Transport strategy must deliver fully, says FTA

UK transport trade body the 6983 Freight Transport Association (FTA) says the Government’s new transport investment plan is good news for the sector but more investment is needed to upgrade the road network.

From 2020/21 the Government has guaranteed that all revenue raised from Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) in England will be allocated to a new National Roads Fund and invested directly back into the road network.

The document also  includes a commitment to consult on a new ‘major road network’ which would form a middle tier of roads sitting between the national Strategic Roads Network (SRN) and the rest of the local road network. This would see a share of the annual National Road Fund, given to local authorities to improve or replace the most important A-roads under their management. It also outlines plans for a new ‘rebalancing’ measure, which will judge how investment programmes contribute to a more balanced economy.

FTA’s head of National and Regional Policy Christopher Snelling said: “FTA believes that the government focus on investing in roads that will deliver improved performance, economic growth and reduce bottlenecks is correct. Enhanced road infrastructure can only make Britain’s logistics network and business dealings more efficient.
 
“Major local authority roads form a crucial part of the road network so our members welcome the news that the new fund can be allocated to support a wider range of projects.  However, this extension of use will undoubtedly mean greater calls on one pot of money, so the Government will need to support infrastructure investment beyond just that provided by VED.”
 
The announcement focuses on road spending but FTA understands the approach affects all aspects of transport expenditure.
 
Snelling commented: “To help deliver the industrial and trading success the UK wants for the future, the Government needs to deliver a flexible transport network as a whole, not just roads.  This must mean continued investment in rail infrastructure and also the delivery of the expansion of Heathrow.  It is welcome that these areas will also be addressed with this approach.”

Commenting on the strategy, Chris Richards, head of Business Environment Policy at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said: “Today's announcement reconfirming the creation of a VED-linked Roads Fund, to be extended beyond the strategic road network with local authority managed A-roads and funding available for strategic local road maintenance, is significant. It is a major victory for manufacturers seeing their growth impaired by poor local road connectivity.

“Manufacturers consistently rate the UK's road network as their highest priority for infrastructure investment with local roads, long considered the Cinderella of infrastructure spend, cited as deteriorating in quality the most. If this is backed up by action it has the potential to reverse that trend.”