British road casualty numbers show ‘precious little progress’ as injuries increase despite fewer deaths
The Department for Transport has published the latest statistics for reported road casualties in Great Britain for 2025. While fatalities fell by 3% year-on-year, the broader trend remains relatively flat, continuing a decade-long plateau in serious road harm. Particularly concerning, though, was a rise in motorcyclist deaths, which increased 14% compared with the previous year. […]
DfT technology official pushes open standards vision for connected vehicle services
The Department for Transport’s Head of Road Infrastructure Technology has reiterated his belief that the highways sector needs a “WhatsApp moment” for connected vehicle services, as he urged authorities and industry to work together on common standards and interoperable services. Speaking at the Traffex event in Coventry, Darren Capes said road users increasingly expect journeys […]
DfT appoints TRL as PAS 2161 approvals auditor
TRL has been appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT) as the PAS 2161 approvals auditor, supporting the consistent and independent assessment of road condition monitoring (RCM) technologies across England through to 31 December 2030. Under the contract, TRL will independently assess and approve technology providers to verify that their systems can deliver road condition […]
Stronger support for innovation in transport sector can unlock benefits, says National Audit Office report
The Department for Transport (DfT) has strengthened how it supports the use of new science and technology in the transport sector, such as maritime decarbonisation and sustainable aviation fuel – but it must establish a clearer risk appetite to guide its investment decisions and provide better support to see innovative concepts through to widespread practical […]
A66 dualling scheme ‘to start by end of the year’
The Department for Transport has provided an update on a timetable for the £1.3bn A66 dualling project, According to DfT, National Highways is looking to start construction by the end of 2026. The project, which will see the final single-carriageway stretches of the A66 dualled between Scotch Corner and Penrith, was given the go-aheard in […]
Roads reform survey 2026 – opinions sought
The Department for Transport has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to evaluate how the Roads Reform system is working – focusing on the RIS2 and Interim Settlement periods. The survey is aimed at suppliers who have worked on the Strategic Road Network, either directly commissioned by National Highways, or via another supplier […]
Wigan launches DfT award-nominated flood reporting system
Wigan Council has launched a new public flood reporting system that allows residents to submit live, geo-located flood reports, giving the council real-time visibility during severe weather and improving how theborough responds to, recovers from and plans for future flood events. The new approach, shortlisted in 2025 for the Department for Transport’s Special Recognition Award […]
DfT Lane Rental Conference – as it happened
We’re live at the Department for Transport’s Lane Rental Conference 2026 in Tower Hamlets – it is a one-day event bringing together local authorities, utilities, and industry professionals to discuss how lane rental schemes, where companies are charged for occupying busy roads, can be used to reduce congestion from roadworks. It focuses on sharing policy […]
DfT writes letter to local authorities on local highway maintenance funding
Antonia Williams, Director General, Roads Transport Group, Department for Transport, has issued a letter addressed to the Chief Executives of local highway authorities in England, highlighting highways maintenance incentive funding requirements for 2026 to 2027. The full letter can be read here, but it begins: “Dear chief executive, The Department for Transport (DfT) has previously […]
Councils face new rules for spending pothole funding
Councils will face new rules on how they spend funding to fix potholes and maintain local roads, under new requirements set out by the government. Under the new measures, local highway authorities that fail to demonstrate they are maintaining roads effectively could lose around a third of their £1.6 billion funding for the next year. […]