Road Schemes

Hundreds of schemes to enhance, renew and improve the strategic road network are currently planned by the Government - at an estimated cost of £27.4 billion during the current investment period 2020-2025. Some of this work is undeniably essential and will help to prevent both deaths and serious injuries on our roads. However, many of these schemes are designed to reduce congestion and/or open up growth opportunities despite evidence suggesting road building is ineffective in delivering these goals, instead leading to more traffic and increased greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change (see CPRE's report: The end of the road?).

In addition, many of these developments will result in loss of wildlife and the places our wildlife lives, as well as increased disturbance from noise and badly designed road lighting. Climate change, exacerbated by transport emissions also presents the biggest long-term threat to the survival of our wildlife. 

The Government, in order to stay true to its own policies and environmental commitments, and address the ecological and climate emergencies, should consider the impact on the natural world of road development. The Wildlife Trusts want to see roads considered as part of a sustainable transport strategy for England, which complies with environment and climate legislation. As a priority this should include mechanisms which: reduce the need to travel; minimise dependency on private vehicles; and promote safe and connected active travel routes.

Environmentally sensitive maintenance and improvement of the current road network should be prioritised over new road schemes, with all development planned and delivered with reference to networks for nature's recovery to avoid impacts on important sites and corridors for nature. They should also use the opportunity to deliver a 'net gain' for wildlife - that is the principle that development leaves the place better for nature than it was before e.g. by creating a wildlife corridor so that it can travel in between otherwise unfriendly environments.

Road Investment Strategies (RIS) are set every five years. The Wildlife Trusts worked collectively with other environmental and sustainable transport organisations in the run up to RIS1 (2015-2020) and RIS2 (2020-2025) to secure a green retrofit programme for the existing road network and to call on Government to consider future road needs in the context of an integrated transport network, designed in a way that protects the environment as well as connecting communities (see our two reports "Better not Bigger" and "Rising to the Challenge"). RIS3 (2025-2030) will be published in 2025. The Wildlife Trusts have been engaging with the Department for Transport, National Highways and other key stakeholders to influence the environmental standards and performance of the future road strategy. In addition, we have worked with National Highways to inform its Environmental Sustainability Strategy and will call on Government to ensure this underpins future plans and decisions on road building.

As new schemes are revealed, The Wildlife Trusts will continue to identify the most damaging proposals and strive to protect nature by responding to consultations where available, and by campaigning against national infrastructure developments in the most destructive situations.