Highway maintenance plan

6.0 Conditions and standards

6.1 General

Chapter 5 covered safety inspections and investigatory levels for Category 1 and Category 2 defects. This section deals with asset condition requirements for each element of the network and its contribution to safety, serviceability and sustainability. Standards are to be defined for the condition of each element of the network, developed through risk assessment, and factors necessary to meet the requirements for safety, serviceability and sustainability.

Where standards are not met targets will be set for attaining them and sustaining them in the long term. In some cases these standards will relate to statutory indicators, but others are locally determined. Locally determined standards take account of the views of users and the local community, and have regard to the advice of the Code. Standards formally adopted are published as part of a Transport Asset Management Plan (TAMP) and they will also be consistently applied and reviewed at intervals in the light of changing circumstances.

6.2 Investigatory levels

Each element of the network have different condition requirements, a minimum one to satisfy requirements for safety, and higher ones, designed to meet local requirements for serviceability or sustainability, as part of the asset management strategy adopted by the authority. These are known as 'investigatory levels' in the latest code of practice. Failure to reach the defined standard in most cases could give rise to a range of responses each of which needs to be further investigated, prior to action being taken. There are certain circumstances, primarily for safety reasons, where a higher priority response is necessary.

6.3 Conditions of carriageways

The condition of the carriageway fabric can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Nature, extent and location of surface defects;
Nature and extent of edge defects;
Nature and extent of surface skidding resistance.

Serviceability

Nature and extent of surface defects;
Ride quality of the surface.

Sustainability

Surface noise attenuation characteristics;
Nature and extent of surface defects;
Nature and extent of carriageway deflection.

Road carriageway condition is identified by statutory indicators, which record the percentage of the road network where maintenance should be considered. There are separate indicators for Principal Roads (NI168) and Non-Principal Classified Roads (NI169). The requirement to report to Government on the condition of Unclassified Roads has now been removed but continues to be reported at a local level. The definition of investigatory levels to meet requirements for serviceability will be a matter for local determination, in consultation with users. These may be codified within UKPMS. In this way, the use of UKPMS represents an effective means of delivering and implementing predetermined standards within finance available.

Maintenance of carriageways is undertaken under the three headings of:

Resurfacing and Reconstruction (R & R)
Surface treatments
Basic maintenance

Resurfacing and Reconstruction

A 5 year rolling programme will be maintained with an Annual Review taking place during February and March each year. The Annual Review will provide opportunities for local priorities to be amended. In addition new schemes will be added to the programme for the new years thus maintaining a full 5 year programme.

All sites identified for treatment will be ranked, and the various treatments are as specified in the Highway Maintenance Specification. When determining final programmes and priorities consultations will take place to ensure that complimenting treatments for road safety/traffic calming are included at the same time.

Any consequential works in connection with the following should be included in the scheme classification: patching, footways and cycleways, drainage, road studs and markings, surface course, safety fences, kerbing works, haunching, base course and cold milling.

However there is an option to evaluate the cost of preparatory works with in surface dressing schemes to enable other options to be assessed.

Surface Treatments

Surface treatments are non structural treatments of less than 15mm thickness, the various treatments are specified in the Highway Maintenance Specification

Basic Maintenance

Basic maintenance comprises routine reactive maintenance and smaller scale maintenance works. Surface dressing schemes are not included. All work, regardless of value, capable of being integrated into a scheme and planned, should be submitted for inclusion in the R & R programme.

These works comprise all patching and minor repairs including haunching carried out on both flexible and concrete carriageways, and are determined through safety or service inspections, local knowledge or reports from the public.

The objective is to repair defective areas of carriageway to maintain a satisfactory running surface and to prevent damage to the highway fabric by ingress of water and frost and highway safety is ensured by implementing continual programmes of work.

6.4 Conditions of footways

The condition of footways can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Nature, extent and location of surface defects;
Nature and extent of kerb and edging defects.

Serviceability

Nature and extent of surface defects;
Extent of encroachment and weed growth;
The slipperiness of the surface;
The quality of the surface;
Integrity of the network.

Sustainability

Convenience and ease of use;
Nature extent and location of surface defects;
Extent of damage by over-running and parking.

Footway condition is no longer an indicator required by Government but condition data relating to footways will be maintained so as to provide adequate records for the development of footway maintenance schemes. This data is collected as part of the Footway Network Survey (FNS).

The definition of investigatory levels to meet requirements for serviceability will be a matter for local determination, preferably in consultation with users, and are based on the standards, details and definitions held within the Rules and Parameters (RP) of the UKPMS.

Data can be managed to produce priority listings and indicative generic footway treatments. These generic treatments are predefined within the PMS and are triggered by the level of defects recorded within a section.

Maintenance of footways and footpaths is carried out under the two headings of:

Resurfacing and Reconstruction
Basic maintenance

Resurfacing and Reconstruction

Proposed treatments may include the provision of dropped kerbs in suitable locations and textured paving adjacent to crossing points at marginal cost during the course of works. Similarly, if the opportunity exists to facilitate vehicle crossovers at a reduced cost during planned works, occupiers will be notified of such opportunity.

It will also be important in determining priorities for footway maintenance to ensure that opportunities are taken to aid social inclusion, particularly improving accessibility for older and disabled people and also the use of prams and pushchairs.

There is a statutory duty on service providers under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to take reasonable steps to remove or alter physical features to improve access for disabled people, or provide an alternative method of making services available.

Although ensuring the safety of footways for users will be a priority, in some cases the presence of roadside trees may complicate the provision of footway surface regularity. In such situations appropriate technical advice should be sought from the councils arboriculture officer.

The council will aim for a 5 year rolling programme will be maintained with an Annual Review taking place during February and March each year. The Annual Review will provide opportunities for local priorities to be amended. In addition new schemes will be added to the programme for the new years thus maintaining a full 5 year programme.

Basic maintenance

Basic maintenance comprises minor reactive works on existing footways alongside roads or independent footpaths, and includes associated consequential works to existing kerbs and verges. Needs are assessed through the regular highway inspection regime, local knowledge and reports from the public. Highway safety is maintained by undertaking continual programmes of patching and minor repairs and to prevent damage to the footway by ingress of water and ice.

6.5 Condition of cycle routes

The condition of cycle routes can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Nature, extent and location of surface defects
Nature and extent of kerb and edging defects

Serviceability

Nature and extent of surface defects
Extent of encroachment and weed growth
The slipperiness of the surface
The quality of the surface
Integrity of the network

Sustainability

Convenience and integrity of the network
Nature extent and location of surface defects
Extent of damage by over-running and parking

There is presently no statutory indicator specifically identifying the condition of cycle routes, but guidance on investigatory levels for cycle routes is provided in TRL 535 and the Footway and Cycle Route Design Construction and Maintenance Guide AG26.

Maintenance of cycleways and cycletracks is carried out under the two headings of:

Resurfacing and Reconstruction
Basic maintenance

Resurfacing and Reconstruction

Network integrity is a particularly important consideration where cycle routes are segregated for part of their length, but intermittently rejoin the carriageway. In these circumstances a reasonably consistent standard of maintenance will be provided and attention paid to carriageway edge condition in the unsegregated sections.

Where carriageway cycle lanes are established during planned works particular attention will be required to:-

ensure drainage gullies, valve covers, inspection chambers etc do not pose hazards to cyclists
that the road surface is in good repair
consideration of safety at junctions
measures to prevent unauthorized vehicle access, but to still allow maintenance access.

Basic maintenance

Definitions, policies, objectives, programmes and investigatory levels are the same as for footways in 6.4 above

6.6 Condition of highway drainage systems

The condition of highway drainage systems can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Accumulation of water on carriageways, footways and cycle routes.

Serviceability

Accumulation of water on carriageways, footways and cycle routes

Sustainability

Polluted effluent from clearing of highway drainage should not be directed into watercourses;
Authorities have a duty to prevent nuisance to adjoining landowners by flooding and should also work with others in the wider community to minimise the future risk of flooding;
Inadequate drainage of the highway structure will reduce effective life and increase maintenance liability.

There are no statutory or local indicators identifying the condition of highway drainage systems. Local standards are to be developed based on fitness for purpose to provide the level of service required and assessment of the risk of this being compromised by failure of the system. The impact of drainage system failure will be greater on high speed roads, or in areas susceptible to flooding, and specified condition standards should reflect this. In such circumstances, the condition of drainage systems should require them to be free of obstructions at all times, with an appropriate inspection and cleansing regime to deliver this.

Highway drainage elements fall into five main categories:

gullies, grips and ditches and ponds which may be obstructed by the growth of vegetation or damaged by traffic. In most cases the responsibility for maintenance of ditches will rest with the adjoining landowner;
culverts under roads which may be affected by blockage, subsidence or structural damage;
other piped drainage which may be affected by blockage or subsidence;
sustainable urban drainage systems, which may require special maintenance attention for maximum effectiveness;
surface boxes and ironwork for both drainage and non-drainage applications, which may be affected by subsidence or obstructed access.

Under these headings there are two distinct categories of drainage system maintenance and drainage cleaning / cleansing

Drainage system maintenance comprises:

maintenance and replacement of existing carriageway drainage systems replacement and realignment of kerbs for drainage purposes
maintenance and replacement of culverts up to a diameter of 1.2 metres or structures with a span of up to 0.75 metres (culverts and structures exceeding these measurements are outside the scope of this Maintenance Plan)
all drainage works not included in reconstruction, overlay, resurfacing or surface dressing
maintenance to pumps and sumps is carried out by specialist contractors.

The objectives of drainage system maintenance are to maintain the structural integrity of existing drainage systems to prevent accumulations of water on the carriageway, to prevent the ingress of water into the pavement structure and to maintain the highway in a safe condition for road users and pedestrians.

Where a drainage system exists, it should be capable of removing water from the carriageway as it reaches a gully or grip up to a storm with a 1 in 30 return period. Where this is not the case and cleaning or jetting does not effect an improvement, the necessary remedial action should be taken as soon as possible

Drainage cleaning / cleansing comprises:

The testing, rodding and jetting of the highway drainage system. This includes drains, gullies, piped ditches, grips, carriageway drainage on structures and drainage of subways. The cleaning of drainage installed outside the highway boundary under licence or easement should be included.

The cleaning of gullies and catchpits or manholes which are the responsibility of the highway authority. As a guide this is all surface water drainage the sole purpose of which is to remove water from the highway; however this is not always the case. If in addition the drainage system carries roof water or water from private properties, that system is the responsibility of other authorities. In these cases, the highway authority is responsible for the gully and gully connections only.

The maintenance of ditches and grips through the removal of silt, vegetation growth and damage to allow free passage of water from the highway. The maintenance should be confined to those ditches which are the responsibility of the highway authority (in the main, ditches are the responsibility of the adjoining landowner). However S100 of the Highway Act 1980 empowers authorities to keep open ditches on land adjoining the highway.

The objectives of drainage cleaning / cleansing are to prevent water penetrating the foundations of carriageways and footways, to remove detritus from gullies or catchpits to ensure the rapid removal of water from the road surface, to maintain free flow conditions in all open channels and grips and to maintain self cleansing flows in the drainage pipes, catchpits and outfalls.

Areas at risk of flooding should be identified and recorded. Inspection of these sites will form part of the safety inspection regime. Priority should be given to inspecting and cleansing sections of system, which pose a high risk of flooding or disruption to the network. Supplementary checks should be undertaken during periods of heavy rainfall as resources allow.

As a consequence of limited resources and historically poor drainage system records it is not possible to undertake a programme of inspection for the entire highway drainage system. However, whenever any maintenance works are undertaken, a record of any findings of unrecorded infrastructure will be made and reported to the drainage asset manager for asset management purposes. Further investigation of incomplete drainage records should be undertaken at the earliest opportunity to enable accurate records of the system must to be compiled and added to the inventory.

6.7 Condition of embankments and cuttings

The condition of embankments and cuttings can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Risk of loose material falling to injure users or damage facility.

Serviceability

Risk of damage or service interruption.

Sustainability

Damage or loss of habitat;
Interruption or pollution of watercourse;
Extent of damage and reduced life.

There are no statutory or local indicators identifying the condition of embankments or cuttings. Local standards are to be developed based on fitness for purpose to provide the level of service required and assessment of the risk of this being compromised by failure of the system.

The impact of embankment or cutting failure will generally be high in all situations, but particularly so on important high speed links, or where dwellings could be affected. In such circumstances, the condition of embankments and cuttings will require a robust regime of inspection, and possibly continuous condition monitoring.

Maintenance of embankments and cuttings covers the repair of earth slips and the provision of any necessary associated drainage and new retaining systems. Anchors, walls, soil stabilisation and similar works will be included.

The objective is to maintain cuttings and embankments in a safe condition and to provide or maintain associated drainage systems to ensure stability.

In higher risk locations, or where ground conditions are difficult, specialist geotechnical advice will be obtained.

6.8 Condition of landscaped areas and trees

The condition of landscaped areas and trees can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Obstruction to user visibility and legibility of traffic signs;
Falling branches from trees;
Leaf fall from trees causing slippery surface;
Root growth affecting surface regularity.

Serviceability

Potential for service interruption;
Quality of user experience.

Sustainability

Landscape conservation;
Mitigation of climate change effects;
Support for habitat and biodiversity;
Problems of root growth for surface, structure and highway drainage.

There are no statutory indicators identifying the condition of landscaped areas and trees. Local standards are to be developed based on fitness for purpose to provide the level of service required and assessment of the risk of this being compromised by failure of the system. The probability of landscaping and tree failure will generally be low but is likely to increase as a result of climate change.

The condition of landscaped areas has major implications for all of the core objectives.

The maintenance regime will therefore take particularly careful consideration to ensure that the necessary balance continues to be achieved.

The requirements for safety: vegetation either on verges, other parts of the soft estate or on private land, should not restrict visibility at junctions, access points and bends. Sight lines and minimum stopping distances should be kept clear and signs, lights, and marker posts should not be obstructed. It may also be necessary for vegetation to be cut back in order to enable inspections or surveys. Areas of highway grass that incorporate access to ducts, drainage systems etc may need to be cut about once in three years in order to maintain accessibility to these systems.

Condition standards and frequency of grass cutting on rural roads will be determined locally from risk assessment. Swathes, bends and junctions are cut twice a year, commencing usually in mid to late April or early May. Grass is cut to 1 swathe width from the edge of carriageway (approximately 1.0 metre).

Maintenance of Verges

This policy helps preserve biodiversity in rural verges, by providing different habitats. Areas of verge beyond the "one metre swathe" are generally left to grow provided that safety or access is not compromised. They are then cut back every third year to prevent woody growth from becoming established, which would make the verge inaccessible, and increase the risk of roadside fires. This work must be carried out in the autumn to allow wild flowers to seed before the cutting takes place.

In urban areas grass cutting practice needs to involve a different balance of highway safety, serviceability and sustainability. Usually, the first urban cut of the season will commence in March, with another 12 cuts taking place by the end of October. Mowing is carried out over the full verge width.

Urban verges are cut more frequently than rural verges. The aim is to keep grass shorter than 50mm, in order to avoid the more costly process of collecting cuttings. Adjoining footways must however be swept.

However on strategic roads the landscaping may be included in a special regime to enhance the approaches into town centres.

Other verge maintenance covers routine operations that may be required to keep the highway verge, central reservations and cutting and embankment slopes in a safe and tidy condition.

The objective is to preserve the width of the carriageway, footway or cycleway, and the policy is to undertake the minimum amount of works necessary commensurate with the objective.

Needs are based on historical data, complaints and the observations of the Divisional Engineer, and works will only be carried out after a site inspection.

The main activity under this heading is siding (the edge maintenance of carriageways, footways and cycleways) which may be necessary to prevent encroachment of grass and vegetation resulting in the reduction of effective width.

As a guide, siding can be considered under the following circumstances:

rural roads — only minimum of siding to be carried out on carriageways e.g. prior to surface dressing or renewal of edge markings
urban roads — siding of carriageway not normally required
footways — siding carried out to maintain width of footway
cycleways — siding carried out to maintain width of cycleway.

Tree Maintenance and Inspections

All Highway trees will be inspected regularly at suitable intervals to assess their health and condition and will be undertaken by suitably qualified persons, e.g. an arborist, which will include a hazard/risk assessment of trees in their location.

Inspections will identify essential tree maintenance works required to ensure trees do not cause a nuisance3 or danger to the highway.

All Highway Inspectors should report and /or seek expert advice in relation to any potential tree related defects or hazards identified during routine inspections.

The Highway Authority will maintain adequate records relating to its tree stock.

All arboricultural operations will be undertaken competently by suitably qualified operatives in accord with the relevant Health & Safety legislation and industry best practices.

The Highway Authority will undertake systematic maintenance of its tree stock including: Proactive Tree Maintenance Programmes.

Reactive Tree Maintenance works including 24hr Emergency Call Out Works. Prioritisation of all scheduled tree maintenance works including essential tree pruning, felling, stump grinding/chemical treatments, replacement tree planting/establishment and reinstatement works.

Currently resources prevent inspections of every tree adjoining the highway within the Borough. Inspectors will receive training to assist them in assessing the condition of trees to identify trees posing a hazard as part of the safety inspection regime.

Weed Control

Weed control covers the routine spraying of kerbed roads and footways to prevent weed damage to kerbs, channels and paved areas.

The objectives are to prevent the growth and establishment of noxious and other weeds and to prevent damage to footways by the growth of weeds All weed spraying should be carried out using approved pesticides all in accordance with the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. For all highway operations, a non-residual contact herbicide must be used, and currently the only weed killer which conforms to the Health & Safety Commission's Code of Practice and with the Environment Agency's requirements is glyphosate.

The policy is for the contractor to apply one application of glyphosate with additional treatments if required and need assessment is based on historical information as no comprehensive inventory exists.

Spraying should only be undertaken when favourable spraying conditions exist.

Sprays can also be used to eliminate weeds and control growth around posts carrying signs, along guard rails, along the edges of kerbs, growth of grass on the strip adjoining the edge of the carriageway and on central reservations. Further legislation is contained in the Ragwort Control Act 2003. The use should be the minimum compatible with the required results.

The Weeds Act 1959 requires authorities to take action to prevent growth of injurious weeds growing within the highway. The prescribed injurious weeds are:

ragwort
broad leaved dock
curled dock creeping thistle
spear thistle

Reference shall be made to the Code of Practice on how to prevent the spread of Ragwort, June 2004, published by DEFRA to apply best practice principles including risk assessment priorities.

Specialist advice should be sought to deal with these weeds.

In Hartlepool ragwort is not a significant problem and must be pulled and removed. However, highway inspectors should be able to identify all noxious weeds as well as Japanese Knot Weed and Giant Hog Weed.

The Council's Horticultural Team will have responsibility for service inspections of landscaped areas and will organise tree surveys as required. Landscaped areas will be inspected on an annual basis.

6.9 Condition of fences and barriers

The condition of fences and barriers can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Integrity and location of safety fencing for vehicles and pedestrians.

Serviceability

Risk of livestock disrupting traffic.
Control of pedestrian movements

Sustainability

Appearance and condition of fencing.

There are no statutory or local indicators identifying the condition of fences and barriers. Local standards are to be developed based on fitness for purpose to provide the level of service required and assessment of the risk of this being compromised by failure of the fence or barrier. This assessment must be carried out by a properly trained inspector.

All high-risk situations require a robust inspection regime with a commensurate high standard of condition. Safety fences will be maintained in a sufficiently sound structural condition to serve their function and not be dangerous to road users or pedestrians. All fences and barriers, whether for safety purposes or general use, are potentially important features and their overall appearance is an environmental consideration. They should be cleaned and painted when necessary and where safety fencing is provided with chevron markings, these should be dealt with in accordance with the cleaning regime for traffic signs.

6.10 Condition of traffic signs and bollards

The condition of signs and bollards can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Identification of risk to users
Separation of potential traffic conflicts

Serviceability

Contributes to ease of use
Contributes to network integrity

Sustainability

Support of sustainable transport mode
Contribution to local economy

There are no statutory or local indicators identifying the condition of traffic signs and bollards. Local standards are to be developed based on fitness for purpose to provide the level of service required and assessment of the risk of this being compromised by failure of the system.

The following standards are recommended for the condition of illuminated and non-illuminated signs and bollards:

cleaning when required and at least annually;
brackets bolts and fittings should be tightened and adjusted at the time of service inspection;
painting of supports and frames when required but not exceeding 10 years interval.

The following additional standards are recommended for the condition of illuminated signs and bollards:

optical inspection and cleaning together with the inspection of sign supports every 2 years;
lamp changing at regular intervals to coincide with service inspections and cleaning.
It may be necessary to clean bollards and signs in heavily trafficked areas much more frequently than annually.

6.11 Condition of road markings and studs

The condition of road markings and studs can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Route delineation in darkness and poor weather
Potential for damage and injury if loose

Serviceability

Ease of use in darkness and bad weather

Sustainability

Support of sustainable transport modes
Edge delineation to reduce edge damage
Movement of wheel tracking to reduce localised damage

There are no statutory or local indicators identifying the condition road markings and studs. Local standards are to be developed based on fitness for purpose to provide the level of service required and assessment of the risk of this being compromised by failure of the system. Guidance on the inspection of Road Markings and Studs is provided in CSS Guidance Note LATD 26/06.

The impact of failure will be greater for mandatory markings than others. Many road markings are used to give effect to regulatory provisions and it is important that their legal status is not affected by undue wear or damage. A high proportion of road markings are essential for road safety or fundamental to the implementation of integrated transport policy, for example traffic calming schemes, bus priority measures and the delineation of cycle routes. If such markings are not kept in good order, the measures may lose effectiveness and the success of transport integration compromised.

White line markings on Strategic and Main Distributor roads and sites of high safety risk or with a relevant accident record, should be renewed when they are no longer adequate for their intended purpose. This is generally accepted to be when more than approximately 30% of their area becomes worn away. Standards for other routes should be based on assessment of the relative risks.

All mandatory road markings existing before resurfacing or surface dressing should either be masked during treatment or replaced as soon as reasonably practicable after the completion of work. If it is not possible to restore immediately in permanent materials, temporary markings should be used at sites where their absence is likely to give rise to dangerous conditions. Stop and Give Way marks should ideally be replaced permanently within 7 days, other mandatory lines within 14 days and other markings and road studs within 28 days of completion of work. During resurfacing 'No Road Markings' boards should be displayed until all markings have been replaced.

6.12 Condition of traffic signals, pedestrian and cycle crossings

The condition of traffic signals, pedestrian and cycle crossings can contribute to the core objectives as follows:

Safety

Separation of potential traffic conflicts
Key safety contributor for vulnerable road users

Serviceability

Contributes to ease of use and efficiency
Contributes to network integrity

Sustainability

Support of sustainable transport modes; Support for local economy

There are no statutory indicators identifying the condition of traffic signals, pedestrian and cycle crossings. Local standards are to be developed based on fitness for purpose to provide the level of service required and assessment of the risk of this being compromised by failure of the system

The primary objective is to keep traffic signals, pedestrian and cycle crossings legible, visible and effective, as far as possible at all times, in relation to the road use and traffic speeds.

The following standards are applicable for signal control facilities:

defects in operation should be treated as Category 1.
for urgent faults emergency action should be taken within specified times; damage repairs within 24 hours; less urgent faults to be repaired within one week, or in agreement with the Technical Services Section
warning signs should be erected if signals are likely to be out of action in excess of one hour, other than power supply failures.
at certain critical junctions temporary traffic management procedures have been introduced for when signals are likely to be out of action in excess of one day
failed lamps should be replaced within 24 hours.
signal lenses, regulatory signs and VMS signs should be cleaned once per year
flashing zebra crossing beacons should be replaced within 24 hours
school crossing patrol flashing lights should be repaired within 24 hours during term time.

The maintenance of traffic signals and controlled crossings is undertaken as part of a separate contract. The contract for the maintenance of Traffic Signals, Pelican, Puffin, Toucan Pedestrian Crossings, Variable Message signs, Route Monitoring and Assessment Equipment specifies frequencies of inspection and maintenance: -

Maintenance/equipment check — Annual and or opportunity

Electrical Safety Test — Annual

Bulk lamp change — Bi-Annual

Conditional/Operational assessment —Annual

6.13 Regulatory functions

Regulatory functions can contribute to the core objectives as follows:-

Safety

minimising and signing of obstruction

Serviceability

minimising congestion and disruption sustainability inconvenience to disabled people
heavy vehicle parking causes structural damage

Standards in respect of regulatory functions are governed largely by statute and can be the responsibility of other organisations or administrated by other sections or departments within the authority. In such cases effective co-ordination and liaison is essential

Highways Act 1980

As the Highway Authority the Council has a duty, under the Highways Act 1980, to maintain the highway network to safe and serviceable standards ensuring that the public can use and enjoy the highway without obstruction.

New Roads and Street Works Act 1991

The New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) is the legislation that enables utility companies to place and maintain apparatus in or on the public highway. Objectives of the legislation are that Highway Authorities and Utilities should cooperate with each other to ensure that disruption to all road users is minimised as far as possible, the integrity of the highway structure is maintained and that the safety of those using the highway is not compromised.

The wide reaching requirements of NRSWA includes a service inspection as identified in section 5.3.

Traffic Management Act 2004

The purpose of the Act is to 'keep traffic moving' by minimising congestion and

disruption on the highway network. In this respect there is a statutory duty, as local highway authority, to 'Manage the road network with a view to achieving, as far as may be reasonably practicable having regard to other obligations, policies and objectives, the following objective:-

securing the expeditions movement of traffic on the authority's roads network.
facilitating the expeditions movement of traffic on roads networks for which another authority is the traffic authority.

The Council has appointed the Transportation and Traffic Manager as Traffic Manager under the regulations and as the first part of the enactment phase.

It is intended to enhance and extend current systems already in place to meet the forthcoming challenges of the new legislation in further phases.

Further regulatory and enforcement duties are placed upon the Council by the following Acts:-

Railways and Transport Safety Act, 2003
The Local Government Act 2003
Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984
Traffic Signs and General Directions 2016
Road Traffic Act 1988
Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997
Transport Act 2000
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Environmental Protection Act 1990
Rights of Way Act 1990
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992
Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 1994
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
Human Rights Act 1998
Local Government Act 2000

6.14 Co-ordination of standards

In setting standards for all aspects of highway maintenance services, authorities should have regard to the standards of adjoining authorities and those applying to the strategic network. It will be important to deliver consistency, wherever practicable, particularly in respect of Winter Service.