Roadworks are the bane of any driver’s life – once you see them, you know you’re in for a prolonged journey.
For local authorities and National Highways (and the government), it’s a catch 22 situation because the reality is that our roads do require improvement work, in whatever form that takes.
But during the time that improvement work is taking place, congestion worsens, and journey times can double or even triple for drivers.
When you factor in just how many drivers and just how many journeys the average fleet takes each and every week, that adds up to a lot of lost hours.
Do Road Works Lead To Safer Roads?
While not every road improvement project is specifically targeting safety improvements, there’s no doubt that it’s a conscious effort in the main.
The central reservation barrier improvement works on motorway networks all over the UK, as well as the creation of additional ‘refuge zones’ on smart motorways are two clear examples where this is absolutely the case.
But with some works, like with the creation of new junctions and the work on the HS2 related network around the midlands, the benefit might not be as direct.
However, the aim with those is to alleviate congestion and move traffic away from main routes onto alternative roads, which then has a long-term positive impact on road safety as the fewer vehicles there are on roads, the less likely an incident is to occur.
A new report from the cross-party committee has explored whether tighter controls should be made on ‘urgent’ permits that allow utility companies to bypass local authority approval before they begin roadworks.
You can read the full story about the authority around roadworks being considered here
While the issue mainly affects local roads, this is where they’re often at their most disruptive, affecting all local traffic on key routes.
With roads often re-laid to a poor standard after work has been completed (be it gas, electrical, water, waste or internet related), it increases the chances of potholes appearing down the road, causing all manner of issues for drivers and their vehicles.
Do Roadworks Need To Be More Considered?
We’ve all driven past roadworks that are causing disruption and complained that there’s nobody even there or doing anything – maybe more often than not.
That’s lead to signs letting us know that they’re ‘working through the night’ or other phrases, but it does bring up an important debate about the disruption they cause and whether that could be more considered for drivers and fleets.
Many major motorway projects work more intensively overnight when traffic levels are lower, but this often isn’t an option on local roads because of the proximity to residential areas and the level of noise created.
However, the time of year could be thought about, with the busiest times avoided – with evening work an option for particularly disruptive routes.
Do you think more needs to be done about the way roadworks are conducted in the UK? And do you believe they more often than not lead to safer road conditions? Let us know…
