Transport for London (TfL) has brought together all of the maintenance of roads, tunnels, and assets such as bus stations and streetlights that are essential for Londoners making journeys around the city under a new ’Works for London’ programme, which will ensure that London’s road network is more efficient, safer and greener.
Three leading infrastructure companies - Ringway, FM Conway Limited and Tarmac Kier JV – will partner with TfL over the next eight years on the Works for London programme, which is one of the UK’s most prestigious highways contracts worth up to £1.7 billion. The new programme will oversee the maintenance of TfL’s road network (TLRN), which consists of 5 per cent of London’s road space, but carries 30 per cent of the traffic. It will support more than 600 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs through TfL’s supply chain.
The programme includes the maintenance of:
• 347 TfL managed bridges on the road network and/including 123 footbridges
• 31,000 lamp columns and 63,000 other forms of lighting
• 21,500 bus stops
• 420 bus stations and facilities
• 23,500 trees
• 580km of carriageway, including any trial cycle lanes
• 43km of permanent protected cycle tracks
• More than 6,000 cycle stands
• 630 Legible London walking maps
• 9 river piers
• Victoria Coach Station
• 7 Dial-a-Ride depots
TfL’s roads, tunnel and bus network are the most intensively used transport network in the UK with 3.7 billion road journeys and 2.4 billion bus journeys in a normal year. 80 per cent of all journeys in the capital happen on its roads, including walking, cycling and bus journeys and 30 per cent of those journeys are on the TfL road network.
Works for London will ensure that sustainability is at the centre of TfL’s road maintenance and projects and all new electric Works for London vans will be introduced over the next year along with 5,500 new LED streetlights. Cargo bikes will also be added to the fleet used to perform inspections, audits and repairs and drones will be used for structural inspections. As part of the programme, 70 per cent of all street lights TfL uses will be LED by the end of 2023, which will save TfL £2-3 million and will lead to a 65 per cent reduction in the use of electricity on TfL assets.
The programme will also be used to deliver schemes to boost walking and cycling including future projects to expand London’s growing network of high-quality Cycleways. These projects will be vital to enabling more people in the capital to make journeys by bike and on foot, which will help to cut congestion, air pollution and road danger across London.
Green spaces and tree care will also be managed through Works for London with increased tree planting and improved maintenance of green verges, trees, and hedges on London’s roads.
Glynn Barton, TfL’s Director of Network Management, said: ”We’re determined to ensure London has a green recovery from the pandemic and our new Works for London programme will ensure sustainability is at the heart of our roads maintenance, while supporting more walking and cycling everywhere. From making our vehicle fleet fully electric to planting more trees, Works for London will ensure the capital’s roads are efficient, green and safe for years to come.”
Stephen Edwards, Director of Policy and Communications, Living Streets said: “It’s fantastic to see the Works for London programme will support the maintenance of footways.
“We know from our National Walking Month research that people want clutter-free pavements and well-lit streets to encourage them to visit their local high streets. Ensuring our streets are well-maintained will help people walk more, tackling congestion, air pollution and isolation, and bringing the pedestrian pound back to our town centres.”
James Birch, on behalf of the Tarmac Kier joint venture, said: “This is a significant infrastructure programme for London. The joint venture between Tarmac and Kier means we collectively bring a unique set of planning and delivery experiences, deep knowledge, and shared resource to ensure the success of the programme.
“The Works for London programme allows us to play our part in building a sustainable society, by providing our partners with low-carbon products, highway services, and construction solutions. We have a shared ambition in achieving a green recovery and to provide the residents and visitors to London with a safe, clean, and green travel network.”
Andrew Hansen, FM Conway Managing Director, said: “FM Conway is delighted to extend our relationship with TfL and build upon the platform established through LoHAC, reaffirming our commitment to developing our exemplar partnership and collaborating to ‘Keep London Moving’.
“The South Area framework takes FM Conway back to its roots and our experience and resources will help us to play a key role in supporting the post-COVID economic recovery, as well as utilising the latest in technology and innovation to lay the foundations for a carbon neutral future.”
Sam Killick, Director at CBS Ltd, said: “CBS Ltd are delighted to have been awarded the chance to deliver the River Piers contract on behalf of TfL under the new Works for London suite of contracts. Our team of specialist workers will endeavour to provide a first class service to the Client whilst sharing the same collaborative vision of a more efficient, safer and greener London”.
The new programme will build on what was achieved under the London Highways Alliance Contract (LoHAC) contract, which ran from April 2012 until March 2021 and will include the maintenance of bus stops, depots and shelters, Victoria Coach Station and Dial-a-Ride footprints, which were not covered by LoHAC.
