Highways England must communicate better

The Freight Transport Association has called on Highways England to improve the way it communicates road updates to fleet operators following publication of the first Strategic Road User Survey.

The survey, by watchdog Transport Focus, shows user satisfaction with the UK’s motorways and major A roads. The A19 in the North East came top, but the M6, M25 and M20 were among the least satisfactory roads.

Malcolm Bingham, the FTA’s head of road network management, said: “While Transport Focus’ survey does show the service provided by Highways England is getting better, there are still several areas of concern. Most notably, Highways England must improve the way it shares information on roadworks, closures, and accidents. Due to a lack of accessible and practical information, operators are struggling to understand the best route to take when such events occur.”

Launching a summary report highlighting results from the first full year of the Strategic Roads User Survey Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus said: “This survey reflects the experience of all drivers – whether in cars, vans, lorries, coaches or on a motorbike – across a range of key issues. The results show where Highways England should focus its efforts to maximise satisfaction, including reducing delays arising from accidents and improving user experience with journey time and road surface quality.”

The first year of SRUS data shows:

– 82 per cent of road users are satisfied overall with their last journey using a motorway or major ‘A’ road managed by Highways England.

– Only 65 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the management of roadworks.

– For journey time overall satisfaction stood at 81 per cent

– Overall satisfaction with road surface quality was 81 per cent

– Most drivers – 94 per cent –feel safe using Highways England’s roads.