UK report warns Scotland's roads likely to get worse

The UK’s Institution of Civil Engineers has urged the Scottish government to make long-term funding for roads a higher priority. The ICE’s call comes after publishing its report State of the Nation Scotland 2018: infrastructure investment. In it, the ICE says that the newly formed Scottish Infrastructure Commission must be independent, transparent and be evidence-led in its recommendations to the Scottish government.
November 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

The UK’s 5180 Institution of Civil Engineers has urged the Scottish government to make long-term funding for roads a higher priority.

The ICE’s call comes after publishing its report State of the Nation Scotland 2018: infrastructure investment. In it, the ICE says that the newly formed Scottish Infrastructure Commission must be independent, transparent and be evidence-led in its recommendations to the Scottish government.

The report warns Scotland's roads will get worse because of a lack of long-term maintenance funding. ICE, which said Scotland's local and trunk roads do not receive long-term funding settlements, pointed to only 63% of local Scottish roads were in an "acceptable" condition.

One of the report’s recommendations is for the Scottish government to consider how replacements for the vehicle excise duty – called the road tax and paid by car owners – and the fuel duty could be used to fund highway maintenance.

The report also notes that in 2017 the Scottish government said it would set up a national investment bank with around €388.3 million for initial capitalisation between 2019-21.

4068 Transport Scotland is responsible for 3,600km of motorways and trunk roads — about 7% of the total network. Local councils are responsible for 52,400km of A, B, C and unclassified roads.

Finance & Funding

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK’s IMechE calls for a Clean Air Act
    June 15, 2018
    The UK needs extensive monitoring of current transport emissions in order to set realistic pollution reduction targets, according to an engineering umbrella organisation. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is calling for a major Clean Air Act to counter what it believes is a deadly rise in air pollution along the countries' transportation corridors, both road and rail. “Individuals breathe in 20kg of air every day and because we can’t see it, we don’t know about the harmful particles it contains,” sai
    Read More
  • US Senate approves federal highway programme
    June 24, 2014
    In the US, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee has made a key move by approving a six-year reauthorisation of the federal highway programme. This is a landmark political step and is likely to have been the subject of much cross-party negotiation. The move will be of major importance for the transportation construction industry, which has suffered badly from low levels of business in recent years. This six-year package will provide a major stimulus to business for contractors and equipment firms
    Read More
  • Thirst for Infrastructure: The Belt & Road Initiative
    November 8, 2017
    Susanna Zammataro, IRF Geneva, writes: The China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS) – an esteemed member of IRF – will be hosting a special Session on the Belt and Road Initiative during the IRF World Meeting in Delhi, 14th-17th November 2017. Last May, president Xi Jinping welcomed 28 heads of state and government to Beijing to celebrate the “Belt and Road” initiative, an ambitious plan in terms of infrastructure development, but also in terms of foreign policy. Launched in 2013 as “One belt, On
    Read More
  • A vision of roads
    September 3, 2012
    By 2040 European roads could be built differently, and hopefully be safer, according to the EU research programme NR2C
    Read More

Highlighted Content