1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192 
Q ueen reveals
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
plans for jams
THE GOVERNMENT has unveiled a series of congestionbusting plans in the Queen's speech, including tighter controls on roadworks and a force of 'highway officers'.
Under its proposed Traffic Management Bill the utility companies will pay bigger fines if roadworks overrun. Local authorities will be required to appoint traffic managers to co-ordinate roadworks— and the Department for Transport will impose a director on any authority that fails to address congestion.
The Highways Agency will move from being primarily a road builder and maintainer to a network operator with a force of 1,000 highway officers to manage traffic flow and clear accidents.
Steve Prince, owner of Steve Prince Transport, welcomes the move, but says that more planning needs to take place before road building: "For instance, while the government is planning to open the A120 from Braintree to Stansted airport next year, which many people will use as a shortcut, it is not planning on upgrading the roundabout onto it for another five years. This will lead to major delays."
An ETA spokesman says: "It is clear that the UK — the world's fourth largest economy — is suffering from years of under-investment in its roads which must be corrected. The sticking plaster of the government's announcement is welcome, but what's required is reconstructive surgery."