Effective road and traffic management

Written evidence from Network Rail (ETM 23)

Summary

· Network Rail is concerned about road works permit charging, which will add cost to our operations without improving our incentives to minimise disruption;

· Given that our roadworks are done to improve transport infrastructure, we believe the company should be exempted from such charges;

· Network Rail works very effectively with some local authorities to manage the interface between the railway and the highway; and

· We will continue to work with central and local government to reduce congestion through modal shift, including cycling.

About Network Rail

Network Rail is a not-for-dividend company, limited by guarantee, which owns, operates and maintains rail infrastructure in Great Britain.

Road works

Network Rail is concerned about the growth in local permit charging schemes for road works. These raise costs for us of compliance and in planning in addition to paying the actual cost of essential works.

Network Rail is rather unusual in its use of roadworks. This is because our works are often on sections of road we own (e.g. at stations) or to improve transport infrastructure directly, for example replacing, raising or enhancing bridges. Our works also tend to be short, since they are across rather than along roads, and often done in the early hours of one day rather than taking days or weeks. In addition, we already face significant financial incentives to conclude roadworks as quickly as possible. This is partly as a result of the need to keep construction costs within agreed budgets, but also as a result of the compensation we are required to pay to our customers (train and freight operating companies) when our work disrupts their services. Put simply, the quicker we complete our work the lower the cost.

Our experience of local fee schemes in England is that they increase costs without any benefit such as streamlining the process, and are largely used to raise revenue. By contrast, the system in Scotland where there is the Roadworks Commission, has worked well for us. The Scottish system has much better data which is fully transparent and available to all on the internet. This has been helpful for us to improve our performance.

On the grounds that the roads we close tend to be our own; that the works we do are to maintain and improve transport infrastructure itself; and that we already face significant cost incentives to minimise disruption, we believe we should not be charged for permits to do roadworks. As an industry and a company we are working hard to deliver value for money for the passenger and the taxpayer. We believe increased costs of road works with no additional incentive on us to minimise disruption would be a retrograde step. Transport for London received an exemption from London Councils’ version of the permit scheme on similar grounds.

Road user behaviour and culture and its impact on safety and traffic

One of the most important impacts of the railway on traffic management is level crossings. While they matter in terms of disruption and delay, the impact of road user culture and behaviour is most keenly felt in terms of accidents and near-misses.

Level crossings present the largest single risk of catastrophic train accident in Great Britain. Errors or misuse by drivers or pedestrians is responsible for 95% of all incidents at level crossings. The number of fatalities in 2008 was 13, which dropped slightly in 2009 to 10, with 24 and 12 injuries respectively.

Culture and behaviour is critical for improving safety on level crossings since many of these fatalities and serious accidents involve people misusing crossings – for example, swerving around half-barriers.

Local Authorities and Network Rail

Network Rail has strong relationships with some local authorities, including West Sussex and Hampshire – the latter even has a rail officer. However, others could liaise more effectively with us. An appreciation of how local authority work on roads affects the railway is also important, as demonstrated by disruption caused in Wokingham at the Waterloo Automated Half Barrier crossing. Here, roadworks required a diversion over a level crossing producing disruption which led to Network Rail having to deploy an attendant to manage the crossing.

This is an issue that also needs to be taken more seriously by planning departments, which rarely consider the impact of additional housing near level crossings when other parts of the council are aware of high levels of misuse. Some local authorities also seem to lack enough knowledge of Level Crossing Orders – for instance repainting road markings without consultation.

Close relationships between Network Rail and local authorities can be very helpful for enhancing road safety. For example, Network Rail has modified fencing at the request of Highland Council to improve visibility for road users. We have also undertaken joint inspections with Cornwall Council, enabling each side to understand the other’s perspective, issues and concerns.

Network Rail’s work on the rail side of the road/rail interface already delivers a safe railway, but with better co-ordination we can help to deliver safer roads too. This would require highways authorities to work closely with us across the network, using tools such as speed limits or signs that we are not able to deploy.

Congestion

The railway’s principal environmental benefit is in modal shift from car or lorry to train, reducing road congestion significantly as well as cutting carbon emissions. Two principal means exist to encourage this: price, in particular through congestion charging to make the railway more competitive on a cost basis; and improved facilities for cycling and pedestrians at stations.

Network Rail has previously suggested that congestion charging should enable local authorities to borrow against future income to fund local transport improvements, particularly rail.

The combination of the most efficient inter-urban mode of mass transport (rail) and the most efficient intra-urban personal mode (cycling) tackles congestion, pollution and delivers health benefits. Installing bike parking or hire facilities is therefore important for Network Rail. Waterloo station has recently had the largest hire bike docking station installed in London.

Waterloo will also be the Site of the initial Network Rail ‘Hub’ facility which will be operated alongside and in cooperation with the TfL cycle Hire scheme. This will have a range of cycling facilities and will emphasise this symbiotic relationship between Rail and cycles.

Recommendations

· To exempt Network Rail from permit charges for roadworks

· To clarify responsibility at level crossings

· To encourage a much wider use of road control measures at level crossings to improve safety

· To encourage local authorities to take better account of the impact of their actions on the railway; and to better enforce LCOs

January 2011