Poor roads are costing businesses in the South West was the message from the Institution of Civil Engineers conference on Highways resilience held in Bristol last week.
On average it costs each business £59,0001 a year in lost profits, productivity and delays to supply chains according to keynote speaker Jeremy Filmer Bennett. Mr Filmer Bennett, who is Interim Chief Executive of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership said: "Congestion is detrimental to business efficiency and economic growth - we're clear about that and the South Devon Link road is very obvious case in point.
But deteriorating conditions which can cause accidents and therefore delays are also a barrier to business. In both instances, delays to supplies or distribution are costing companies money in lost time, fuel and productivity.
"72% of companies look at the road network and condition before they choose to relocate 2. It's a very important factor in inward investment, so we need to be assured that our network is being maintained adequately and can develop to meet the needs of industry and our communities."
The conference also discussed the view that highways infrastructure is the top priority for economic growth. This comes ahead of the recent announcement by Phil Hammond, Minister for Transport, proposing the formation of local transport consortia, led by Local Enterprise Partnerships to deliver highways infrastructure projects.
Trish Johnson, ICE Regional Director said: " Our highways network is one of the most challenged in the country: it serves a vast area and a very dispersed population spread across rural and often isolated communities and urban centres. It has to be able to deal with huge numbers of tourists and seasonal fluctuations, severe extremes of weather, coastal erosion and flooding inundation, whilst providing a vital link for local people and commerce. It is a vital alternative to a limited rail and air network. Ensuring it is not just robust but resilient and can accommodate or bounce back in the event of incidents, however infrequent is all part of our challenge as engineers. The link to the economy and prosperity of the region is indisputable.
"As a result, we have to make the case for proper and ongoing investment into our infrastructure, which will require both public and private sector support. It will be interesting to see how more innovative ways of funding developments emerge, as there is real appetite to consider different ways of supporting potential schemes in tandem with ensuring a good sound network."
Road maintenance was also cited as an important issue - both in terms of the ongoing need, but also in terms of its capacity to cause disruption. Whilst local authorities are on average filling 50% more potholes this year than previously, the question of road closures came under discussion.
Andrew Bradshaw, Commercial Director for Aggregate Industries queried the economics of road closures, and suggested that the timing of road closures could be shifted to daytime hours, thus creating savings by better working conditions. This would result in most people being able to get to work on time but causing delays to people coming home at the end of the day.
Other ways to save money on repairs and maintenance were also highlighted including the use of innovative materials including used chip fat oil, doing full scale repairs rather than patching and 'lane rental' , whereby utility companies have to pay for road closures.
www.ice.org.uk/southwest ENDS
