National Roads Maintenance Review - Phase 2 Report
5 Next Steps - using the strategic framework to deliver change
Set out below are the options agreed and put forward by the steering group to deliver change in the maintenance of Scotland's roads.
These are grouped under the status of:
- Implement
- Additional research to be undertaken
- Further economic and financial assessment required.
Each option was identified as having the opportunity to deliver either significant or moderate benefits if implemented. In addition, the options are mapped against the related recommendations from the Phase 1 report and the developments or enhancements from the strategic framework.
5.1 Options - Implement
| Option | Description | Benefit[17] | Related Phase 1 Recommendation | Related Development or Enhancement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Review Scottish Road Works Commissioner Reports with regard to potential charges for overrunning. | Significant | R9 | En8 |
| 5 | Deliver and adopt SCOTS recommended minimum levels of service for road maintenance for local authorities. Implement Transport Scotland review of maintenance thresholds and condition parameters for identification of maintenance schemes. | Significant | R8 | D7 |
| 7 | Seek to secure continued funding for SCOTS RAMP programme | Significant | R1 & 3 | D1 |
| 10 | Initiate a SCOTS, Transport Scotland, Health & Safety Executive, Law Society engagement group to ensure better understanding and appreciation between technical and legal parties involved in the road maintenance industry. | Significant | R11 | D7 |
| 12 | Set up National Roads Research Working Group with a remit for all road maintenance research topics. This is to coordinate potential new products or techniques and share knowledge and experience. | Significant | R11 | D7 |
| 13 | Further co-ordinate work on: joint repair techniques; pothole repairs; bridge repair techniques; and footway repairs. | Moderate | R11 | D7 |
| 18 | Review the recommendations of the current winter maintenance service review to identify how they can be integrated into this Review. | Significant | R11 | D7 |
| 21 | Transport Scotland to deploy asset management hierarchies on the trunk road network. | Moderate | R1, 3 & 4 | D1 |
| 22 | Develop and continue Road to Excellence to work towards providing a suite of international benchmarks. | Moderate | R5 | D4 |
Table 2: Options with the status "Implement"
5.2 Options - Additional Research to be Undertaken
| Option | Description | Benefit | Related Phase 1 Recommendation | Related Development or Enhancement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Identify opportunities for the introduction of new contracting approaches to increase flexibility and to include framework agreements. | Moderate | R7 | D2 |
| 6 | Review current traffic management standards at roadworks to provide more customisable approach. | Significant | R8 | D5 & 7 |
| 9 | Consider amending the criteria for determining which roads are surveyed as part of the local authority SRMCS condition survey. This is to reflect their maintenance hierarchy, rather than simply as A, B, C and unclassified roads. | Moderate | R3 & 4 | D1 |
| 11 | Develop an effective overarching communication strategy that raises awareness on the critical value of road maintenance. | Significant | R10 & 11 | D5 & 7 |
| 14 | Develop a mechanism to review and authorise Scottish departures from UK standards e.g. use of reflective materials in lieu of lighting standards. | Moderate | R8 | D5 |
| 16 | Explore multi year budget allocation at central and local level. | Significant | R1 & 9 | En8 |
| 17 | Review Scottish technical standards against UK and international equivalents. This is to identify examples of over-specification, where relaxation or a risk | Significant | R8 | D7 |
| 19 | Adoption of the SCOTS suite of roads KPIs by all local authorities in Scotland. Transport Scotland to review the suite of KPIs to determine if it would be appropriate to adopt them, allowing direct benchmarking against local authorities. | Moderate | R5 | D3 |
| 20 | Investigate means/ barriers/ benefits to allocating revenue from asset sales to inject into roads improvement. | Moderate | R9 | En8 |
| 24 | Review the conflict between road construction periods, working periods in different circumstances, budget cycles and road user demands. | Moderate | R9 | D7 |
| 25 | Increase the scope of Traffic Scotland website to include local roads authorities to offer a single portal for all travel information. | Moderate | R11 | D7 |
| 26 | Develop and apply a consistent unit cost benchmarking methodology across all roads authorities. | Significant | R5 & 9 | D3 |
| 27 | Potential contributions from utility companies to the costs of making good long term damage to roads due to reinstatements. | Significant | R6 | En8 |
| 28 | Investigate funding distribution options to reflect need based on road use and hierarchy. | Moderate | R9 | En8 |
| 29 | Investigate existing local authority surveys and the Scottish household survey to capture public perceptions in a cost effective way. | Moderate | R10 | D7 |
| 30 | Explore the optimal delivery of road maintenance services. | Significant | R6 & 9 | En9 & 10 |
Table 3: Options with the status "Additional research to be undertaken"
5.3 Options - Further Economic Appraisal Required
| Option | Description | Benefit | Related Phase 1 Recommendation | Related Development or Enhancement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joint collaboration/ working arrangements/ operational collaboration between all roads authorities. | Significant | R6 & 9 | En9 |
| 2 | Integrated service arrangements within local authorities (for example, the current GCC model). | Significant | R6 & 9 | En9 |
| 8 | Implement asset management planning across all roads authorities and monitor effectiveness. | Significant | R3 | D1 |
| 15 | Investigate local authority shared services across smaller consortia of councils (smaller regional groups/ clusters). | Significant | R6 & 9 | En9 |
| 23 | Introduce a lean culture across the road maintenance sector. | Moderate | R2 | D6 & 7 |
Table 4: Options with the status "Further economic appraisal required"
5.4 The way ahead
There are 17 options which offer significant benefits. The steering group recommends these options should be taken forward as a priority following political approval.
There are a further 13 options which will deliver moderate benefits. These could also be taken forward on a prioritised basis.
Of these 30 options, 21 are developments which would embed best practice across road maintenance in Scotland, ensuring best value with existing resources and arrangements. They will also help demonstrate the alignment of the sector with the Christie Commission recommendations on preventative spend.
The remaining 9 options address enhancements under the strategic framework. These offer the potential for roads authorities to present stronger arguments for additional public investment, or funding from the private sector.
It is recommended that each option should be progressed under the direction of the steering group over the next six months.
The Scottish road maintenance community is ready to embrace change to deliver enhanced value. Support and encouragement from stakeholders will be the catalyst for this change.