Roads to growth: Why Britain can't afford to not invest

Better roads and infrastructure is one of our key campaigning priorities and maximising our transport network efficiency is an aspiration we can all get behind. Building new roads, fixing existing ones and improving supporting infrastructure benefit communities and businesses alike – and of course therefore the economy. So, this is why we campaign so vigorously in this space.

Supply chains and socio-economic networks are complex beasts that need roads to function properly. For the haulage, coach and van sectors, that infrastructure is existential. Potholes, bottlenecks and out-of-date infrastructure frustrate road users right across the country and they are key contributors to the congestion which costs the economy billions every year.

In our Future of Roads Report we set out the £26 billion benefit that investing in a series of major road projects would bring to the UK economy. The message to ministers is that bold investment in roads and infrastructure is a must if we want growth. But we have concerns that the Government isn’t going to match that aspiration with the necessary funding to make it reality.

Earlier this year, the Treasury asked departments to find savings so that the Government can meet its pledges to bolster defence capabilities.

National security is vital and so too is the economic resilience that underpins it, and that’s the point we make clear as we urge ministers to go ahead with key projects that would bring prosperity to regions and make moving people and goods more efficiently.

A report commissioned by APPG for Transport Safety advocates for moving more freight from roads to rail. Amongst the arguments in favour of this modal shift is to take some pressure off roads. Most freight is carried by road for good reasons – and that’s capacity and flexibility. Rail freight plays a vital role in our supply chains. But it doesn’t offer the versatility and reach that you get with moving goods by road.

Coaches offer sustainable transport for millions of passengers each year, connecting communities and providing key services like home-to-school transport. As we pointed out in our new coach manifesto we launched this week, the sector has its own infrastructure challenges that affect operators and passengers alike. Improving planning practices, roadside infrastructure and parking access would make coaches even more sustainable and attractive to potential passengers, and with it relieving pressure on packed roads.

We know that fixing our creaking transport infrastructure is a huge challenge. But fixing it we must. Roads underpin the economy and play a key role in facilitating or stymying its growth. The task is complex but the arguments for being bold about it are compelling.