interventions is to raise the star rating of the route and reduce the predicted number of KSI casualties over time.

  

  A cynic like me might think identifying potential interventions is pretty meaningless unless there is a chance of delivering them.

  But the flipside of this is that both the company and its regulator must have some expectation that resources will be provided in RIS 3 for this purpose.

  The problem is that the draft RIS 3, published in the summer, is so vague.

  Let’s start with what National Highways said in its 2023 Initial Report for the RIS that was due to start in 2025 until the new government put it back a year:

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  2026.03.20

• Did Cabinet Office comms diktat cost lives?

  The Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) annual assessment of safety performance on the strategic road network, published today, provides some explanation for the Department for Transport (DfT) telling National Highways to cut back its safety plan for the current (interim) year.

  By way of a quick recap, I exclusively revealed that transport secretary Heidi Alexander told the company of which she is the sole owner to remove one action from its planned Safety Action Plan 2025-26. This was the HGV “know your zones” campaign. National Highways also curtailed two other road safety awareness campaigns.

  All three had the expected impact of reducing serious casualties.

  In its latest report, the ORR comments on National Highways’ Interim Delivery Plan, which included the safety plan:

  As we reported last year, government mandated a reduction in budgets for communication campaigns in 2024, which resulted in National Highways scaling back some of its proposed activities.

  

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  2026.03.19

• Even less committed to road safety

  National Highways has effectively confirmed that it will halve the budget of its Driving for Better business campaign, which aims to reduce work‑related road risk.

  Fleet News has reported that:

  Fleet News understands that details around the future funding of the road safety programme are included in a draft business plan submitted by National Highways in response to the Government’s draft Road Investment Strategy (RIS).

  Sources suggest its annual budget will be halved from around £750,000 to £375,000 for the next financial year (2026/27).

  

  It notes that:

  Asked about the future of the Driving for Better Business campaign by Fleet News, National Highways wouldn’t be drawn on specifics, but said it remained “committed” to the programme.

  A National Highways spokesperson added: “National Highways funding for this programme continues, but we are reviewing as part of developing our plans for the next ‘road period’.

  “As with all our work, we regularly review to ensure we deliver the best value for taxpayer.”

  The non-denial, the use of the word “committed”, and the reference to “the best value for taxpayer” (sic) all provide a strong indication that the story is true.

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  2026.03.13

• Killer road safety officer walks free

  Last week, as Barry O’Sullivan was convicted of causing death by careless driving on a non operational smart motorway, the Telegraph reported:

  A road safety supervisor who struck and killed a pedestrian while speeding at almost twice the limit has avoided jail.

  Martin Hayward was driving his Audi A4 at up to 56 mph in a 30 mph zone in Southampton when Clare Munn stepped out onto a crossing.

  The National Highways road safety supervisor was said to be “flying” down the road and had already overtaken several cars before colliding with Ms Munn at between 40 and 50 mph.

  

  Yes, Hayward worked for National Highways and safety is its highest priority. It has not responded to my enquiry as to whether he still works for them.

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  2026.02.25

• We might be told very little a bit later than promised

  National Highways’ regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, has told me that it still expects the new Road Investment Strategy (RIS) to be published in March, despite some loose wording in a newsletter referring to publication “the start of April”.

  

  Separately, the roads minister has confirmed that the RIS will break down National Highways’ spending across “key categories” such as operations, maintenance, renewals and enhancements, but will not include forecast costs for specific enhancements.

  (more…)

  2026.02.02

• Might National Highways turmoil keep POPEs locked up for longer?

  The Sunday Times story about National Highways chief executive Nick Harris being “effectively forced to quit after losing the confidence of board members” is an interesting one, not just in its own right, but in terms of where it leaves the ongoing suppression of smart motorway evaluation reports.

  It is said that Harris’ relationship with the National Highways board broke down over his handling of the speed camera debacle and the paper infers and implies a causal relationship.

  But it doesn’t seem too sure, saying that “sources have claimed” that was Harris pushed out “after” rather than because of losing board members’ confidence.

  The speed camera debacle is of course all about how reliable National Highways’ smart motorway technology really is and the further debacle over the 30-hour closure of one of the tunnels at the Dartford Crossing hasn’t helped.

  

  The BBC reports:

  It is something that should not happen – an oversized vehicle entering and damaging a tunnel at one of Britain’s busiest river crossings.

  “Baffling” and “unfathomable” were just two words used to describe experts’ confusion over how multiple safety systems failed to prevent the incident at the Dartford Crossing on 23 January.

  The driver caused extensive damage along the entire length of the tunnel to multiple pieces of safety equipment, causing it to close for 30 hours.

  National Highways says an investigation is under way, but MPs say motorists and residents are owed an apology as well.

  (more…)

  2026.02.02

• Is Harris the fall guy for smart motorway failings?

  National Highways chief executive Nick Harris has announced what is said to be his decision to step down, but the obvious question is, did he jump, or was he pushed?

  The government owned company’s official announcement pointed out that he had held the role for five years, which is a decent stint, and he is reported to have just turned 60.

  But the suddenness of his departure does not exactly suggest proper succession planning. National Highways said he will stay in post “during a short transition period while the Board confirms interim leadership arrangements”, with recruitment for a permanent successor beginning in the spring.

  Harris said the start of the next five-year Road Investment Strategy (RIS) in April

  is the right moment for me to hand over to new leadership who will guide the organisation into its next chapter

  

  But the next couple of months, during which the new £24bn RIS will be finalised, are hardly an ideal time to be disrupting the organisation, and not the “smooth transition” promised.

  And although Harris has been in the job for the equivalent of a RIS period, the current interim period between RIS 2 and RIS 3 means his departure is very different from what happened when his predecessor, Jim O’Sullivan, announced his departure in August 2020.

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  2026.01.30

• “Better, greener and smaller” but probably not cheaper

  National Highways is spending more than £2m a year on what have been described as “swanky” new offices in Birmingham, a freedom of information request has disclosed.

  

  It was reported in August 2024 that the government-owned company had agreed a lease on 58,697 sq ft at Three Snowhill, to replace its current HQ at The Cube and other offices at Colmore Square.

  The “anchor tenant” at the building is BT.

  National Highways said at the time that the move would

  bring our Birmingham-based teams together under one roof at a convenient location in the centre of the city enabling better collaborative working and building on the community workplace feel that we have developed. 

  This was said to be part of its

  workplace and location strategy to create better, greener and smaller workplaces.

  Indeed, the Cube alone was 5,196.9 sq m, which translates as 55,936 sq ft.

  Asked for:

  a breakdown of the rental / purchase costs of National Highways head office at Snow Hill Queensway in Birmingham in 2024-2025, and how much has been spent so far per month in 2025-26

  The company replied:

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  2026.01.22

• Will Lightwood cover for National Highways…again?

  The Department for Transport (DfT) has asked a member of its own board to carry out the “independent” review of the snafu that led to thousands of drivers on smart motorways being wrongly prosecuted, with no guarantee that the outcome will be published.

  It has also admitted that National Highways is still working with the police to implement “a Home Office-approved solution to this issue”.

  The “anomaly” identified was that, while there should be a delay between a variable speed shown on a motorway gantry changing and HADECs cameras detecting vehicles over the new limit, this has not always happened.

  

  The DfT has claimed that National Highways has identified approximately 2,650 total erroneous activations since 2021, but the terms of reference for the review go back to 2019, when the upgrade of cameras began, “to ensure that everyone who has been impacted is identified”.

  In a written ministerial statement on 16 December, roads minister Simon Lightwood, who has made a career of covering things up since arriving at the DfT, promised ‘an independent investigation into how this technical anomaly came about, to ensure that lessons can be learnt’. 

  Transport Heidi Alexander has now appointed

  Tracey Westall OBE, Non-Executive Director of DfT, to be the lead reviewer for this independent review.

  I’m sceptical of any government appointed review being described as “independent” but appointing a member of the DfT board to lead an independent review invites ridicule.

  The terms of reference include who knew what, when?

  (more…)

  2026.01.22