Alan Mackenzie, Chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), comments on the Local Government Association’s statement on 2017 potentially becoming a tipping point for local roads:
“Prolonged under investment, coupled with wetter winters, increased traffic and an ageing network, means that the resilience of our local roads is at a low point. Clearing the maintenance backlog is impossible without a significant increase in funding.
“The fact remains that our local road network receives only a fraction of the funding allocated to the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and this disparity needs to be tackled proactively if further decline is to be prevented.
“Reallocating a few pence from existing fuel duty might prove an equitable way of turning the tide, as could previous calls for Vehicle Excise Duty to be redirected to local roads from 2021. Either way, the LGA is right that time is running out and that local roads maintenance should now be a national priority.”
Notes to editors
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) is a partnership between the Mineral Products Association and Eurobitume UK. It draws on the knowledge and experience of both organisations to increase awareness of the asphalt industry and to promote the uses and benefits of asphalt.
The AIA produces the annual ALARM survey to provide a detailed picture of the condition of the local road network and enable insightful analysis of road maintenance and funding issues.
Our latest ALARM survey reported that local authority highways departments estimated that the time required, given adequate funding and resources, to bring the network up to scratch would be 14 years and would cost £11.8 billion.
The full report can be downloaded here. Please attribute any figures quotes to the AIA’s ALARM survey.
Archives: Press Releases
AIA comments on Chancellor’s Autumn Statement (November 23)
Alan Mackenzie, Chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), comments on the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement today (Wednesday November 23):
“We are reassured that the Chancellor has recognised the importance of investment in road infrastructure to stimulate productivity and growth.
“The devil is, of course, in the detail. Long term underfunding means that the local road network continues to deteriorate at a faster rate than it can be repaired. We hope the decline in maintenance funding experienced by local highways teams will be addressed by real and measurable increases.”
Ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, Alan Mackenzie, Chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), makes the case for investing in local roads:
“The link between infrastructure investment and economic growth is well established but long term underfunding means that the local road network continues to deteriorate at a faster rate than it can be repaired.
“Ten years ago, our ALARM survey warned against putting off the investment needed today until tomorrow. Local authority highways engineers told us then that it would take 10.9 years to get their roads back into a reasonable condition. This year, they told us the backlog was 14 years. “The age of the network and the increased volume and weight of vehicles – not to mention the effect of wetter winters – threatens the resilience our roads. Unless action is taken, we face the real prospect of a local road network that is not fit for purpose.”
Notes to editors
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) is a partnership between the Mineral Products Association and Eurobitume UK. It draws on the knowledge and experience of both organisations to increase awareness of the asphalt industry and to promote the uses and benefits of asphalt. The AIA produces the ALARM survey to provide a detailed picture of the condition of the local road network and enable insightful analysis of road maintenance and funding issues. This year’s ALARM survey reported that Local Authority highways departments estimated that the time required, given adequate funding and resources, to bring the network up to scratch would be 14 years. In ALARM 2006 the figure reported was 10.9 years. ALARM 2016 reported that the estimated one-time catch up cost is £11.8 billion.
Sharing Best Practice 2016 – 11 October 2016
Chaired by Peter Plisner, Transport Correspondent for BBC Midlands Today, the day included a series of presentations as well as a Fit for the Future poster session developed in conjunction with LG TAG.
Feedback received from the 90+ delegates has been extremely positive with over 94 per cent finding the event useful or very useful.
Please see below to view and download the speakers’ PowerPoint presentations:
- Amanda Richards, Group Manager, Network and Asset Management, Surrey County Council: ‘Surrey’s long term plans for the maintenance of key highway assets’
- Andrew Bainbridge, Team Leader Transport Planning, North Yorkshire County Council: ‘Highway maintenance and the Local Growth Fund’
- Tom Bartley, BIM Research Engineer, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff and Ian Price, Project Manager – Major Projects, Hanson Contracting: ‘The benefits of BIM: the A338 Bournemouth Spur Road’
- Matthew Lugg, HMEP Advocate: ‘Making HMEP fit for the future’
- Paul Hardy, Lead Consultant, CSS Wales: ‘An alternative approach: implementing highway asset management in Wales’
- Nick Tupper, Head of Highways, Norfolk County Council: ‘BS11000 supply chain collaboration’
- Keith Carpenter, Highways Asset Manager, Transport for Buckinghamshire: ‘Effective communications and engaging with stakeholders: the Buckinghamshire journey’
- Andrew Molyneux, Highway Asset Manager, Leeds City Council: ‘Embedding collaborative highway infrastructure asset management across the West Yorkshire region’
- Trevor Collett, Asset Data Manager, Kier: ‘What is the real state of our roads?’
- Satbir Gill, Network Manager, Hounslow Highways: ‘Signing the way in Hounslow’
- Martin Holland, Head of Highways and Energy, London Borough of Islington: ‘The Digital Highway’
- Teresa Jolley, Director, DEFT153 Ltd; Future Highways Programme Lead, Landor LINKS; Secretariat, Future Highways Forum: ‘Future Highways and HighwaysAPI’
- Dominic Proud, Service Delivery Manager, Telford & Wrekin Council: ‘Highways branding and communication’