The Road Haulage Association has welcomed Government’s clarity that £6.1bn of the £23 billion pledged by the previous administration is to be spent of further improvements England’s road network

Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “Traffic congestion has a massive impact on all road users and is bad for pollution as well. But the impact on road hauliers is particularly severe and costs the industry billions of pounds each year. In 2016 alone, congestion cost the economy more than £30 billion pounds.

“We hope that this investment will reduce congestion, reduce journey times which in turn will improve delivery times. For road hauliers, responsible for moving 85% of the UK economy, the road network is their place of work. This investment will hopefully benefit them and the economy as a whole.

“However, driver welfare must also be considered throughout the entire strategic road network and we hope that these latest schemes will include facilities for drivers.

Concluding, Richard Burnett said: “This latest investment, while of course welcome, will inevitably mean a degree of disruption to the areas in which the improvements are to take place. The proposed work must be completed within the timescales and within budget.”

UK traffic

About the Author: John Loughran