A shining example of National Highways at its best
When journalist Kevin Maher’s phone slipped from its hands-free mount on his motorcycle and disappeared onto the M4, he didn’t expect a dramatic rescue mission.
Yet, thanks to National Highways inspectors, his soaked phone was found, retrieved and dried out. All in a day’s work.
In his Times column, Maher captures something many of us can take for granted: the commitment and care of these often-unseen heroes.
They didn’t just pick up a lost phone; they scoured the central reservation from the hard shoulder until they spotted it, coordinated with police to make the motorway safe, and ensured the item once retrieved was returned to its grateful owner.
Maher’s story isn’t just about the lost phone. This story perfectly represents what National Highways’ on road teams do. They are out there every day, working tirelessly to keep road users safe.
They go the extra mile, often literally, to help people.
We have frontline teams working around the clock to support road users, helping plan the best routes, sharing information about roadworks and traffic conditions, assisting those who’ve broken down and making sure roads remain in a safe condition.
Our inspectors work alongside our control room teams and on-road traffic officers, patrolling both motorways and A-roads looking out for defects that require attention. They then arrange for repairs and monitor the progress of ongoing maintenance activities to ensure our roads remain in a good condition.
This experience was just one of the 30,000 calls and 7,000 emails our Customer Contact Centre handles each month, from reports of debris and incidents to questions about something that is impacting someone’s journey.
So yes, sometimes our people are recovering phones from the middle of a motorway. But more importantly, they’re helping ensure millions of journeys are completed as safely and smoothly as possible every day.
To learn more about the vital work of our teams, visit our website. If you ever need assistance while travelling, you can reach the Customer Contact Centre directly on 0300 123 5000. Emails can be sent to info@nationalhighways.co.uk
