Blog ARCHIVE
Labour to privatise new roads
Despite a drubbing at the local elections in England, a wipeout in Wales, and a poor showing in Scotland, Keir Starmer and his government seem determined to press ahead regardless. While Starmer clings on for the time being he maintains that he is sticking to the task of delivering the...
Delivering change requires more than words
There has been a lot of talk about “delivering change” with the Government publishing a number of new strategies and guidance recently and as we approach elections in May. Why should we believe what politicians say, you might think, when we’ve been promised change before? The last time was in...
RIS3: Stuck on the wrong road?
It has been a busy time for roads campaigners: the Department for Transport published its £27bn 5-year roads plan (2026-2031, known as RIS3) at the end of March and on the same day also approved 16 local road schemes, including the controversial Norwich Western Link. While the RIS3 headlines focused...
When in a hole…
This week road users were faced with the news (not that they needed telling) that the maintenance backlog on local roads (and pavements) is now up to a staggering £18.6bn. Despite all the spin from Keir Starmer and his government about putting more money into fixing potholes, things are getting...
The Fight for Queensbury Tunnel
The campaign to save Queensbury Tunnel is an excellent example of how local people coming together with a shared vision can form an incredibly powerful voice when faced with short-sighted political decisions. Background: An Engineering Marvel Built by Great Northern Railway and opened in 1878, Queensbury Tunnel stretches 1.4 miles...
‘Smart’ motorway reports expose costly failure
After much delay, National Highways has finally published the evaluation reports for 16 ‘smart’ motorways. As expected, they showed that almost all of the ‘smart’ motorways had been costly failures. Instead of delivering a predicted £10 billion of economic benefits, they delivered under £2bn, which is less than they cost...
Lighting the touchpaper
Igniting Community Action: The Queensbury Tunnel Campaign Transport Action Network (TAN) was founded in 2019 to help local communities facing damaging road schemes or wanting better transport solutions. What happened on the 18th January 2026, in a cold, damp and misty disused railway cutting in West Yorkshire, demonstrated perfectly why...
2025 transport review
One step forward, two steps back What has gone well in 2025 Like any year, assessing whether there has been any progress is difficult when things are so complex. However, we’ve seen several significant milestones in 2025 which should bring lasting benefits: The Bus Services Act in England became law,...
Demand for transparency on Smart Motorways
As campaigners call for POPES to be freed on Bonfire Night Smart Motorways are widely seen to have been a failure. Deeply unpopular with road users and breakdown services, they have led to more live lane injuries and fatalities. As a result, in 2023, the further rollout of new schemes...
Toxic concrete concerns
The government’s desire to be seen to be doing things at pace is already leading to poor and costly decisions. There is also a real risk that the public will be put in danger. Concerns have already been raised that the “low carbon pathfinder” status of National Highways’ £16 billion...
National Highways’ Toxic Run-Off
It has been widely reported that our rivers are polluted, with not a single river in England in good overall health. What isn’t so well known is that a major source of this pollution comes from our roads – oil spills, particulate matter, and microplastics from tyre and brake wear....
Highway robbery – abusing Designated Funds
TAN has discovered that National Highways is syphoning off money from a dedicated fund for environmental and safety improvements (called ‘Designated Funds’1) to use it as sweeteners or greenwashing for new roadbuilding schemes. National Highways is also raiding the “ringfenced” funding to pay for mitigation that should come out of...
National Highways not being held to account
There was a flurry of publications just before Parliament broke up in July, three of which directly related to National Highways. These reports are quite revealing about what National Highways has and has not achieved. They also show what aspects of National Highways’ performance are not scrutinised, and raise questions...
National Highways failing nature
When National Highways plans and delivers road schemes, it is meant to avoid harming nature and then minimise any impact, which it is then supposed to compensate for. This is called “mitigation” and is a legal requirement. In addition, new rules about Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) require developers to create...
Overspending on major projects – deliberate or incompetence?
National Highways has been criticised by watchdogs for frequent increases in the cost of its major road schemes, which can occur both before and after construction starts. Schemes can end up costing taxpayers millions – sometimes billions – more than when they were approved, calling into question the reliability of...
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