Skip to main content

Connect Plus joins Highways Agency’s plea to drivers to take care through road works

Connect Plus, the design, build, finance and operating company for southern England’s M25 and its adjoining trunk routes, last week joined with the Highways Agency to convey vital messages to drivers passing through road works. The company, a joint venture consisting of Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Atkins and Egis Projects SA, was participating in the Highways Agency Road Worker Safety Week (21-28 October), which aimed to get across to the public some of the dangers road workers face in their work close to fas
October 30, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Connect Plus staff with members of the public at South Mimms services during the UK’s Road Safety Week

Connect Plus, the design, build, finance and operating company for southern England’s M25 and ITS adjoining trunk routes, last week joined with the 2309 Highways Agency to convey vital messages to drivers passing through road works.

The company, a joint venture consisting of 1146 Balfour Beatty, 2296 Skanska, 3005 Atkins and 2376 EGIS Projects SA, was participating in the Highways Agency Road Worker Safety Week (21-28 October), which aimed to get across to the public some of the dangers road workers face in their work close to fast moving traffic. In the last three years, eight road workers have lost their lives in accidents at the UK roadside.

Connect Plus, which maintains the M25 and employs over 200 road workers, held an information session at Cobham Services where the public were able to view the latest awareness videos about road worker safety and talk to road workers about some of the dangers they face.  A similar session was held at South Mimms services.  

Connect Plus has been working with the Highways Agency and ITS supply chain partners to reduce the risks road workers face, including trialling systems to reduce live carriageway crossings (one of the greatest risks for road workers) by nearly half, as well as introducing vehicles which offer greater protection from collisions.

To support Road Worker Safety Week, Connect Plus also jointly funded the first ever national road worker safety radio campaign, ‘Take Extra Care’, which is being broadcast until 2 November and features three hard-hitting messages focusing on the lack of awareness of some drivers of road workers.

Tim Jones, chief executive of Connect Plus, said,  “Some drivers still find it acceptable to put road workers’ lives in danger by not taking enough care when they pass through road works and this can have tragic consequences.

“Our road workers deserve to work in an environment as safe as that of any other and we fully support the Highways Agency’s campaign to increase awareness among motorists of the need to respect road works.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Course for First Responders on How to Provide Trauma Care
    September 15, 2015
    During his recent radio programme “Mann Ki Baat,” Narendra Modi, The Prime Minister of India, expressed concern regarding the road safety situation on Indian roads and the number of lives being lost as a result of traffic accidents. Modi said, “The statistics on road accidents in our country are shocking. There is an accident every minute. And due to road accidents there is a death every four minutes." He further noted that lives can be saved by taking the injured to hospital within the first hour, also kno
  • Turkey’s important new tunnel will improve transport links
    May 18, 2016
    Major advances in tunnelling will allow cars to travel underneath the Bosphorus sea channel in Turkey's Istanbul next year when its third road link is opened, writes Adrian Greeman. The Bosphorus is redolent with history and strategic significance. As one of the world's most significant sea connections, linking the landlocked Black Sea to the Marmara Sea and the Mediterranean beyond, it has been vitally important for trade and crucial for military access. It is also one of the biggest obstacles for land tra
  • Eurasphalt & Eurobitume 2016 Congress calls for better communication
    August 5, 2016
    The bitumen industry needs to learn how to communicate with road owners, road users, and communities. This was one of the underlying themes to emerge from the Eurasphalt & Eurobitume 2016 Congress, held in the Czech capital Prague in June. Kristina Smith was there.
  • A focus on workzone safety
    April 23, 2020
    An event focussing on workzone safety has highlighted risks to construction personnel.