Highways and Transport Flashcards
Who is responsible for minor roads? (towns & villages)
They are maintained by unitary authorities, metropolitan boroughs, county councils.
Who is responsible for A-Roads and M-roads?
These are responsibility of the Department of Transport.
The maintenance and upkeep of these roads is the responsibility of the Government-owned company National Highways. In London, it is Transport for London.
What is National Highways?
Government-owned company. Designed to improve efficiency by removing the layers of bureaucracy involved in gaining approval for major infrastructure projects.
NH is responsible for:
* Economic growth by improving the road infrastructure
* Managing traffic
* Tackling congestion
* Providing information to road users
* Improving journey times
* Road safety
* Minimising the impact of the road network on the environment
Issues affecting the bus network?
- Many bus services are run commercially with no involvement from the Local Authority ( Stagecoach, Arriva, National Express etc.)
- They may get some form of financial support (or subsidy) from the local authority to run buses outside peak times or on “social” routes.
- Often, subsidised services operate in the more rural areas of the county where passenger numbers are low or where the lengths of journey mean that operating costs are high, making the services unviable to operate commercially.
- Many cash-strapped councils have reduced subsidy to save money, prompting outcry from rural residents and others as valued routes and services disappear - frequent source of local news stories.
Signs of bus improvement?
Regulated buses mean regulated routes and regulated fares. The CAs decide on routes and fares, with buses operated by the private bus firms on a franchise basis (the London model.)
Single bus journeys capped at £2.
A national bus strategy – Bus Back Better - promises simpler fares, thousands of new buses, improved routes, higher frequencies and new electric or hydrogen buses.
What are local authorities responsible for?
Local traffic management – which includes road crossings from pedestrian crossings to the lollipop men and women; speed limits; roadworks and road repairs; cycle and bus lanes; one-way systems etc.
Congestion charges/ Clean air charges – fees charged to drivers entering specific ‘congestion areas’ or ‘Low Emission Zones” (clean air zones)
Examples of local authority activity in the area of Highways?
Greater London Congestion Charge (2003-), Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone ( abandoned) and the Greater London Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ), expanded to cover all of Greater London in 2023
What does TRANSPORT FOR LONDON (TfL) do?
It manages:
* London buses, Croydon Tramlink, DLR
* London Underground
* London Road Network
* London River Services
* Traffic management ( inc. traffic lights, Congestion Charge, ULEZ)
It regulates:
* taxis and minicabs
* taxicard schemes
What is Transport for the North (TftN)?
- Essentially, a devolution of power from Central Government to the North, allowing it to set its own transport agenda and work together to deliver a step-change in connectivity.
- A body for the North of England to plan and prioritise long-term infrastructure investment.
- Became England’s first sub-national Transport body in April 2018 - agreement between local and combined authority partners.
What does TftN do?
- Develop and implement a Strategic Transport Plan
- Act as ‘one voice’ for the North, relaying priorities to the Secretary of State
- Coordinate and deliver smart ticketing systems across the North
- Become a statutory partner in road and rail investment decisions
- Oversee (jointly with Department for Transport) franchised rail services covering Northern and TransPennine Express franchises
- Construct new roads, with the agreement of Government and relevant highway and local authorities
- Decide on capital grants
What is Great British Railways?
A review into how the rail industry was run was launched in 2018 amid cost concerns, mismanagement of vital decisions and the collapse of several rail franchises.
The idea of GBR was launched in 2021. GBR will be at the heart of a restructured railway, replacing Network Rail and parts of the Department for Transport (DfT) and acting as a “guiding mind” for track and trains.
GBR will:
- end the “fragmentation” of Britain’s railways with trains and tracks both becoming the responsibility of the new body
(GBR).
- set fares and timetables
- own and maintain infrastructure
- specify contracts for private companies to run services (franchises)
- oversee ticket sales
Local council responsibilities?
Speed cameras - Installed via “road safety partnerships” of local councils, police, ambulance service, fire service. Funding cuts under Coalition Government (2010-2015) resulted in county councils withdrawing support and a dramatic fall in prosecutions.
Lighting– County councils and unitary councils are responsible for street lighting.
Minor road maintenance/pathways– County councils and unitary councils are responsible for maintaining and repairing roads and paths within towns.
