Efficient network management policy area

Page contents

About this policy
Measures
Contribution to LTP4 objectives
Delivery
Policy context
Related links
How our policies will affect the way you travel

About this policy

Principle

Improve emissions intensity and energy efficiency of vehicles and operational efficiency of roads through technology improvements.

Purpose

To manage the operation and maintenance of the highway network so that it runs smoothly, and the effects of traffic on communities and the environment are minimised.

Policy statement

Keeping traffic moving smoothly makes journeys more reliable and easier for drivers. It also helps businesses, improves road safety, and cuts pollution.

We will use a range of measures to do this, including better traffic lights, safer road design, speed limit enforcement, real-time traffic updates and clear signs. We will also plan roadworks and maintenance more carefully to reduce disruption. Where possible, we will design roads to remove hazards and improve safety.

In some cases, we may consider adding extra road capacity. However, to meet the LTP4 carbon reduction targets, we need to reduce overall traffic levels. Building more roads often leads to more traffic, more pollution and more congestion. Due to this, our main focus will be on making better use of the roads we already have, rather than encouraging more traffic.

Measures

Data driven network management

Managing the road network well depends on using good, up-to-date traffic data from different sources. Every day, we will use this information to:

help network managers respond quickly to incidents and changing traffic conditions
make sure responses are coordinated and effective
Provide appropriate information to those travelling. This information could be made available for all transport modes through the Mobility as a Service framework (described in Public and Shared Transport) to help inform travel type, route and timing choices.

This helps keep traffic moving and reduces disruption.

We will keep improving how traffic lights are set so they work better as conditions change. This is especially important on busy routes and in town centres, where queues can build up.

In urban areas, we will also provide clear, up-to-date information about where people can park and whether spaces are available. This will help drivers avoid driving around looking for parking, which wastes time and adds to congestion.

New technology will help us collect and share information about road conditions, so we can manage traffic more effectively. Some technology can also help drivers change their behaviour to reduce pollution. For example, the Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory (GLOSA) system gives drivers advice on what speed to travel at so they can reach traffic lights when they are green. This helps reduce stopping, lowers fuel use, cuts emissions, and can make journeys quicker.

A 'Vision Zero' approach to road safety

We are currently developing a new Road Safety Strategy for Surrey. This is built upon 'Vision Zero', which follows the principle that it is neither inevitable nor acceptable that anyone should be killed or seriously injured when travelling. The aim is to achieve a highway system with no fatalities or serious injuries involving road traffic.

Vision Zero road safety strategies follow the Safe Systems approach, based on:

Safe road use
Safe vehicles
Safe speeds
Safe roads and road sides
Post-crash response

As part of this approach, we will proactively design out hazards on the road network. This will include working towards default 20 miles per hour schemes in residential and shopping streets, in accordance with the Surrey Street Family Framework. We will look at using average speed cameras to reduce speeds in areas where infrastructure solutions are not possible. These measures will make these roads safer for all users and more attractive for active and personal mobility travel options.

Enforcement

Enforcement of rules such as bus lanes, cycle lanes and yellow box junctions is important to ensure the efficient operation of the road network. The police currently hold most of the powers for enforcement, but we, the county council, have been granted powers under the Traffic Management Act, 2004 which allow us to take on some enforcement roles, rather than relying on the police.

These powers cover parking, red routes, bus lanes, and 'moving traffic' offences. We will investigate the opportunities provided by these powers in relation to enforcing school streets, using camera-based enforcement to limit vehicle access in 'Liveable Neighbourhoods' and in yellow box junction enforcement. Through these measures we will be able to reduce congestion and to improve conditions for travel by active or personal mobility options.

Targeted capacity improvements

In some places, small increases in road capacity may be needed to reduce congestion, such as at busy spots like level crossings. In other cases, we may need to move traffic away from residential areas or town centres to improve the local environment. Where we do make these changes, we will design them to give more space to walking, cycling and public transport, instead of cars and lorries. This means communities can have safer, healthier and easier-to-use streets, without creating much extra traffic for cars and goods vehicles.
We will also need to build road connections to new developments and through them.

These developments should be designed to keep journeys short and make it easy to use different types of transport, such as walking, cycling, public transport and driving, all working together in one journey.

This follows our sustainable travel hierarchy (shown on Active Travel policy page). We will apply this in places like West Guildford at Park Barn and other areas.

Network maintenance

We will ensure the network, including walking and cycling routes, is maintained to a high standard through our Asset Management Strategy (PDF). We will use the growing amount of data about our roads and assets to improve how we maintain them. This means we will try to spot and fix problems early, before they get worse, instead of only reacting to faults.

Our maintenance approaches will take full account of protecting the environment in our policies, including reflecting the need to be resilient to inevitable climate change, and taking the opportunity to build in green infrastructure such as planting and sustainable drainage wherever possible.

Future-proofing for new technology

In the short term, we need to plan for more electric vehicles on the road. We also need to get ready for new technology, such as connected and autonomous vehicles. Fully driverless vehicles are not common yet, but many vehicles already have some automated features. More vehicles are also sharing data with other systems.

We must make sure our transport and digital networks can support these changes and make the most of them. For example, some vehicles now have built in speed limiters. In the future, this could allow digital speed control, helping traffic flow more smoothly and improving safety and emissions.

Contribution to LTP4 objectives

Net zero carbon emissions: To meet our LTP4 carbon targets, we need to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads. Because of this, there will usually be no need to build new roads or add extra capacity. Evidence shows that adding more road space often leads to more traffic and more pollution. Instead, we will focus on using the roads we already have more efficiently, without encouraging extra traffic. The most effective actions will be those that help people travel shorter distances, such as avoiding unnecessary diversions, and those that keep traffic flowing smoothly.

We can also reduce emissions by helping traffic move at steady speeds. For petrol and diesel vehicles, the most efficient speed is usually between about 20 and 50 miles per hour. This means avoiding heavy congestion and very high speeds.

Sustainable growth: Managing traffic more efficiently will help businesses in Surrey.

Reducing congestion—by using better traffic information, enforcing road rules (if we are given the powers to do so), and fixing congestion hotspots—will make journeys more reliable and quicker. Network management can also support the economy by making small, targeted improvements to the road network. These can open up land for housing and business development, especially where space is limited or where it helps existing business areas grow.

Our LTP4 plans will also make the road network more resilient in the future. We need to prepare for changes such as higher temperatures and increased flooding caused by climate change. This will help avoid disruption and reduce economic losses.
Getting ready for new technologies will also help businesses take advantage of future opportunities.

Well-connected communities: Managing the road network well will make journeys more reliable and give priority to buses, walking and cycling. This will help people access jobs, education and training more easily, improving opportunities for communities.
By working better with partners and using data, we will manage whole journeys from start to finish, rather than only focusing on small areas. This will improve connections between different communities and with neighbouring areas, and make longer journeys more reliable.

Clean air and excellent quality of life: These measures will make journeys more reliable and improve safety for all types of transport, especially for people walking and cycling. They will also reduce congestion and idling traffic, which will help cut emissions and improve local air quality.

Delivery

We work with National Highways and neighbouring councils to share information and manage roads where networks meet. This has helped improve how we monitor the network, coordinate traffic signals, and respond to incidents. As a result, delays have been reduced and journeys are more reliable. We will continue to gather and use data from new technologies, and work closely with other authorities, National Highways, and major organisations that generate traffic, to improve how the network operates.

We are already exploring new ways to help keep traffic flowing on the network within current laws. For instance, our new Lane Rental Scheme is the first of its kind to be adopted amongst local authorities, following successful pilot schemes in London and Kent. It reduces the impact of road and street works on traffic by charging utilities and others carrying out works for the amount of time that their works occupy space on the road. Reduced charges are also applied to encourage works to be done outside of peak traffic times. We are building on this scheme to coordinate street works, across the network and over a year, particularly for major street works. This will manage their impact on traffic flows on the road network and will allow residents and businesses to plan ahead. We will also look for opportunities to build on these plans further, through the additional powers made available through the Traffic Management Act, 2004.

To make sure measures like parking information do not encourage more trips, we will balance them with other actions. For example, we will move more parking spaces to less central locations, as set out in the Demand Management for Cars Policy Area.

We will focus network management measures particularly on routes within or between the eight Strategic Opportunity Areas identified in the Surrey Place Ambition.

How our policies will affect the way you travel

Find out how this policy and our other transport plan policies will affect how you choose to travel:

Policy context

Locally

Community Vision for 2030: aims to ensure that 'children and young people are safe and feel safe and confident'; 'everyone lives healthy, active and fulfilling lives, and makes good choices about their wellbeing'; 'residents live in clean, safe and green communities, where people and organisations embrace their environmental responsibilities'; 'journeys across the county are easier, more predictable and safer'; and it supports 'well connected communities, with effective infrastructure, that grow sustainably.'
Asset Management Strategy (PDF): Strategy setting out an informed and considered approach to the maintenance and future investment decisions for all infrastructure that we, the council, have responsibility for within the highway boundary. This strategy sets out how we will deliver a service level against our key priorities.
Lane Rental Scheme: Surrey's Lane Rental Scheme reduces the impact of road and street works on traffic by charging utilities and others carrying out works for the amount of time that their works occupy space on the road.
Setting Local Speed Limits Policy: This policy explains the roles, responsibilities and the procedure that we will follow when deciding whether to change a speed limit.

Nationally

Traffic Management Act, 2004: Guidance outlining our network management duty and relevant powers and responsibilities. The guidance sets out high-level principles to help local authorities to manage their roads and what actions they should take.