British roads could quadruple capacity
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• The Highways Agency began its new role as network operator this week with the claim that if British roads were better managed they could handle a traffic increase of up to 400%.
Last month's White Paper on Integrated Transport gave the HA a new brief to "drop its old image of being a road builder to become a network operator by more active3: managing roads".
The HA has now set out its new pledges in a "toolkit of ideas and projects", which includes:
• Making maintenance a top priority;
• Managing traffic demand;
• Improving information to road users.
An HA spokesman says that high-tech road user information could allow the current road network to sustain traffic growth of 200-400%.
Regional Traffic Control Centres, variable speed limits, in-vehicle information and roadside beacons are some of the Options which are being studied in order to squeeze greater efficiency out of British roads now that new road building has been largely rejected as a policy.