Long term highway improvements

Transport for Buckinghamshire takes a balanced approach to highway maintenance, which includes long term improvements and day-to-day maintenance. Transport for Buckinghamshire is responsible for maintaining over 3,200km of roads across the county, as well as the bridges, footways, streetlights, traffic signals, bollards and gullies that keep the highway functional and safe.  Maintaining this valuable and vast asset requires long term, strategic planning.

Road and footway resurfacing

The most high profile element of our work is road and footway resurfacing, which is the biggest part of our annual budget every year and is typically more than £16 million.  Every year road surfacing is planned by TfB in collaboration with local Members. When roads have been chosen for resurfacing they are prioritised and the appropriate treatment is chosen – there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to road surfacing, with several options available to extend the life of a road. Every Friday we release a programme of works around the county for the upcoming week, which can be found here on the County Council website, as can the details about the different types of road surfacing we use. 

Structures

The TfB structures team is responsible for inspecting and maintaining the 500+ bridges, parapets, subways, and other structures across the county. The team employs a combination of in-house structures operatives and specialist contractors, particularly for the works requiring expertise such as for listed, historic structures. Read more on highway structures in Buckinghamshire.

Drainage

TfB’s drainage improvement programme provides sustainable, long term solutions to some of the more significant drainage issues across the county, implementing solutions designed by a team of drainage specialists. In general the work will involve installing new pipework and soakaways, improving ditch capacity, and refurbishing existing drainage systems to increase capacity. The current drainage programmes can be found here.

Streetlighting

‘Streetlighting’ actually refers not just the conventional 28,000 streetlights in Buckinghamshire, but also to the 6,000+ road side illuminated signs and bollards, lighting in subways, and all associated cabling. Streetlighting generally requires more day-to-day maintenance however, major improvements include replacing streetlight columns, and continuing the countywide programme to replace all old style sodium lamps with more modern and efficient LEDs. Since 2012 almost 15,000 LED conversions have already been done in Buckinghamshire, and the whole county is expected to be LED efficient by 2020. Read more about our streetlighting programmes.

Intelligent Transport Systems (Traffic signals)

TfB manages and maintains the traffic lights, Variable Message Signs (VMS), Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras (ANPR), and CCTV on the county’s roads. By monitoring traffic, TfB can react to any incidents and provide real time information to aid the emergency services, repair crews and drivers, easing congestion. Every year budget is provided for new ITS schemes, including signal refurbishments.

Road Safety

TfB is responsible for taking appropriate measures to reduce collisions on Buckinghamshire’s roads through road safety schemes. Schemes are determined by analysing collision data, and prioritised by the number and severity of casualties. Schemes can include new or improved road markings, coloured surfacing, and improved signage. Read more on road safety here.

Parking

TfB manages enforcement of parking restrictions on Buckinghamshire’s roads, in partnership with NSL. Every year the county council invests in parking infrastructure in key locations where turnover of spaces or enforcement is an issue. This can help improve town centre footfall, benefiting local business and reducing congestion.

Other schemes

TfB also carries out local, smaller schemes on our roads and streets such as implementing pedestrian crossings and cycle ways.  These are developed with, and often funded by, third parties such as parishes and Local Area Forums (LAFs).