This is a crucial period of reckoning for strategic road investment in the British Isles. Scotland, Wales and Ireland have targets for reducing car traffic by 2030. The Wales Roads Review outcomes were made public last month. The Parliamentary Transport Committee currently has an open Inquiry into Strategic Road Investment in England.

Having submitted written evidence to the Inquiry based on the work of the Road Investment Scrutiny Panel (RISP), yesterday was my opportunity to take part in an oral evidence session in front of the Committee, alongside Lisa Hopkinson (Transport for Quality of Life) and Ralph Smyth (Transport Action Network).

You can view what was said for yourself on Parliament TV. Here are some points I’m left with musing over having got back home (not all directly from the session but prompted by it, and by the session immediately before)…

⭕ I worry that if we didn’t have a legal obligation for decarbonisation, doing what we’ve always done would continue marching on – in other words, any change forthcoming is relunctant and hard won (at a time when rapid change is needed).

⭕ I hope this period of reckoning amounts to more than how National Highways can “get things through planning” more easily.

⭕ I hope the Levelling Up agenda in terms of strategic road investment is more than a form of pivot for capacity enhancement continuing in a new guise (oriented towards a more diffuse set of schemes shaped by the political landscape).

⭕ I hope we recognise that our decision makers need to choose between being gamblers or stewards when it comes to the future in terms of investment, given the uncertainty we face and the imperatives to be addressed.

⭕ I hope it is recognised that we cannot be confident of getting where we need to be by 2030 in decarbonisation terms unless England grapples nationally with car traffic levels.

⭕ I hope is is recognised that it is simply not good enough for National Highways to have a target to deliver net gain in biodiversity by 2040 (17 years away) – the nature emergency is intertwined with the climate emergency and biodiversity should be an investment priority now.

⭕ I hope a maturity of mindset and strength of resolve will rise above the temptation to muddle through and instead grapple with the uncomfortable reality of the challenges facing road investment (as set out in our RISP report and by other submissions of evidence to the Committee).

⭕ I sure as hell hope we all recognise that time is not on our sides when we look at the climate and nature emergencies and the need for decisive action that offers confidence of legal compliance ahead. TICK TOCK – there are now less than 2500 days until 2030 arrives!!!

⭕ Of course none of this is easy but it’s what we are faced with and it feels like the British Isles across its nations is ripe for globally leading on a recasting of how to approach road investment.

Watch the evidence session here: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/16636acf-c392-43a4-887d-ca47bc2fe458?in=10:43:57

#roads