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

  • Risk management hinders Estonian projects
    May 9, 2022
    A National Audit Office report noted poor documentation of the work that had been completed and why it was later changed.
    Read More
  • Shortlist announced for UK’s Roads for the Future competition
    May 30, 2018
    The UK’s National Infrastructure Commission has shortlisted five companies including Aecom and Arup in a competition for ideas to make roads fit for driverless cars. The five companies were chosen from 81 entries submitted to the Roads for the Future initiative led by the roads authority Highways England and Innovate UK, a government agency that encourages research and innovation in many sectors. Aecom is examining how smart traffic signals could advise drivers as to a speed they should be driving if they
    Read More
  • TISPOL 2017: Europe’s road safety record suffers as austerity bites hard
    December 21, 2017
    Police budgets are being slashed, staff numbers are falling and Europe’s long-term trend towards ever-fewer road deaths has ground to a halt. Does Europe’s road network face a far more dangerous future? Geoff Hadwick reports from TISPOL 2017 in Manchester, UK. Europe’s road safety record is under threat. Lower and lower funding levels have become a very serious, and very worrying, problem for the EU’s traffic police bosses. They know that they must find new ways to focus road users on changing their beha
    Read More
  • Asecap Days – Istanbul 2023
    February 16, 2024
    The “vast lakes of data” collected daily by global highway operators are going to waste meaning opportunities to improve services and boost revenue are continually lost. This must change, reports Geoff Hadwick from the ASECAP Days 2023 conference in Istanbul.
    Read More

Highlighted Content