Widening versus alternative solutions

1.8  As an alternative to widening, the consultants considered Active Traffic Management, the use of traffic management measures, such as allowing drivers to use the hard shoulder at times of peak congestion.

1.9  In 2001, the Department had announced an Active Traffic Management trial centred around the use of hard shoulder running on a 10-mile stretch of the M42. The Agency based the trial on experience from the Netherlands, which, like Germany, had started trialling hard shoulder running in 1996. The consultants concluded that the Active Traffic Management could be applied to the M25 at a later date subject to the success of the M42 trial.

1.10  The Agency had assessed the M25 as a possible location for the Active Traffic Management trial in 2000 but rejected it in favour of the M42 which had a better cost benefit ratio. The Agency did not further assess Active Traffic Management before accepting the recommendation to widen the M25, considering the technology was unproven in the UK.

1.11  In 2004, when the Department for Transport commissioned the widening of the M25, the Agency, which had previously focused on building and maintaining roads, was still adapting to a new role of network operator. This new role included wider objectives to reduce congestion. Between 2001 and 2004, 76-82 per cent of the Agency's spending on tackling congestion had been on constructing new roads.

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Figure 2 Scope of the M25 widening

Source: Highways Agency

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1.12  We reported in 2004 that the Agency was behind some overseas countries in adopting technologies to tackle traffic congestion and was too risk-averse in testing measures such as hard shoulder running. We recommended that the Agency should adopt a more expansive approach to testing new methods, carrying out more trials at more sites whilst managing the risks involved.5

1.13  The Agency has now changed its focus and is actively considering alternatives to widening. Nevertheless, by focusing on widening the M25 at the outset rather than adopting a strategy which allowed greater consideration of alternative solutions. We believe the Agency limited its ability to achieve better value for money.

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5 Tackling congestion by making better use of England's motorways and trunk roads, HC 15, November 2004.