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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 the company’s processes for assessing whether its schemes will provide value for money. With the exception of 2025-26[1], the government-owned company works to a five-year “road investment strategy” (RIS), setting...
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Dartford toll hikes: just the beginning

This week saw the government slap a 40% hike in toll charges for the Dartford crossings, raising the basic cost for a car from £2.50 to £3.50. It suggests that...
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Road safety record is a car crash

National Highways routinely claims that safety is its “top priority” but this spin is not borne out by its spending decisions or its poor record of reducing serious casualties on its network. Since coming into existence (as Highways England) in 2015, the company has spent a fraction of its huge...
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The Great Train Robbery?

People are crying out for better transport choices across the country, whether it be better buses, reliable railways, or safer streets. They are also fed up with litter and potholes becoming an all too familiar sight. They want our roads and pavements kept in good order, as the polls keep...
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True cost of traffic delays from building major roads

There is concern that National Highways is routinely underestimating the impact and cost of delays caused by the construction of new road schemes. It does this to skew the business case and secure approval. When planning “enhancement” works on its network, National Highways is obliged, as with any other major...
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Net zero undermined by DfT

As over 40% of all UK’s emissions down to transport Transport remains a huge problem when it comes to sector emissions in the UK, despite its full impact being underestimated. Since 1990, carbon emissions for domestic transport have only fallen by 13%, showing how woeful the Department for Transport’s (DfT)...
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A bumpy road ahead?

In a volatile world where things are changing fast and the economic outcome is uncertain, now is the time to invest in resilience and looking after what we’ve got. And when we say resilience, we don’t mean an excuse to add another lane or build another road to cope with...
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