RSTA News
From 6 April 2012, subject to Parliamentary approval, RIDDOR’s over three day injury reporting requirement will change. From then the trigger point will increase from over three days’ to over seven days’ incapacitation (not counting the day on which the accident happened).
The National Audit Office has warned that road maintenance budget cuts will cost more than they will save. The warning is part of the NAO report on the Department for Transport’s (DfT) budget cuts following the 2010 spending review that set a transport budget 15 per cent lower in 2014-15 compared with 2010-11.
Two new surveys from the UK’s top motoring organisations, the RAC and the AA, have both highlighted the dire condition of the road network. The Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) believes that these prove that action is needed now not later if our roads are not to deteriorate even further and that limited budgets are not the only problem.
The Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) has called upon the government to close the gap between excessive motoring taxation and the lack of real investment on road maintenance.
A survey of councillors has found a majority calling for extra funding to repair the crumbling local road network. Whilst extra funding is desirable, the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) believes that local councils can do much more to help themselves.
A Freedom of Information request has found that Kent County Council is slashing its road maintenance budget. This could prove to be a false economy and end up costing the Council far more in pot hole repair bills and insurance claims.
In answer to the increasing concern over the widespread damage to the road network by the recent last three severe winters, the Department for Transport is examining how to develop best practice in dealing with pot holes. As the industry association for road surfaces, the Roads Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) is well placed to advise on the best way forward reports Howard Robinson, RSTA chief executive.
Forecasts of an early winter, with snow arriving as soon as next month are bad news for the UK’s beleaguered road network.
Exacta Weather forecast moderate-to-heavy snowfalls as early as October in some parts of the country meanwhile the Met Office is predicting below average temperatures and the chance of severe frosts during October. With the road network continuing to suffer from a lack of planned, comprehensive maintenance the plague of potholes will continue to worsen.
An ‘even, comfortable and quiet’ ride on the UK’s motorways may become a thing of the past as the Highways Agency plans to introduce new rules that require contractors to carry out emergency repairs only if potholes are more than 4cm deep or 15cm wide. The Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) warns that the new guidelines could result in motorways and trunk roads not being fit for purpose.
The Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) has published an updated code of practice for surface dressing. For the highway engineer, surface dressing offers a quick, efficient and cost-effective way to maintain skid resistance and waterproof road surfaces. The code comprises of an introductory overview and several specific guidance notes providing a comprehensive library of technical guidance and best practice.
A new code of practice from the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) and ADEPT provides best practice guidance and technical information on high friction surfacing.
A new Code of Practice for Re-texturing has been published by the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA). It forwards industry best practice and makes full reference to current specification guidance contained within Volume 7 Design Manual for Roads and Bridges HD 37/99. The Code has been peer reviewed and endorsed by ADEPT.
Local councils are being urged to use the remainder of the summer as a window of opportunity to carry out necessary road maintenance and so prevent a recurrence of the pothole nightmare resulting from the last winter.
Whilst welcoming the Audit Commission’s acknowledgment of the problems facing local authorities trying to address the continued deterioration of the local road network, the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) believes that the Commission has failed to address the main issue, the lack of adequate government funding for local road maintenance.
New guidance on the service life for road surface treatments will help highway authorities undertake proper asset management by providing, for the first time, a recognised baseline for lifecycle planning and asset valuation.