Express & Star

Main roads quieter despite trains strike, say highways bosses

As the railways grind to a halt, those in charge of our main roads are on a higher state of alert.

Published
National Highways staff monitoring road networks at the West Midlands regional operations centre in Birmingham

National Highways staff are in charge of the main routes that keep out country moving.

Based at the regional operations centre in Birmingham, they have been looking out for extra signs of congestion as people look for a different way to travel.

The good news is motorways and major A roads have coped “remarkably well”, according to senior network planner Frank Bird. He said traffic flows were actually lower than normal in some areas, suggesting people are simply staying at home.

“The look and feel of the network is that traffic numbers are down,” he said.

“If you’re going in and out of town and city centres, they’re a little bit busier.

“We’ve learned to work in different ways, like working from home. It’s a very different picture.”