Roads minister Simon Lightwood has pledged that the £25bn third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), due to be published at the end of the month, would ‘have resilience at its heart'.
He made the promise in a keynote speech at this week's Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation's (CIHT) national conference, arguing that it is time ‘for resilience to be built in, not bolted on.'
The minister went on to highlight some of the key challenges facing the nation's roads, citing the changing climate, ageing assets and greater day-to-day demand.
He also highlighted the upcoming integrated national transport strategy and asked: ‘Why should neighbouring towns and cities manage transport in vastly different ways? A joined-up national transport network needs a joined-up plan. The strategy will ensure local leaders have the tools, the funding, and the direction to deliver transport that's right for their communities.'
With resilience the key theme of the event, Mr Lightwood addressed the spate of extreme weather events that have caused transport disruptions over one of the wettest winters on record. He called for more forward-thinking solutions, stating that ‘short-termism is no shield against extreme weather'.
‘We must prepare our roads for climate impact today, as well as tomorrow. Early investment to adapt our roads will reduce costs from weather, damage, and disruption, and from repairs and compensation claims...Working together is the only form of resilience against risk'.
Published in December of last year, the Department for Transport's (DfT) climate adaptation strategy for transport sets out a long-term approach that Mr Lightwood said builds adaptation into planning and processes, as well as funding research and improving data.
The minister also pointed towards the ‘record investment' of over £7bn for local authorities over the next four years, which he stated would ‘enable investment in proactive and preventative maintenance to fix roads for good, rather than repeated short-term repairs.'
