Written evidence submitted by Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough Combined Authority (SRI0055)

Please find below evidence, on behalf of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, to assist your committee with its inquiry.

• How effectively the RIS2 enhancements portfolio has been managed to date?

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority are aware of a number of RIS2 enhancements have been legally challenged, specifically A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbert. The outcomes of which are pending regarding judicial review. This naturally delays projects considerably and is resource intensive.

We are content with the way National Highways have kept us informed as a stakeholder regarding legal challenges.

• What progress is being made on planning for the next Road Investment Strategy?

National Highways regularly undertake stakeholder meetings to update us on the progress of specific named RIS 2 development projects within our area (M11 Junction 13 and the A47 Elm High Road Roundabout improvements.).

As a stakeholder, we have not been informed of the planning and prioritising process for the next RIS period. This would be useful to understand National Highways priorities and how this may impact the Combined Authority area. Whilst there are two projects being developed by National Highways, options to improve junction 13 of the M11 and the A47/Elm High Road Roundabout, wider investment or priorities are not clear. National Highways could provide greater clarity on their priorities to enable National Highways and the Combined Authority to ensure policy integration.

National Highways have previously held Route Strategies workshop for stakeholders which considered planning for the future, providing initial research and evidence for RIS and broader investment programmes in the East and South East. It provided an opportunity for stakeholders to highlight significant issues with the Strategic Road Network locally, such as improvements to the A47 and local need for active travel provision. However, to date there has been no feedback or follow-up sessions with National Highways which makes planning very difficult.

• What lessons from RIS2 need to be incorporated into RIS3 to ensure it is achievable and delivers on policy objectives?

A key lesson to be learnt from RIS 2 would be for National Highways to be holistic in their initial project scoping and to be more ambitious in their policies around the environment and wider government policies.

National Highways are currently scoping projects too narrowly. They are focusing on specific road enhancements and wider government policies and objectives are being considered far too late in the development process. This is an inefficient way to deliver projects as it requires more resources searching for separate funding streams. Moreover, it is difficult to integrate separate funding streams into RIS2 and adds an element of delivery risk. The Combined Authority have successfully been able to include walking and cycling provision to A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet by accessing funding through Designated funds.

In addition, National Highway biodiversity and environmental targets appear to be less ambitious than those set by local authorities. This immediately creates policy differences and challenge to delivery at a local level.

Other national policies such as digital connectivity are not considered within the project scope.

Engagement with local authorities gives National Highways the opportunity to consider including digital connectivity within projects, it often left out of scope due to budgetary constraints.

Lastly, there needs to be consideration of the impact undertaking traffic modelling has on Highways Authorities. It’s a useful assessment which allows Highways Authorities, like Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, to understand the impact the proposed enhancements may have on the local road network and the integrity of the data being used by National Highway. However, impact on staff time can be significant and this work is not funded

• Whether the Government’s current and forthcoming roads investment programme is meeting the current and future needs of consumers and business?

Whilst the Combined Authority recognises that road improvements and new infrastructure can improve not only connectivity but local growth, future proposals should consider with much greater focus climate change challenges, working towards Net Zero and public health. The Strategic Road Network could better support local authorities in moving people out of cars and onto other modes of transport, such as buses, cycling and walking.

• Whether the Government’s roads investment programme aligns with other policy priorities, such as decarbonisation, levelling up, productivity and growth?

Currently, the roads investment programme does not align with other policy priorities for all the reasons outlined above. The scope in which projects are considered are too narrow and it is difficult to integrate separate government funding streams (this is something that the Combined Authority informed the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee: Funding for Levelling-Up inquiry last year).

• How RIS3 should take account of technological developments, and evidence on ways of increasing capacity on the Strategic Road Network (such as smart motorways and potential alternatives to them)?

Public transport is at the heart of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s Local Transport and Connectivity Plan and it would be advantageous if National Highways could support public transport, perhaps reducing the need for new physical infrastructure by considering bus priority, making public transport an attractive alternative.

National Highways are developing their digital roads programme this is an opportunity for knowledge sharing with local authorities. The potential efficiencies in operation and maintenance could be significant and any best practice should be shared. In addition, National Highway’s data and analysis of its network would benefit from a greater number of loops/counters to help inform what interventions would be required.

February 2023