1.  Every day, buses, taxis, lorries, cars, motorbikes, cycles and pedestrians rely in equal measure on the safe and efficient operation of the network of roads, footpaths and cycleways that cover the country. It is the fabric on which 97 per cent of all journeys are made every year.[1]

  2.  The UK road network is 392,408 kilometres in length. Of this, 9,500 kilometres of motorways and nationally important 'A' roads are managed by the Highways Agency. This part of the network alone is valued at £60 billion, the Government's single largest asset.[2] Despite the obvious local and national importance of a high quality network of roads and pathways, the UK has not invested enough in their maintenance and renewal. Some parts of the road network resemble a patchwork quilt of temporary repairs which are unsightly, uncomfortable and potentially unsafe. The Government recognised the serious nature of the problem when, in establishing the 10 Year Plan for Transport, it set out the following targets:

• To maintain our strategic road network in optimum condition
• To provide sufficient resources to local authorities to halt the deterioration in the condition of local roads by 2004 and to eliminate the backlog by the end of the Plan period.

  3.  The Government has met its objective for the strategic road network and has increased overall investment in local authority road networks. However, this may not solve the problems. The local road network has been starved of investment over many years and the Government's target to eliminate the backlog may not be reached. The targets also do not cover the whole street environment. The condition of street lighting, bridges, footpaths and cycleways is less clear, yet equally important to promoting a safe, inclusive and secure integrated transport policy.

  4.  The problems of improving the condition of the local road network are further compounded by the programmes of maintenance, renewal and new connections carried out by utility companies (known as 'street works'). Several thousand street works are carried out in England every day, often at short notice. The patchwork surface repairs contribute significantly to the deteriorating appearance of the urban street scene. The New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 put in place a number of different measures that could be deployed to improve the co-ordination between utility companies (utilities) and local authorities. However, local authorities and utilities have yet to demonstrate that these are working.

  5.  Delays and disruption from road works and street works are common place. The Secretary of State made it clear that "One of the main sources of congestion in towns and cities across the whole country is roadworks".[3] Indeed, the Department has recently announced that it will seek time in the legislative programme to bring forward new legislation to manage the issue of delays from road works.[4]

  6.  In December 2002, the Committee decided to undertake an inquiry to examine the Government's programme of improvements to road and pathway maintenance. The inquiry built on work undertaken by one of its predecessor sub-Committees on motorway, trunk and principal roads.[5] In recognition of this, and the Highways Agency's progress on eliminating its maintenance backlog[6], this inquiry concentrated on the network of roads managed by local authorities. In particular the inquiry addressed:

• the local road maintenance backlog;
• co-ordination of street works;
• the role and suitability of Best Value indicators in improving cost-effectiveness;
• consequences of inadequate maintenance, particularly with regards to third party liability claims;
• factors influencing the deterioration of roads (such as flooding);
• provision and maintenance of street lighting and its role in road safety;
• the importance and costs of providing high quality pedestrian and cycling environments, including the need to remove otiose street furniture and signage; and
• the applicability of private finance initiatives to local road maintenance.

  7.  Chapter 2 of the report examines the extent of the maintenance backlog and assesses progress towards the Government's target to eliminate the backlog by 2010. Chapter 3 discusses the impact of street works on congestion and road quality and the operation of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. Chapter 4 draws together the findings and presents our thoughts on the way forward.

  8.  The inquiry was carried out in February 2003. The Committee received 50 memoranda and took oral evidence at two meetings from 9 organisations and the Minister for Transport. The Committee is grateful to all those who assisted in our inquiry, in particular to Transco and BT for hosting site visits.

2   HC 431 (2002-03) Maintaining England's Motorways and Trunk Roads, Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, National Audit Office. Back

3   HC Deb, 1 April 2003, col 775 Back

4   Department for Transport, Annual Report 2003, p16 Back

5   Memoranda laid before the Transport Sub-Committee of the Environment Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, Maintenance of Motorways, Trunk Roads and Local Authority Principal Roads, HC 381 (2000-01) Back

6   Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Maintaining England's Motorways and Trunk Roads, HC 431 (2002-03), National Audit Office Back