Making a difference for our customers
We'll be by our customers' side, keeping them moving by providing exceptional services.
The needs of our customers are central to everything we do. We’re listening to the people who rely on our roads, making sure that the feelings and experiences of those affected by our work shape the things we do.
Our customers are diverse. They include the people who use our roads – be it in a car, a goods vehicle, on a motorcycle or bicycle, on horseback or on foot – as well as those who live and work alongside them.
We’re investing in the six areas below to deliver lasting benefits and make a difference for our customers:
Improving journey times
Journeys will take the time people expect them to
Our customers have told us that smooth and reliable journeys matter most to them. So, we’re improving the ways we manage roadworks, incidents and delays to enable safer, stress-free journeys and help drive the economy.
With demand on roads forecast to increase, our primary focus is to keep our network running safely and smoothly, and our customers informed and prepared.
Improvements to how we set variable speed limits are saving around 3,700 hours of journey time every day
Almost 89% of incidents attended by our traffic officers are cleared in under 60 minutes
In 2020, we used over 1,000 customer 'drive-through' surveys of roadworks to make improvements to our road projects
Over 80 miles of our roadworks have operated with 60mph speed limits since January 2019
Experts in incident management
Our on-road traffic officers are often first on the scene in an incident. Their priorities are to keep people safe and fully reopen the road as soon as possible.
They stop traffic to clear obstructions and spills, help remove broken-down vehicles, and support the police and other emergency services by managing road closures when there’s a serious incident.
They work hand-in-hand with off-road traffic officers in our control centres - who are their eyes and ears out on the network. Eight teams across the country monitor our roads through CCTV; responding to emergency calls, setting signs and signals and deploying resources where needed.
Whether on the scene or behind the scenes, our traffic officers are there to keep the traffic flowing, helping make sure people make it home safely.
7 Regional Operations Centres
33 Outstations
Keeping the traffic flowing
Everything we do, from designing roads to clearing incidents, helps keep traffic moving 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
We have a research programme dedicated to understanding the causes of journey time delays. This is helping us explore new and innovative ways to improve how our network performs for our customers.
Although traffic levels on our network are increasing, our ambition is that delay will be no worse at the end of 2025 as it was at the end of 2020.
Download our plan for Managing delay on the strategic road network.
Increasing speed limits in roadworks
Background
We know that lower speed limits through roadworks can be frustrating for our customers, affecting the quality of their experience and overall satisfaction with their journeys. So, since 2017, we’ve been exploring whether we can safely increase speed limits through roadworks from the standard 50mph to 60mph.
The initiative
We piloted 60mph speed limits in eight road projects, using different speed management scenarios, with positive results. Drivers felt safer, and we noticed improvements to the flow of traffic, with less close following and better speed limit compliance. This showed us that increased speed limits in roadworks can deliver benefits for our customers, while maintaining safety for roadworkers.
Not every set of roadworks is suitable for higher speed limits, and our customers will still see 40mph and 50mph limits. But the pilots have allowed us to set a new standard which ensures the safety of our customers and roadworkers when 60mph is appropriate. .
Results
Since January 2019, we’ve implemented 60mph speed limits across ten road projects. That’s over 140km of roadworks on our network operating at 60mph. And this year we’re aiming to roll out the use of 60mph (or the highest safe speed) in at least 75% of our major motorway projects.
Since increasing speed limits in roadworks, we’ve seen:
- Compliance with the speed limit was much higher for 60mph (90.5%) than 50mph (79.3%).
- A saving of 10 seconds per vehicle mile for 60mph speed limits compared to 50mph
- In total, drivers saved around 3,700 hours journey time each day during the trials
- Around 329,000 vehicles travelled safely through the trials daily
- An estimated economic saving of over £34 million across just two of the trial projects
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 using autonomous construction equipment to reduce delay, and supporting the introduction of connected vehicles for more efficient journeys.
The initiatives
Autonomous equipment, like our pioneering cone-laying vehicles, is reducing roadworks disruption and enhancing safety for our customers. The cone-laying vehicles take away the need for cones to be manually placed on busy roads, meaning we can open and close lanes more safely.
We’re also exploring how road infrastructure and vehicles can talk to each other. ‘Connected roads’ will have technology installed alongside them to gather information about traffic and travel, to better inform our customers and support their journeys. When sent directly to connected vehicles, this information can warn drivers about incidents and lane closures ahead, changes to speed limits and much more.
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.
In 2020, we invested:
- £1.15 million on projects involving connected and autonomous vehicles
- £1.65 million on projects supporting customer mobility
- £20.2 million to improve how we design and maintain our network
- £3.34 million to develop solutions to reduce energy consumption and improve the environment
- £11.6 million to give our customers a better road experience using real-time data
Driving the economy
Background
Businesses big and small rely on our road network to move people, materials and goods around the country. Providing these businesses with accurate information about planned closures for roadworks is vital in our support of the UK economy. We send details of our daily road closures to over 400 freight and logistics companies, and this information can also be downloaded from our website.
The initiative
Royal Mail has been a key partner, working with us to help improve roadworks information. Royal Mail handles around 16 billion letters and parcels a year; delivering to more than 30 million addresses, six days a week. For them to run their operations effectively, they need to know which roads are open. Using our overnight road closure information, Royal Mail has been able to create unique software which interprets our roadworks data and sets Royal Mail's drivers' routes.
Results
From 2018 to now, we’ve improved the accuracy of our on-the-day road closure data by over 100%. Our target now is to make sure that our information about overnight road closures is 90% accurate seven days in advance of work starting, better helping the freight industry with their forward planning.
"We’ve seen a real change in the communications around road closures from Highways England. The daily closure report allows us to see which roads are closed around the country without having to scroll through the various websites. This has helped us to make tactical decisions on our contingency planning and inform our drivers of the advised route with a level of confidence we didn’t have before"Dennis Welton, Head of Central Postal Control, Royal Mail
A better end-to-end experience
We care about our customers' journeys from start to finish
We recognise that our customers’ journeys don’t always start or end on our roads, so it’s vital that we connect seamlessly with other road and transport networks.
We work side-by-side with local authorities, service area operators, transport partners and local communities. Together we’re helping our customers travel smoothly across our network using varying modes of transport and linking to local networks.
This year we're supporting seamless journeys by:
Investing £27 million in cycleways and footpaths to make them safer and more accessible
Adjusting traffic signal timings along diversion routes to improve traffic flows and minimise disruption
Developing disability access guides for motorway services on our network to help our disabled customers plan their journeys
Trialling improvements to information about roadside facilities on A-roads, such as better signing
Taking a break
We’ve partnered with AccessAble, a leading provider of venue accessibility information, to help motorists plan where to take a break at motorway services across England for better, safer journeys.
Detailed access guides for each motorway service area take the guesswork out of journey planning, giving our customers the information they need about facilities along their route. From parking to toilets, petrol stations, staff training and shops, the guides cover all aspects of accessibility so that our customers can plan where to take a break with confidence.
'Intelligent' diversion routes
Background
Diversion routes provide safe alternative routes for drivers who are diverted from our network. We have around 2700 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. In 2020, we started to look at how we can use advances in technology to create ‘intelligent’ diversion routes.
First, we worked with local experts and highways authorities to choose the most suitable routes for our customers and their vehicles. For example, avoiding congested town centres and low bridges.
Now, we’re trialling how we can use traffic management technologies to help inform drivers in advance of any incidents or road closures, and adjust traffic signal timings along diversion routes to improve traffic flows, working in close collaboration with local highway authorities.
Results
Having ‘intelligent’ diversion routes means we can make sure drivers have the information they need at key decision points along their journey, keeping them in control. We can also minimise disruption for drivers and neighbouring communities along these routes by coordinating traffic signals to keep traffic moving. In addition, technologies along these routes are helping our control centre teams respond to incidents faster.
‘Intelligent’ diversion routes are currently operational in the South East and have recently expanded to the Yorkshire North East. We’re now looking to roll these out nationally, realising benefits across the country.
"The new system allows us [Hertfordshire County Council] to speed up our response to unplanned road closures, which reduces disruption and helps to keep traffic moving."Councillor Phil Bibby, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment, Hertfordshire County Council
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 accidents 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.
"Logistics and coach businesses rack up huge mileages on motorways and major A-roads, so it’s important that Highways England knows what they think. The Logistics and Coach Survey gives a clear view of what these businesses think they do well and where they need to improve. We’ll work with Highways England to ensure it uses this feedback to bring about positive changes for these businesses."Anthony Smith, Chief Executive, Transport Focus
From Sea to Sea
Background
Since 2015, we’ve invested over £100 million in boosting England’s cycleways. In October 2018, we partnered with Sustrans to help improve the UK's 16,505 mile National Cycle Network. Our investment is providing safer crossings and connecting cycle schemes along some of England’s busiest roads.
The initiative
The Vigo Railway tunnel in County Durham passes under the A1 and is part of the UK’s most popular challenge cycle route - the Sea to Sea. However, users of the tunnel were finding that it was often flooded, and some felt the damp and dark route was unsafe. In addition, the path turned sharply after exiting the tunnel - leading to several head on collisions and near misses. Working with Sustrans, we invested almost £2.5 million to upgrade the path, making it safer for all users.
The results
As well as lining the tunnel with steel, we shored up and repaired retaining walls, cleared vegetation and realigned the path to increase visibility. We also changed the camber of the path and improved drainage so that the tunnel is less likely to flood. The initiative has resulted in an extra 131m of cycle path along this route.
"It’s great to see this work completed and open to users once more. This section now has significant improvements for people walking, cycling or using a wheelchair or mobility scooter. There are also reduced maintenance issues on the bridge for years to come."Gina Clarke, Land Manager, Sustrans
Providing better information
Our customers will have the information they need
Through better communication with our customers, and providing clear and reliable information, we’re working on giving road users and communities better experiences.
This includes helping them feel safe, make informed decisions and be in control of their journeys.
We offer support to our customers 24 hours a day, every day of the year:
We use Twitter to share live travel information with over 400,000 followers across our regional Twitter feeds
We’ve been improving the accuracy of our overnight road closure information, which is downloaded from our website over 10,000 times a month
Our customer contact centre handles over 25,000 phone calls and nearly 6,000 emails every month
We support over 100,000 users each day on Traffic England, our traffic information website
Planning a journey
Whether travelling now or travelling later, we want to make sure our customers have the information they need to plan their journeys. Our information services include:
- live traffic updates
- breaking news on incidents
- daily information on planned overnight road closures
- current and planned roadworks information
Visit our travel updates page to find out more.
A well maintained and safe network
Our customers' journeys will be safer and smoother
Our primary role is to provide a well-maintained and safe network. We proactively maintain, operate and enhance our roads to reduce disruption and help our customers feel safe. Our assets range from bridges and footpaths to embankments and safety barriers. We’re maintaining them in ever improving ways, using research and world-leading data, to meet our customers’ needs and expectations.
For example, this year we’re working with Transport Focus to measure how the smoothness of the road surface affects our customers. And we’ll be using this research to target our maintenance work, focusing on road surface issues that are most important to people.
Our maintenance work helps to:
Reduce delays by clearing roads, repairing damage and re-opening lanes as soon as it’s safe to do
Reduce the impact of bad weather, including minimising flooding by ensuring water can drain away
Remove litter and graffiti, ensuring signs are clear from vegetation and removing trees which may fall on our roads
Improve road safety, make the different parts of our network last longer, and provide better journey experiences for our customers
"As the UK's largest scheduled coach operator, our millions of customers rely on us to get them to their destination safely and on time. Highways England’s commitment to keeping their roads well-maintained, and making sure journey times are predictable and reliable, means we can deliver safe, fast, punctual connections, and provide a great passenger experience."Ed Rickard, Service Delivery Director, National Express
Reporting a problem
We want to make sure we know what problems are affecting our customers journeys - for example faulty signs, potholes, litter and overgrown vegetation - and where they are on our network.
If someone’s spotted something wrong with our roads, or any of the assets alongside them, they can now report the problem online.
This allows our customers to:
- See if the problem is on our network or a local authority road
- Use an interactive map to pinpoint where they’ve spotted the problem
- Quickly and easily submit a report
- View past reports and see what action we’ve taken
Safer drivers
Whatever part of our network our customers are driving on, we want them to stay safe and know what to do if anything goes wrong. We use incident data to set priorities for our marketing campaigns. From biker safety and vehicle checks to breakdowns advice and Summer getaways, our campaigns aim to save lives by helping people feel more in control of their journeys and improving driver behaviour.
Building better relationships
We'll keep the conversation going
Whether people travel on our roads, or live and work around them, we’re listening and responding to their needs.
By building better relationships with our customers and those affected by our work, we’re seeing our roads from their point of view and using their experiences to shape our plans. For example, this year we’ll be setting up a panel for professional drivers to share their needs.
Having a shared understanding of who we are and what we do means we can deliver better value for money and leave behind a positive legacy from our road projects.
Roads for all
It’s important that our roads and services are accessible for all our customers. Many of our disabled customers have specific needs to be met if they are to have an equal experience, and feel safe, using our roads. So, we’re making sure we plan for these needs at every stage of our work.
Our Roads for All Forum, established in 2018, brings together a wide range of organisations that represent or provide services to disabled road users. We work collaboratively with these organisations to ensure we’re equal and inclusive in the way we build, improve and operate our roads.
Watch the video to find out more about how we’re working together to deliver real improvements for disabled road users.
"We’re working with National Highways to provide the Deaf community the same opportunities as hearing people. That is a huge achievement, and National Highways is the first organisation to achieve this. Now there is more awareness about ensuring that Deaf people have the same access to safety messages as hearing people."Robin Ash, Access and Inclusion Officer, British Deaf Association
Designated Funds
Our work goes beyond building and operating roads. Our Users and communities fund, introduced in 2020, is a ring-fenced fund dedicated to delivering lasting benefits for road users and communities across England. Our customers’ expectations are evolving, from the ways they use technology to how they travel, and this fund is helping us make some important changes to meet their needs.
More about Designated FundsEvery 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.
Leaving a positive legacy
Background
We’re passionate about leaving a positive legacy through initiatives which create benefits for local communities. In the West Midlands, we delivered 18 improvement projects during 2020 – small changes which are making a big difference.
The initiative
All 18 projects were suggested by members of the public. They ranged in size from erecting fencing on the A46 at Salford Priors, to redesigning the A483 Maesbury Road junction in Oswestry, Shropshire.
HGVs joining the A483 at the junction often mounted the footpath when turning. As well as damaging the pavement, a bollard and signpost had also been hit. And the time taken to navigate the junction caused congestion.
The results
We’ve now altered the junction with new road markings and kerbing laid out to make it easier for HGVs to negotiate. Since the changes, there hasn’t been any damage and traffic is moving more smoothly through the junction. Other projects in the pipeline for the West Midlands this year include installing safety barriers, an anti-fly tipping project and landscaping.
Across the country in 2020, we delivered:
- 6 projects which have reduced noise experienced by 2,111 households close to our network
- 34 projects to better integrate our network with other transport modes
- 77 projects to improve routes for walkers, cyclists and horse riders
We also reduced the chance of flooding at four flooding hotspots.
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.
"I had no idea about ringing Highways England. I’m not in a wheelchair full time but I’ve always been anxious about how I’d get behind barriers as I’m on crutches and have no sensation in my lower limbs. Thankfully I’ve never broken down on a motorway, but will be better prepared now if it happens. Thank you for this!"A customer responding to a disabled influencer on Instagram
Empowering our people
We'll live our values
Everyone at National Highways and in our supply chain has a part to play in delivering great experiences for our customers.
We’re empowering our people to understand the difference they make and enabling them to make better decisions to support our customers and the communities affected by our work.
This year, we're:
Improving our insight capabilities, enhancing our customer experience training and making our roles more customer focussed
Building a stronger customer culture so that we all understand how we can act on customer needs and expectations
Using virtual reality training for traffic officers to improve how we help people who need roadside assistance
Supporting our supply chain partners to improve customer service when they're working on our behalf
How we work
Our organisation has three imperatives which underpin everything we do:
- Safety
- Customer service
- Delivery
These are supported by our values of safety, ownership, passion, integrity and teamwork.
Our values provide the standards that guide everything we do, both as individuals and together. By living them every day, we'll do the best we can for everyone who relies on our roads.
"I promote teamwork by supporting colleagues across National Highways in developing our plans for reducing carbon emissions. From looking at how we can use the green areas of our network for renewable energy generation and carbon capture, to helping our customers switch to electric and other zero carbon vehicles, we’re working together to tackle climate change."Ivan Le Fevre, Head of Environment, National Highways
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.
"It's great to be a part of something to be proud of, making a difference in the environment around you for you and others to enjoy. I got my 8-year-old daughter involved and she loved it, and has been out litter picking several times since as it made her feel good through doing good."Clare Ball, Corporate Customer Service Engagement Programme Manager, Highways England
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.
"Being that reassuring presence and helping others in their time of need makes me extremely proud to be a Highways England traffic officer. That feeling of pride and responsibility is there each and every time I put my uniform on. It’s good to know that I can genuinely assist people who have a breakdown or incident on our network. It’s a great feeling when those people shake your hand as they’re about to go on their way; you know that you have kept them safe and they’re genuinely grateful."Matthew Wheeldon, Highways England Traffic Officer
How our work is monitored
We work closely with Transport Focus – Britain’s independent watchdog for transport users – to make a real difference for road users. Together, we’ve developed the Strategic Roads User Survey (SRUS) so that we can measure our customers’ experiences more effectively.
SRUS provides us with a wealth of insight on how customers feel about using our roads – from journey time, safety and roadworks management to roadside information and surface quality. Around 8,000 road users are surveyed each year, helping us meet our customers’ needs and expectations.
SRUS is our key performance indicator for road user satisfaction, but our customer service ambition goes far beyond achieving our SRUS targets. We offer other ways for our customers to share their views with us, including events and exhibitions; our social media platforms; and community insight apps.
Visit our contact page to find out how to get in touch.
