National Highways has delivered significant improvements for road
users in the second road period (RP2 2020 - 2025), says the
Office of Rail and Road (ORR), but the company must learn lessons
from missed commitments to deliver better performance in the next
Road Period.
According to ORR's assessment of National Highways' performance
and delivery, published today (Friday 18 July), over the last
five years the company opened 30 major enhancement schemes for
traffic with another 11 under construction, achieved improved
environmental outcomes, and met targets for clearing incidents;
mitigating the impact of roadworks; and maintaining the road
surface.
National Highways also made £2.2bn in efficiency savings, more
than its target. This is notable in the context of high inflation
during the period, and a significantly altered programme,
including the National Emergency Area Retrofit scheme on all lane
running smart motorways.
However, the company missed or is likely to miss five of its 12
key performance indicators, for reasons both within and outside
its control. These five are:
- The number of people killed or seriously injured on the
strategic road network;
- Timeliness and accuracy of roadworks information;
- Corporate carbon reduction;
- Mitigation of delay; and
- Road user satisfaction levels.
The company also did not deliver 11 enhancements to the dates it
committed, as well as two of its five renewals outputs
commitments, for reasons within its control.
In light of its missed and forecast missed commitments, ORR
expects National Highways to use the current time between RP2 and
RP3, as it reaches the end of its first decade, to collate the
lessons it has learned into a continuous improvement plan, so it
can better prepare to meet its commitments and challenges in RP3
and beyond.
National Highways must also continue the good progress it has
made to implement its improvement plan following ORR's
investigation into its performance and capability. This includes
improving its ability to understand the impacts of interventions,
and how these translate into improved performance and delivery
for road users.
John Larkinson, ORR chief executive, said:
“Ten years ago, roads reform changed the way England's strategic
roads are planned, funded and delivered. I'm pleased to say that,
overall, National Highways has delivered a much better and more
efficient network in a challenging environment, and hence those
reforms have delivered for road users and taxpayers.
“But National Highways has missed some important
commitments. Looking ahead, there is a tight fiscal
environment and a crucial need for National Highways to be a
key driver of economic growth. The company must now learn the
lessons of its first decade of responsibility for the strategic
road network, so that it can deliver more for road users and
taxpayers in the next road period.”
Contact Information
Liam Hughes
Media, campaigns & digital
manager
ORR
0207 282 3737
liam.hughes@orr.gov.uk
Notes to editors
Annual Assessment of
National Highways' performance: end of the second road period
April 2020 to March 2025 | Office of Rail and Road
