Extreme weather may have taken its toll on road and rail networks across the country in the last week, but a Committee of MPs has said the UK is better prepared for severe conditions than in previous years.

The Transport Select Committee’s chair Louise Ellman said on Friday: “We recognise that some progress has been made by Government and transport providers to improve public information and passenger welfare during severe weather. Nevertheless, we believe there remains considerable scope for further improvement across the transport sector.”

The Committee calls on the Highways Agency to develop both a strategy and technology to provide comprehensive real time information to drivers during periods of disruption.

A Highways Agency spokesman said: “We have been working hard to keep the public informed during the recent severe weather, but we are not complacent and we will continue to explore how best to keep the country moving during bad weather.”

The Committee also called on the Office of Rail Regulation to ensure that train operating companies improve how they communicate information to passengers during periods of disruption.

The report added that the transport sector must work closely with weather forecasters to understand challenges posed by different types of severe weather and that “a year or two of mild winter weather should never breed complacency or lead to a false sense of security.”

CIHT welcomed the report and its emphasis on improving real time information to the public. It added that budgets need to be set at a sufficient level to ensure a robust response to adverse winter weather.

The Committee's report also acknowledged that the availability of salt for gritting roads has improved following creation of the ‘strategic salt reserve’. The Local Government Association said councils “are as prepared as ever if the cold weather arrives” with 1.4M tonnes of salt stockpiled compared to 1.3M tonnes the previous year.

(Photo: Alvey and Towers)

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