Tarmac Roads 2020: the future of local authority roads in the UK

Tarmac Roads 2020: the future of local authority roads in the UK

Tarmac has launched Roads 2020, a major new report into the future of local authority roads across the UK.

This landmark industry research initiative is aimed at getting to the heart of the key issues affecting highways maintenance. It is unique - both as a concept and in its insight.

Together with Surveyor magazine, Tarmac asked local authority respondents from around the UK to think about the future of highways maintenance provision:

• How many local authorities are considering changing their highways function? 
• Do local authorities feel that private sector partners should deliver increased efficiencies? 
• Does the role of the surfacing contractor need to change and what level of technical support should they deliver? 
• How much importance is currently being placed on developing durable surfacing materials and the measurement of whole-life costs?
• Will the current maintenance backlog be cleared by 2020?

Paul Fleetham, Managing Director of Tarmac National Contracting & Middle East, said:  “In this post-Comprehensive Spending Review landscape, we felt that this was an appropriate time to survey the opinions of senior local authority professionals with a view to kick-starting the debate on highways maintenance. As well as canvassing the sector’s views on current challenges, we also wanted to ask participants to look ahead and think about the future of UK roads in the year 2020.

“The report’s findings provide an interesting snapshot on outsourcing, the Lean agenda, sustainability and material use. Not only do the findings reinforce the challenges that local authorities must overcome, they also suggest a need for private sector providers to step up to the mark and help drive efficiencies by providing genuine innovation.”

Download Tarmac Roads 2020 report (pdf, 984kb).

24 February 2011