The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has expressed deep concerns after a recent survey in which it was found that fewer than half of UK coach and lorry operators were satisfied with the condition of the ‘A’ roads and motorways in England.

Surveying over 1,000 logistics and coach operators, the Transport Focus poll uncovered the fact that just 49% were satisfied with England’s road network. That said, this represents a 3% increase on the same study last year when just 46% indicated satisfaction.

Just 8% Believed Rest Stops Delivered Value For Money

As part of the same study, only 22% deemed that the flow of information relating to overrunning roadworks was ‘good’, and just 8% believed that rest stops offered value for money. The feedback about the day-to-day management of National Highways’ roads, however, was better.

60% rated it as good, but those asked stated that they would like to see the duration of roadworks reduced and carried out in smaller ‘chunks’. Furthermore, it was felt that incidents could be cleared more rapidly than is currently the case.

‘Greater Priority On the Experience of Users is Needed’ – RHA

The RHA put out a statement in regard to this report, calling for a need to place greater priority on the experience road users receive in England. The statement reads…

“With 79% of freight moved on our motorways, road freight plays an irreplaceable role in our supply chains. Reliable and predictable journeys are essential for our productivity and economic growth.

Increased satisfaction measures on the issues most important to users, including improved road surfaces; better information about roadworks, unplanned disruptions and unplanned delays should be monitored and evaluated”.

Speaking on the matter, Transport Focus chief, Anthony Smith, had this to say..

“While it is good to see some improvement in the overall rating of the survey, it is clear that more needs to be done to meet their needs. We’ll continue our work with National Highways to keep these issues a priority and get the improvements needed.”

The UK’s Road Network Must Be Fit For Purpose

The report created by Transport Focus has highlighted the work that needs to be done to ensure England’s road and motorway network is fit for purpose. Without a robust road system and rest stops that meet the everyday needs of HGV drivers, the job of building a resilient supply chain in the UK will that much more challenging.

As these matters play out, the HGCV will carry on doing what we’re best at – offering leading, scalable HGV licence acquisition programs across the country. Able to meet any size of need, our national network of 60+ training centres allows us to help businesses circumvent the ongoing issue of driver shortages.

To find out more about how we do things, please take a minute to browse our website. Alternatively, to talk with us directly about how we can help you, click on ‘contact us’ or call on 0330 818 8888, where our friendly experts are waiting to give you the information you require.