Westminster has launched an inquiry into the state of England’s local road network and the Road Haulage Association is urging hauliers to respond.
Lilian Greenwood MP, chair of the Transport Select Committee, says that poor roads harm local economies, are dangerous for all road users, and the subsequent damage to vehicles is costly.
The RHA has long campaigned for increased investment to halt the decline of the road network and welcomes the launch of the Committee’s inquiry into funding and governance of local roads amid a marked decrease in the frequency of road resurfacing.
RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett, said: “Hauliers know only too well how bad the roads are and everything points to them getting worse as road maintenance budgets continue to shrink. We urge operators to respond to the Committee’s call for evidence.”
The Committee calls for written evidence on:
- The condition of local roads in England and how they have fared over time, particularly compared with other parts of England’s road network;
- The direct and wider economic and social costs of not maintaining local roads;
- The quality of monitoring and reporting of local road conditions;
- Whether the current approach to road maintenance is appropriate and whether it needs to be improved;
- The suitability of governance structures for maintaining local roads and whether any changes are required;
- The funding requirements of local roads and the suitability of current funding streams for the immediate and longer-term future;
- Whether there is a role for alternative funding models for local roads maintenance and investment; and
- The regional distribution of local roads funding across England.
Deadline for submissions is 2 October.
Transport Select Committee call for evidence: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/transport-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/local-roads-funding-governance-17-19/commons-written-submission-form/
