Key questions for road investment and spending

Road Investment Scrutiny Panel

Abstract

This report has been produced by the Road Investment Scrutiny Panel – an assembled group of senior professionals supported by funding from the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund.

Roads are the arteries of economic and social prosperity. They also come at a cost to the public purse and in terms of the negative consequences arising from their construction, maintenance and use. As the road network in the UK has expanded, it has supported but also shaped society. In a world beset by global shocks and the climate and nature emergency, weighing up the makeup and scale of our investment in roads and how they are used matters more than ever if we are to secure effective outcomes environmentally, socially and economically.

It is a critical time for road investment and expenditure in England, and beyond. The third Road Investment Strategy is under development. The National Policy Statement for National Networks is under review. There are considerable financial pressures facing national and local governments. COP 27 (climate change) and COP 15 (biodiversity) have just taken place.

In this report we have identified what we consider to be some of the most important and pressing questions that should be considered in the handling of national and local road investment and expenditure.

Our questions relate to decarbonisation, biodiversity, health and social impacts, maintenance and optimisation, and safety. They also concern a call for appropriate consideration of alternative options to address a need for change and for robust decision making in the face of a changing and uncertain world.

Not addressing these questions would, we believe, be a false economy while engaging fully with them can enable robust and timely progress.

The Panel is comprised of Professors: Glenn Lyons (Chair); Steve Gooding (Co-convenor); Jillian Anable; Nicola Christie; Zoe Davies; Stephen Glaister; Phil Goodwin; and Karen Lucas. The Panel Secretary is Andrew Crudgington.

Citation

Road Investment Scrutiny Panel. (2023). Key questions for road investment and spending. University of the West of England: Rees Jeffreys Road Fund

• Report Type: Research Report
• Online Publication Date: Jan 10, 2023
• Publication Date: Jan 17, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 9, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 10, 2023
• Keywords: Road investment; Road expenditure; Appraisal; Strategic planning
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10295773
• Additional Information: Please cite this report as:; ; Road Investment Scrutiny Panel (2023). Key questions for road investment and spending. A report prepared with support from the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund, University of the West of England, January.