Transport Minister John Hayes announces “go-live” for new roads management company on 1 April - significant step and opportunity for radical change, says Antony Oliver.

To the distress of his many fans, a smiling Jeremy Clarkson appears to be moving towards a departure from the hugely successful and much watched Top Gear motoring programme this week.

Of course you couldn’t make it up. A “fracas” with his mates over a post-show dinner menu leads to scuffles and suspension. If he goes he'll be offered opportunites aplenty but maybe there's the best job IN THE WORLD out there waiting for him. 

Not only does Clarkson understand the new cars and vehicle technologies that will change requirements from the roads network but over the years on Top Gear he has made many an overtly pro-roads, pro-motorist attack on the policies behind the running of the nation’s highways. The latest being to point out that politicians and civil servants in London have little knowledge and even less interest in the actual issues faced by motorists trying to get around in the rest of the country.

"Back to Jeremy Clarkson and the vacant position as Highways England chief executive. He would certainly champion the cause of roads. But…"

It is certainly a populist viewpoint. Failure to really embrace the value of the nation’s strategic network has left us with congestion, road works and dangerous pinch points all conspiring to reduce connectivity across the UK and impact the nation’s productivity.

And it is a view now supported by the DfT and embraced by government with Thursday's announcement by Transport Minister John Hayes of the “go-live” date of 1 April for the new Highways England roads management company which will replace the Highways Agency.

“This marks a significant way forward in how our strategic road network is delivered and managed,” said Hayes, referring to the fact that under the DfT’s new Road Investment Strategy Highways England will have £15.2bn to spend on 84 new national road projects over the next five years.

It will see a radical shake up of the Agency to turn it from a civil servant led organisation into an arms-length government company run and driven with true customer focus and a private sector-led management and ethos.

And the new Road Investment Strategy looks set to not only underline the nation’s understanding of the role decent modern roads play in driving economic growth and enhancing life quality but also provides significant investment resource to ensure that their short and long term impact on communities, lives and businesses is minimised.

"The new Road Investment Strategy looks set to  underline the nation’s understanding of the role decent modern roads play in driving economic growth and enhancing life quality"

Coupled with long term funding commitment, it is indeed a major opportunity for change and a genuine catalyst to move us towards seeing roads as national assets worth investing in on a whole life basis.

Of course when it comes to valuing that asset we are still far away from the true nirvana of motorists being prepared to pay to use those roads – the only real way that they can be effectively maintained and enhanced to standards required in a sustainably affordable way.

But who knows, if we can invest to get the network into a truly excellent congestion free condition, maybe the road tolling idea might yet gain traction. 

A fanciful idea? Well back to Jeremy Clarkson and the vacant position as Highways England chief executive. He would certainly champion the cause of roads. But…

And on that bombshell.. 

Antony Oliver is the editor of Infrastructure Intelligence