As you sit in another traffic jam, try to work your way around another road closure, follow a diversion or sit at home waiting for someone or some delivery that is late to turn up, do you ever ask if public sector roads are the best answer? How much of our lost productivity and squeezed small business sector is down to the costs and difficulties of getting about?
In my first roads article I looked at the stressed and delay prone nationalised strategic highways, our motorways and trunk roads,which cater for a third of our vehicle miles and two thirds of the truck miles on an inadequate 2.4% of our roads. My second promised article got delayed a week by a Burnham diversion and yet more government anti driver actions. Today I look at that cross roads of congestion, our major road network of A roads. These are nationalised under local authority management but often dependent on national government grants. A further 43% of our vehicle miles take place on these routes on just 4% of our roads. The remaining 93% of our roads are local and handle only 23% of total travelled miles.
The major Council A road network is crucial to productivity and jobs in the UK. It is the main means for people to get to work, the main way to get to shops, for service companies and deliveries to reach our homes and for children to get to school. It is sadly neglected by government, starved of cash for extension and improvement whilst millions more people in recent years come to live here needing vehicles and deliveries. Over 20 years only 600 miles of new road has been added to the major road network. Much more new road has been added by developers as they build new housing estates with plenty of local and estate roads to funnel more vehicles onto the overwhelmed major road system.
There are very few new road schemes planned for the A roads to improve capacity and reach with only a small national budget of £1.6 bn . Government’s priority is to cut vehicle use, so plenty of money is spent on anti vehicle changes to roads. Active travel’s new third strategy is backed by £4.5 bn to get 55% of all short journeys in towns and cities onto bikes or on foot. The government in its usual way has a popular success story of personal transport on its hands, so it does its best to throttle it. It turns to rationing and to offering very expensive less popular choices buttressed by public spending, tax breaks and over provision. We have plenty of near empty trains apart from some peak times and favoured routes, and many unused cycleways.
As a result we face an increasing array of measures to slow, impede or stop road vehicle use. There are the 20 mph zones taking over urban areas. 20 mph is fine near a school at times when children may be in the road, or on residential estate roads, but not on a major A road route needed for heavy traffic. There are a growing number of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods restricting access to and from residential areas altogether. There are chicanes and speed humps. On some roads now Councils have put islands or barriers on one side forcing traffic to stop and wait for a gap in traffic coming the other way, a particularly dangerous as well as vexatious intervention. Many new traffic light sets are introduced. Vehicle lanes are reduced or narrowed to put in bigger pavements and cycleways. Aggressive kerbs are popular to do more damage alongside the poor road surface so motorists sometimes swerving to avoid the potholes hit a new super kerb. Tyres and suspensions are hammered by bad roads.
Junction design is often changed to slow and delay traffic. Light phasings sometimes ignore the need to give priority to the main road. Too few light sets have traffic sensors to trigger timely changes of light phasing in accord with traffic demand. Drivers on the main road have to wait at red lights when little or nothing is using the green. Some light sets now have all red phases to allow the mythical pedestrian wanting to cross both roads at the same time to do so. There are too few roundabouts which usually flow better. Some highways Authorities seek to cut flows at successful roundabouts by narrowing the highway or by introducing traffic lights and stop lines.
So why are our main local roads so badly run? Some of the changes are made as so called green policies, yet they lead to more congestion and vehicles burning more fuel whilst making little or no progress. Some are made to improve safety, yet they often increase potential conflicts between vehicles , cycles and pedestrians by complex junctions, narrower lanes, and confusing instructions.Taking roadspace away from vehicles to create a little used cycle lane causes congestion and frustration, which some bad cyclists add to by riding on pavements or the vehicle lane and shooting red lights in unpredictable ways.
Good Councils should get to work to help drivers who pay so much tax for such a poor service. They should roll out traffic management schemes that improve flows. We need more roundabouts and fewer light sets. All A road traffic lights should give priority to the main road with traffic sensors to allow entry from side roads in a controlled way.They should pursue more small schemes to remove road blockages, allow selective widening and segregate A road vehicle traffic from bikes and pedestrians. They should not have 20 mph speed restrictions.
Each Council or Mayoralty should set out a local strategic road network of the main through A roads in their areas. There should be plans to dual heavily trafficked routes. The national government needs to provide a better financial balance between good roads for vehicles and good active travel alternatives away from the main strategic roads.
White van man and woman need a better deal .To save our High Steets we need decent car access. To have more choice of services and deliveries to our homes we need better roads.
Anyone wanting to grow this economy should want lower taxes and cheaper energy. They need to follow that up with better main roads as highways for trade, services and getting to work. We lose both productivity and business opportunity by sitting in traffic jams. Drivers pay far more in vehicle and fuel taxes than they get in road provision.The plumber, the Amazon delivery driver , the builder, the employees going to work and the families seeking entertainment all need to get there by road vehicle. Why does the miserable government road monopolist seek to delay them and lecture them on how not to bother? It even in some places spends money on expensive signs to tell you to expect long queues and bad service, as if proud of it.
August 4, 2026
The problem is that there’s too many cars – and not enough road. Why? the politicians and economists obsession with growth.
That’s why the Boriswave let in 1.5 million of them. It grows the GDP statistics, as well as growing the hours people have to wait in A&E or on trolleys in hospital corridors. Or for a GP appointment etc
All we are growing is the interest rate we have to pay to borrow the money to pay for them, currently ~4.95% on a 10year gilt
Nobody is mentioning this, but the next interest rate change (currently 3.75%) by the BoE is going to be upwards
August 4, 2026
Good morning.
In effect, they have Socialised the losses, and privatised the profits. And politicians think building more houses and Yoof Clubs is the answer.
August 4, 2026
The ‘Burnham bounce’ is reported to be waning according to a YouGov poll, which now puts Reform ahead again. Big difference to last week when The Spectator was declaring the end of Reform. Still it is just another poll. Maybe things will be different when Burnham returns from holiday.
August 4, 2026
If you reduce the congestion by supplying more road space you end up with fewer cars on the road as they spend far less time on the road getting from A to B. But for years road blocking and constriction (with environmentalist areas, bus and bike priority lanes, mad junctions and anti-car red traffic lights… has been the government policy – trying to force them onto far less convenient, more expensive, time restricted and less direct public transport or often impractical walking or bikes.
If you really have to deter cars at peak times this needs to be done charging road fees (then used to make more road and parking spaces) not through congestion – same principal with the NHS… These road fees to replace all the other car taxes and motorist muggings.
August 4, 2026
London has worst traffic in Western World.
Toyko has relatively low traffic (but still bad). Tokyo relies on rail to reduce its congestion.
Maybe we need to invest a lot more on rail into London and around London. Traffic is pretty awful all over the Western world so no easy solution. But comparing London to Tokyo does reveal striking differences – and that’s clearly down to rail (and other factors to a degree too).
August 4, 2026
Well in London most of the roads have been effectively blocked – the aim seems to be to prevent any private ownership of cars other than perhaps for taxis, delivery vehicles and some Zil lanes for senior politicians, royalty, civil servants and Sadiq Kahn. Vast “congestion” and fake “green” charges too.
NOTE taxis are far less efficient than private cars as they often make half their journeys with no passengers and need a professional driver all the time too. So why are they given use of bus lanes but more efficient private cars are not?
August 4, 2026
‘Zil lanes’ – lol ..
August 4, 2026
‘A new Green London council leader has said he wants to make it “more difficult” for people to drive their cars as he laid out his vision for the borough.
Jame McAsh outlined his plans for Southwark, including increasing affordable housing, tackling the climate emergency and resisting immigration raids.’
Source The Evening Standard.
August 4, 2026
(And the money for HS2 would have covered nicely rail improvements into and around London with lots of money left over – HS2 craziness. Although it can’t be stopped now as cost so much to do that).
August 4, 2026
We’re only one government away from Zill lanes.
August 4, 2026
They now want to hide convictions of government officials, hide the Covid vaccines (their dire ill health data), hide the statistics on crime broken down by immigration status and country, have special laws for some state pensions like Sir Two Tier Kier’s… then the police want turn up at people houses people to sign papers saying they will do on line thinking courses and not tell the truth again. Thia if they have tweeted thinks that were true but embarrassed anyone in government.
August 4, 2026
+1 EV Zil lanes
August 4, 2026
Meanwhile, the government on Radio 4 now say they have not got enough room to keep police killers in jail!
The secretary of state said he has apologised to the widow. Disgraceful.
August 4, 2026
But they have enough room for foreign prisoners
August 4, 2026
Dreadful to have lost the amusing lefty (but a rare lefty one who had some common sense) Rod Liddle. Similar depressed feeling I had when the amusing Auberon Waugh also died far too young. RIP Rod – amazing he got into the BBC with his often very sensible views. He must have sneaked through somehow I assume.
August 4, 2026
A good summery of all that is wrong with our roads and Government policy John, but then most of us out here have been aware of such for decades and have complained about it, but Government and Council policy with taxpayer funding continues the war against the motorist.
20mph creep is ongoing as it produces a huge number of fines due to cameras, and very few repeater signs to remind you.
Holiday in Wales in the last couple years, 20mph on one road for 4 miles, which had the same status and width as the local A329, (recently reduced from 40mph to 30mph) not a single repeater sign after the first one, only sign to show that it had changed was when entering a 30mph zone.
Fully aware that there are few repeater signs for 30 mph, but that is the National default speed limit in built up areas unless shown otherwise, so well known.
Whatever happened to white luminous painted lines, now white painted lines fading and impossible to see in the dark when its wet !
August 4, 2026
”To save our High Steets we need decent car access” ….free parking
”Each Council or Mayoralty should set out a local strategic”….free bus fares for school children in uniform
”They should not have 20 mph speed restrictions” …also increase motorway speed to 80mph
”long queues and bad service” ….rethink road repairs, maybe only at night with less road closures, and stop the tactic of putting up cones a week before a job and a week after
Review the impact of EVs on the roads
August 4, 2026
Why not review the impact of lorries on the road, they are usually heavier than EVs.
August 4, 2026
hefner
Yes HGV’s will do more damage to the roads than EV’s, but they already pay much more in tax.
Lorries are a commercial vehicle that deliver goods to shops and distribution centres, with there being little alternative, EV’s do not.
August 4, 2026
hefner
Yes HGV’s will do more damage to the roads than EV’s, but they already pay much more in tax.
Lorries are a commercial vehicle that deliver goods to shops and distribution centres, with there being little alternative, EV’s do not.
Hence the difference.
August 4, 2026
Indeed but EV are heaver than cars bu some margin and lots of them more dangerous too as higher and squarer fronts to impact with people and the extra weight mean slower braking more tyre wear and more energy transferred in any impact.
August 4, 2026
The Liverpool Echo covering the same story ”Sheer madness’ as roadworks misery causing ‘gridlock’ across Liverpool, There are currently 1,457 work projects scheduled in Liverpool over the course of the next week and beyond, including 111 projects which will require full or partial road closures” https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/draft-roadworks-misery-around-liverpool-34396682
Don’t forget the impact of new unused cycle-lanes and a policy of reducing double lanes into single lanes
August 4, 2026
Excellent article which sums up what is wrong with our roads. The root cause is the Global Warming/Climate Change fanatics who believe cars contribute to CO2, which is a harmless gas. The other problem is the number of immigrants over the last 20 years. Because most of them will want cars, thereby adding to the congestion on our roads and the difficulty of finding a parking space!
A further problem is 20 mph speed limits, which are local councils simply making life difficult for drivers.
August 4, 2026
To reinforce the points you are making, you only need to look at the Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole area, now under the control of Lib-Dim councillors. They have spent £78m on cycle lanes which cause congestion, despite being grossly underused, and are introducing more 20mph limits and cutting 40mph limits to 30 almost everywhere.
The resulting narrow lanes and aggressive and sharp kerbs cause severe delays for all three emergency services.
Is anyone going to risk a pair of £250 tyres climbing those kerbs ? Of course not. They are entirely counterproductive.
Dorchester is currently conducting a consultation on introducing a complete blanket 20mph limit across the whole town. We can be sure, whatever the outcome, they will introduce it anyway !
August 4, 2026
“Government’s priority is to cut vehicle use, so plenty of money is spent on anti vehicle changes to roads.”
Yes, of course, because it is the law to achieve Net Zero by 2050 and when they fail to match the CCC’s planned programme they are taken to court by tax-payer funded climate activists and a judge makes the decision. It was PM May who made Net Zero by 2050 the law and PM Johnson who defined the pathways in his ‘Net Zero Strategy – Build Back Greener’. Because Net Zero by 2050 was made the law, and was not just an idle promise to garner votes at an election, such as, for instance, to reduce immigration to the tens of thousands, that we have all these Net Zero policies, one of which is to reduce private transport. This reduction will be achieved, like many other Net Zero energy reducing policies, through electrification and rationing using smart meters. The government expects their Net Zero by 2050 policies to solve the current congestion on our roads and hence road building is not a priority.
August 4, 2026
Its about local councils resorting to fleecing the captive motorist that has no alternative – they have to work to pay the growing taxes.
Reducing speed limits is a local council being able to get out of having to provide and maintain adequate roads and capacity. Its the Socialist concept of saving money. Forgetting they are reducing the amounts of and creating more costs for local trade and commerce – so reducing business activity, reducing the tax pool, reducing the capability of tier communities to reach potential.
Then there is what they see is the great little earner the speeding fines coupled with the victim surcharge(who is the victim? the motorist is actual paying for rape victim charities, a new industry of charities’ from being caught speeding on a motorway, then the Charity that is in receipt is a personal political choice). Commit rape or murder you receive your sentence and generally get to walk before the sentence is completed, and the victim? – that for the motorist. The sentence for speeding is a fine and points, then an additional tariff, there is no get out.
Murder a Policeman do half the sentence, then home and free, the widow – tough she shouldn’t have chosen a policeman for a mate
Theses Socialist are tearing the very fabric of Society apart – and its all personal. They need to mould people to be clones and in their personal image of containing the the surfs for the benefit of the authorities.
There is no expanding, there is no releasing, creating aspiration, growing joining the World on a journey to a ‘tomorrow’, its Socialist constraint through diktats. It is about control, control, control.
There is no working with and for the people and the nation, just destruction, destruction, destruction.
August 4, 2026
Today after releases were confirmed
“Thames Valley Police have said the early release is “demoralising” for all police officers and Harper’s widow said:
“This is disgusting. I am beyond appalled and bristling with anger to hear that Andrew’s killers are soon to be free to roam the streets. What abhorrent message does this send? How dare Ministers say the killing of a police officer is not enough of a ‘sickening crime’ that deserves the stiffest of punishments.
The level of disrespect the Government are showing to Andrew and other victims – and to their loved ones such as me – is beyond contempt. The killers of Andrew have shown no remorse… they robbed us of our future. They are vile criminals, and they should remain in jail.”
As we know Burnham despite what he said wasn’t allowed to change the Sentencing Act 2026 Law, that was a look at me ‘I am the PM’ moment. He would have to come to the UK Parliament and address the house to get an amendment – that’s not on his agenda.
August 4, 2026
I do believe in devolution, not pseudo devolution where puppets are selected by ‘Gang Bosses’ to do their bidding to parrot a personal view of control.
But, real devolution where the needs of the local community are met and created by that community. As with every individual, needs are different, it is the same with local needs, schooling, health, roads etc. all better handled by the community that they serve. There can be ‘no one size fits all’, as the UK Parliament keeps proving over and over. All tax should be local, the central government bit to do central government things, the nation defence, the national external relationship’s, the joined-up nation’s infrastructure needs should be as we define defence just a percentage of GDP. We don’t need 650 MPs, most are a waste of space, but we do need the strong individuals and communities that get things done.
All a pipe dream, of course, that will never happen due to the personal ‘ego’s’ of those that control and manipulate to burnish their own self-esteem at the centre of this Socialist empire. But weirdly that is how the World’s most successful Nation runs, the USA. It has a lot of faults, makes many mistakes, yet it still has a democracy, it still seeks democratic validation of the country’s direction every 2 years, and remains ahead by miles. Could that also be the result of the checks and balances of democracy?
August 4, 2026
The de-trunking of our A roads that used to be our prime highway routes along with descaling the dual carriageways within that A road network is why people wanting to make journeys outside there immediate area are forced onto motorways. The end result of this anti traffic strategy which has occupied the planners minds for the past forty years is why we now have conjected motorways and restricted access to join at times and of course the ongoing speed reduction policy making fast roads ever slower.
There needs to be a complete re-education of out traffic management teams and their priorities. Tinkering around the edges will not do it.
August 4, 2026
The BIG question?
Asked about tax on working people by Tory peers, Labour ministers said in a written answer in Parliament:
“Everyone is being asked to contribute to support these goals, but the Government is keeping the contribution from working people as low as possible by ensuring the wealthiest contribute more.”
That’s the first parliamentary question Burnham’s government has answered in the Lords.
Everyone is being asked to contribute to support these goals – when do the people get to approve these goals, getting ahead of himself again.
August 4, 2026
No one has ‘asked’ me yet but the answer is no as I can use and invest it far more sensibly than government ever would.
August 4, 2026
35 illegals crossed the channel yesterday