Beyond the Business Cases – Cascading Returns on Road Investments

It is a well-known fact that road investments are necessary to improve connectivity, reduce delays, and make travel more efficient. But are the investments in the Strategic Road Network (SRN) just about improving transport connectivity and efficiency, or is there more to it? Can the economy, environment, and society flourish if we do not have an efficient road network?

We have been working hard over the years to prove the benefits of transport investments, not just through the standard assessments, but considering factors beyond these conventional economic benefits. Due to the nature and volume of traffic on the SRN, the collective cost of even small delays can add up to billions to the economy. An analysis undertaken by Midlands Connect during the M1J28 business case suggests that at the junction, there are over 1,100 hours of delays daily, costing the economy an estimated £4.5 million a year. Additionally, these delays have a multilayered impact on people's lives, causing stress, disrupting daily routines, and affecting access to essential services, missed appointments, and lost work time.

According to the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), one minute of idling can cause an HGV to consume up to 21.7g of fuel. For local firms undertaking dozens of journeys per day, the cost of delivery drivers sitting in traffic can add up quickly. If the road delays result in missing a slot at the port or airport for a perishable commodity, the losses are huge to the entire supply chain.

Poor road performance and lack of reliability significantly affect the businesses relying on the Just-in-Time delivery models, thereby making such locations unattractive for investment or business expansion.

We spoke to businesses to get their views on the M54/M6 link road investment. They believe that infrastructure improvements, would enhance the profitability of their business by significantly cutting costs. As one respondent quoted, “By avoiding congestion and taking advantage of improved road links, we can reduce vehicle wear and tear, fuel consumption, and even lower the risk of delays due to traffic. This would contribute to lower operating costs, enhancing profitability.”

During our A46 Newark Bypass study, we engaged with businesses to understand their challenges. One firm reliant on the junction is Vodafone, which has a significant regional presence in Newark. It has warned that without improvements to the junction, there is a chance it will have to reduce its presence in the area or withdraw altogether.

Congestion and Delays on SRN occasionally result in cars and lorries diverting to more local roads to avoid congestion, resulting in community severance and safety issues. During our M54/M6 link road study, a respondent expressed similar concern about how the severe congestion was affecting residents, particularly along the A460. “I've seen the road rage of people trying to cut in and out, just to get one car space ahead. This needs to be accounted for as well. The village must be struggling with this daily”.

Deficient performance of transport systems can also result in transport-related social exclusion, meaning transport issues have a fundamental impact on everyday life. Analysis undertaken during our M1J28 study shows that the area around the junction, in the district of Bolsover, 80.1% of residents live in neighbourhoods with a nationally high risk of TRSE, compared with 18% of residents across England. This could mean that without improvement in transport, the residents may face difficulties to decent job opportunities, face poverty and financial hardship because of transport costs, or face significant stress from using the transport system as part of everyday life.

Employment opportunities and housing growth are necessary for any society to grow and flourish and this cannot happen unless the road network has the capacity to accommodate additional growth.  As an example, our analysis suggests that the M54/M6 link road has the potential to unlock almost 20,000 new homes and over one hundred hectares of new employment land in the area, including a new Strategic Rail Freight Interchange with 8,500 new jobs. There is no chance of this being realised without the investment in the new link road.

Contrary to the widespread belief that investment in roads is bad for the environment, the TRL report referenced earlier suggests that one minute of idling car emits 17.6 g of CO2 and .04 g of NOX, and an HGV68.7g of CO2 and .09 g of NOX. With the volume of traffic on the SRN, these add up quickly to result in tonnes of harmful emissions due to idling vehicles because of congestion.

Additionally, the congestion and delays on the strategic routes result in safety risk at the key junctions; more rat-running from strategic movements; additional air quality and nose impacts on the local roads and residents because of rat-running. Analysis undertaken during our A46 Newark bypass study suggests that between 2017 and 2021, 77 vehicle collisions were recorded along the Newark Bypass, with the hotspots being at the at-grade junctions, particularly at the Cattle Market junction.

Swati Mittal is the Roads Programme Lead at Midlands Connect.