New Direction For Our Major Roads

Statistically, Justine Greening may not have long to deliver a lasting benefit for our country. She is the eighth Secretary of State for Transport to hold office in the last ten years. If she beats the average term, her legacy could be HS2. She can make another important difference more quickly and less controversially, if she embraces the recommendations of the Cook Report - Alan Cook's study of how to make the most of our strategic road network (SRN).

Mr Cook recognises that, in spite of its ability to adapt to changing circumstances, the Highways Agency is looking anomalous in being the only major infrastructure operator still run by civil servants. More significantly, he has identified the need for the Government to act not so much as service provider but as champion for the consumer - the road user; and he acknowledges how vital the performance of the SRN is to national prosperity.