SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Scale and role

The trunk road network comprises of all motorways and some of the main A roads in Scotland. The current view of the Scottish Government is that the trunk road network should:

a. Provide the road user with a coherent and continuous system of routes which serve destinations of importance to industry, commerce, agriculture and tourism;

b. Define nationally important routes which will be developed in line with strategic national transport demands; and

c. Exclude those roads which predominately serve local needs.

The Scottish trunk road network forms approximately 6% of the total public road system by length, yet carries 37% of the total traffic volume and 62% of all heavy goods vehicles. Traffic flows can range from 1,600 vehicles per day on rural trunk roads to over 160,000 vehicles per day on the busiest stretches of motorway. The network is therefore pivotal and vital to the social and economic wellbeing of Scotland.

Responsibility

Local Roads Authorities are responsible for all non-trunk roads in Scotland whilst the trunk road network is the direct responsibility of the Scottish Ministers, who have statutory responsibility under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 for its management and maintenance. Scottish Ministers have established the national transport agency Transport Scotland to oversee their statutory responsibility. Approximately 3,123km of the trunk road network is now directly managed and maintained through four individual term contracts. This excludes the M6 DBFO and M77 PPP contracts which have separate management and maintenance contracts in place.

Five objectives have been identified for the Scottish Trunk Road which future Operating Company contracts will be expected to deliver:

1) Customer Service: To enable a ‘customer oriented’ approach to be further developed in the way roads are managed and maintained.

2) Value for Money: To achieve the maximum efficiency in the use of the substantial sums of money expended on the maintenance of the network.

3) Effective Management: To encourage innovation and skilful management to maximise trunk road capacity and gain the best use of the network.

4) Flexibility: To accommodate change to the trunk road network.

5) Reliable Journey Times: To assist in the provision of journey time information to Traffic Scotland.

The consultation process

Driving Improvements asked respondents for their feedback on:

the current management and maintenance arrangements;
potential future delivery strategies; and
the potential for future collaboration and partnering opportunities

Separate consultation questionnaires were prepared for Local Authorities and Contractors, seeking their views on a range of issues related to the future management and maintenance of Scotland’s Trunk Road Network.

There were fifteen responses to the Local Authority questionnaire and eight responses to the Contractor questionnaire. Responses were received from organisations listed in Appendix A and B.

All non-confidential responses to the consultation are available at the Scottish Government Library, K Spur, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD. Copies of responses can be viewed by visiting the library or can also be provided by post. Charges for photocopies are made on a cost-recovery basis. To request copies by post and enquire about charges or make an appointment to view responses at the library, contact the Library on 0131 244 4565 or SGLibrary@scotland.gsi.gov.uk/

Report structure

This report summarises the responses provided by local authorities and contractors to their respective questionnaires. The report format reflects the fact that two separate questionnaires, exploring different issues related to trunk road maintenance, were published. Section 2 of this document details local authority responses whilst Section 3 summarises the responses received from contractors.