A bold new approach to roadworks

Background  

Two years ago, we increased speed limits through many of our major road projects, where safe, from 50mph to 60mph. We did this in response to feedback from road users voicing their frustration over time spent travelling through roadworks.

Now, we’re developing even more measures to keep on reducing the impact of roadworks. These include clearer messaging for drivers, more effective diversion routes and a decluttering of the roadside. We’re also looking to cut prolonged disruption from roadworks with a new plan to fast track upgrades of England’s busiest roads.

The initiative

We’re exploring the benefits of closing roads altogether for short periods as an alternative to months or even years of partial closures. Often, closing roads completely means we can do our work quicker and cut overall disruption.

This approach is already being employed in a limited number of schemes. We’re constructing a new bridge over the M42 as part of the HS2 rail scheme through two full closures of the motorway during consecutive Christmas periods in 2021 and 2022 when traffic is lightest. This is an alternative to 18 months of lane closures, narrow lanes and speed restrictions along with more than 100 overnight closures.

We’re also drawing up plans to complete major improvements to the A47/A11 junction outside Norwich via one full nine-day closure and a limited number of overnight closures using innovative off-site construction methods. This would be as an alternative to almost three years of lane closures, contraflows and 30mph speed limits.

The results  

Full road closures – normally for a maximum of two weeks – will remain the exception rather than the norm for us. This is in recognition of the potential short-term impact on local communities and businesses as well as disruption to nearby roads caused by diversion routes.

However, where we can implement this new approach, it will save months, even years of inconvenience that partial closures can cause. It will also:

• save taxpayer money
• reduce the impact on local communities and drivers
• lead to lower carbon emissions from construction equipment
• reduce risks to our workers' safety

Revolutionising roads

Background

We know we need to keep innovating to improve experiences on the road, while still getting people where they need to go, safely and reliably. New technologies are helping us revolutionise the roads experience for our customers. This includes supporting the introduction of connected vehicles for more efficient journeys.

The initiatives

We're always looking for ways to use our existing infrastructure to share important information with road users – helping people plan their journeys more effectively. Now, technology advances such as 5G and the Internet of Things are allowing us to use lighting infrastructure to help pave the way for connected vehicles.

In a trial on the M40 near Birmingham, we’ve been testing the concept of ‘intelligent street lighting’. Closed circuit television and communications technology that enables vehicles to communicate is among the kit that we’ve stored inside the lanterns of streetlights alongside our network.

Our aim is to effectively support connected and autonomous vehicles in pushing out and receiving useful information, such as traffic updates, speed limits and diversions. This would involve a large-scale deployment of technology across our network, and street lights may be the answer.

The results

We’re entering a ‘roads revolution’. A time when technological changes could drastically change not only our country’s transport network and roads, but even our concept of mobility. Our innovation and research activities are allowing us to look to the future so that we can predict and respond to the evolving needs of our customers.

Moving stranded vehicles

Background

We’ve invested £200,000 in new equipment and training for our traffic officers to help speed up the time it takes to move ‘non-rolling’ broken down vehicles – including electric vehicles – to a safe place and keep traffic moving.

The initiative

All our traffic officer vehicles are now equipped with plastic skates and battery boosters to help slash the time it takes to move a stranded vehicle out of a live lane on motorways and major A-roads.

The skates help to reduce the surface friction between tyre and road, allowing the vehicle to be towed to a place of safety by a traffic officer. They can be used to safely move depleted electric vehicles (EVs). Towing an EV can greatly damage the vehicle due to how the motors are attached to the wheels and their lack of a true neutral gear. Where previously traffic officers had to wait for a recovery vehicle, EVs can now be moved right away with the use of this new equipment.

Additionally, our traffic officer vehicles have been equipped with battery boosters. These are an effective tool to combat a battery failure on a combustion engine vehicle. The booster will enable traffic officers to take off an electronic handbrake, or move an automatic car into neutral, to allow it to be moved to a place of safety.

The results

The new equipment allows our traffic officers to be much more agile when dealing with broken down vehicles. This means we can speed up clearance times, further improve road safety and get carriageways back to normal running quicker. It’s expected that removing incidents from live lanes more quickly will equate to a minimum boost of £29.8m per year to the UK economy.

'Intelligent' diversion routes

Background

Diversion routes provide safe alternative routes for drivers who are diverted from our network. We have around 2,700 pre-planned, pre-designated diversion routes for emergency use, covering 98% of our network, which allow drivers to safely navigate around closures on our roads.

The initiative

We’re constantly looking for new ways to improve diversion routes, minimising disruption for both drivers and the communities living and working near our roads. And in 2020, we started to look at how we can use advances in technology to create more ‘intelligent’ diversion routes, with smoother flowing traffic and better signage.

First, we worked with local experts and highways authorities to choose the most suitable diversion routes for our customers and their vehicles. For example, avoiding congested town centres and low bridges.

After identifying the best routes, we explored using a range of technologies to:

• help keep drivers informed of what’s happening on the road ahead
• enable our frontline teams to respond to incidents faster

We also worked with local highway authorities to develop strategies for adjusting traffic signal timings along these routes when required, to help keep the traffic flowing.

Results

We now have over 300 pre-planned ‘intelligent’ diversion routes ready to deploy across the South East, Yorkshire and North East of England if there’s a closure on our roads.

These improved diversion routes mean drivers have access to the information they need at key decision points, helping them make informed choices about their journeys. Reduced journey times along these routes also means that there’s less disruption for drivers and neighbouring communities.

Our focus now is on future-proofing these solutions so that they keep working for our customers as traffic on our roads increases.

A better network for all

Background

Our research and feedback, combined with insight from others, helps us to understand how our services and roads may need to evolve to deliver for all our customers. Whether relying on our network for work journeys, visits to friends and family or the movement of goods and services, we want to make sure our customers’ needs are being met for better, safer journeys.

The initiative

Together with independent watchdog Transport Focus, we’re developing new surveys to capture feedback from a diverse range of our customers. With logistics and coach businesses being one of the biggest users of our network, we’ve started with a survey that captures the views of over 1000 freight and coach vehicle managers.

The survey focuses on how well we’re delivering for these businesses. It helps us better understand how satisfied they are with our work; from providing journey planning services to clearing up after collisions and the quality of the road surface.

Results

Understanding how our customers think and feel about the services we provide helps us focus our improvements on the things that matter most to them. We’re now working with Transport Focus to develop further surveys tailored to specific customer groups, including walkers, cyclists and horse riders. We’ll use these surveys to measure our success in meeting the needs of all road users.

Pathways for Lower Thames Crossing

Background

We’re one of the biggest builders of new foot, cycle and bridle pathways in the UK. It’s important that our roads are safe and accessible for all. Building new infrastructure and enhancing existing facilities to encourage sustainable, non-motorised forms of transport is an important part of this.

The initiative

For the Lower Thames Crossing alone, our plans include almost 3km of pathways for every 1km of new road. That’s over 60km of new or improved pathways for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, delivered across Kent, Thurrock, Brentwood and Havering. The pathways are designed to encourage active travel and promote health and wellbeing across the region.

Included will be new bridges and paths that connect to upgraded and extended routes. This will give the local community and visitors safer and easier and ways of travelling between the area’s parks and woodlands, heritage sites, and employment centres.

The results

The Lower Thames Crossing will be an essential part of the UK’s low-carbon transport network. It will almost double road capacity across the Thames east of London, and boost the economy by offering new connections, better journeys and fewer delays. Get more information on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing scheme.

Our plans for the Lower Thames crossing include:

• Seven green bridges providing safe and easy crossings for people and wildlife
• Two new footbridges over the A127 and one over the M25
• A network of bridleways for uninterrupted routes between woodlands
• A new cycle route south of the A2, from Park Pale to Hares bridge
• Improved foot and cycle paths for commuters

Every customer has an opinion

Background

We’re building better relationships with our customers, and part of this is helping them to quickly and easily tell us about their experience of using our services. In 2019, we started using a real-time feedback tool called ECHO, which stands for Every Customer Has an Opinion. We’re using ECHO to drive customer service improvements; from enhancing digital services like our website, to learning more about how our customers feel after they’ve been assisted by traffic officers at the roadside.

The initiative

We’re now using ECHO to learn how we can improve customer experiences of our major road projects. The feedback tool is being trialled on projects such as our £61 million upgrade of the A46 Binley junction in Coventry, and can be found on the scheme webpage. This map-based version of the tool enables motorists, residents and businesses to pin-point issues and share their thoughts on the project.

The results

Our customers can submit comments through ECHO at any time, and the interactive map and feedback form for road projects are quick and simple to use. This is making it easier for our customers to get involved in conversations about our work so that their views are heard.

ECHO in numbers

• We’ve used over 20,000 responses gathered from ECHO since its launch to make our services better.
• 10 of our major road projects now use the ECHO feedback tool.
• We’re aiming to roll out ECHO to all 40 of our major road projects by March 2022.

Unlocking young minds

Background

We’re passionate about inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists, helping them get on the path to a fascinating career. Together with Minecraft, the world’s best-selling video game, we’ve developed a suite of five educational games to open up the world of road building in classrooms.

The initiative

In the games, students learn about everything road designers need to consider when planning schemes like the Lower Thames Crossing and the A303 past Stonehenge. They’ll get a sense of the skills needed to build some of the biggest road projects in a generation, including archaeology, biology, ecology, civil engineering, communications technology and coding.

The games offer a fun way for key stage 2 (ages 7-11) and key stage 3 (ages 11-14) to engage with STEM subjects, and include lesson plans and guides for teachers. Each road project featured in the games also has a Creative Mode, which can be used by schools during lunchtime or after school clubs. Creative Mode allows students to spend as much time as they want building and designing the roads.

The results

The games are aligned to the national curriculum and are available to all teachers and schools. Teachers just need access to Minecraft Education Edition, which is commonly used in schools. Get the games, guides and lesson plans on the Block Builders website.

Reaching our disabled customers

Background

With disabled drivers representing five per cent of the driving population, we’re committed to making sure our disabled customers have an equal experience. We also want them to feel safe using our roads. As part of our 2021 Breakdowns Campaign, we worked with social media influencers to get vital safety advice from the campaign to disabled and Deaf communities.

The initiative

16 influencers from both the Mobility and Deaf community joined our campaign to help disabled people feel more confident about what to do if they broke down on a motorway. With a combined reach of over 1.3 million followers, the influencers first helped us to identify gaps in road safety knowledge within their communities. We then worked with them to tailor content from our Breakdowns Campaign to fill the gaps and build confidence.

The results

Both before and after the campaign, the influencers asked their followers if they were confident that they’d know how to stay as safe as possible if their vehicle broke down on a motorway. Before the campaign, 25% of the respondents selected ‘yes’. Following the campaign, this increased to 53% of respondents feeling confident that they’d know how to stay safe.

My customer, my call

Background  

We believe that every contact we have with our customers gives us an opportunity to deliver great experiences. We provide a range of services to help our customers get in touch, and we want to make sure these services are convenient, accessible and provide quick resolutions. Upskilling our customer contact teams is crucial to making sure our customers get the support they need, when they need it.

The initiative  

‘My customer, my call’ is a training package we’ve developed to improve how we respond to customers who write to us. Our customer contact centre alone receives over 200 letters and emails every day. By picking up the phone to respond to these enquiries, where appropriate to do so, we can often resolve the customers enquiry much quicker. So, the training provides our teams with the tools, knowledge and support to make that call. Unlike letters and email, there is an immediacy to telephone calls that allows both us and our customers to ask and answer questions, clarify, explain and resolve.

The results  

By introducing ‘My customer, my call’ training, we’re giving our customers better quality experiences when they contact us. While some people prefer written responses, and we do still provide this service, the feedback from having direct conversations with our customers has been overwhelmingly positive.

Being part of the pick

Background  

We’re proud of our people and the work they do, in their own time as well as for us. We believe we all thrive by giving back to our communities. That’s why our employees can take up to three days off each year to volunteer at schools, UK registered charities and social enterprises in England.

The initiative  

Each year we encourage our people to volunteer to ‘be part of the pick’ for Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean. Litter is a serious issue - it harms the environment, is an eyesore and costs millions of pounds to clear up every year. We know outdoor spaces matter even more to our customers than ever before during the COVID-19 pandemic. So the Great British Spring Clean provides a real opportunity for our people to get involved in making a positive change in their communities. 

The results  

In 2020, more than 150 of our people spent over 657 hours picking litter during the Great British Spring Clean. Through both our volunteering and maintenance activities, we collected 12,000 bags of litter.

Seeing things differently

Background  

Immersive technologies are changing how we develop the skills of our people and our supply chain partners to carry out their daily jobs. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality allow us to safely carry out training away from our busy road network.

The initiative

We’re introducing scenario-based VR training for our on-road traffic officers. It helps bring to life customer service scenarios that they are likely to experience when out on our network. When officers put on the VR headset, they’ll be immersed in scenarios that have been carefully curated using real customer feedback and the help of specialist advisors in areas such as disability. The training will help to develop their customer service skills, including asking the right questions, empathy, listening and conflict avoidance.

The results  

Our traffic officers are world-class at managing incidents and keeping people safe. This training will highlight the importance of considering circumstances from the perspective of our customers; recognising where people may be anxious or vulnerable and providing the right support to improve their experience.