HIGHWAY ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 2015

Transcription

1 HIGHWAY ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

2 Contents Foreword... 2 Executive Summary Highway Asset Management What is a Highway Asset Why and How we Manage Highway Assets Asset Management Planning Lifecycle Planning Levels of Service for Highway Assets Asset Management Implementation Carriageways Footways Street Lighting Structures ITS Other Street Furniture Highway Services Risk Management Roles and responsibilities Risk Management Approach Identifying and recording risks Performance Management and Review Increased public satisfaction Prioritising maintenance needs Review and Best practice Supporting Documentation Review Process Benefits of the Highways Asset Management Strategy

3 Foreword The Borough Council will work to provide, maintain and operate a reliable highway infrastructure and to maximise safety on roads and footpaths. We believe that the highway network is a most highly valued asset, and as such its management is a significant factor in ensuring that people and goods continue to move freely, safely and efficiently around Luton. We must therefore ensure that we invest in the highway network in a timely manner, and that resources are used prudently, both now and into the future. Above all the council is committed to ensuring the ongoing safety of all users of the network. In this context the Highway Asset Management Strategy is a key document in ensuring that those responsible for delivering the service are aware of the Borough Council s requirements, procedures and processes. The strategy and policy encourages co-ordination, consistency and continual development in the delivery of the local highway maintenance service and aims to build on best practice. The implementation of this strategy and policy will aim to make Luton a better place to travel around. It will also pave the way for the delivery of a better local highway service and contribute to a better standard of life for everyone in Luton. Luton s Highway Asset Management Strategy and Policy has been fundamentally reviewed for the year 2015/16 to conform to the recommendations set out in the Highway Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Guidance Document first published in May It also takes in to account the Council s obligations under the Traffic Management Act 2004 as regards to Network Management Duty. The asset management strategy and policy sets out how we intend to manage, maintain and improve the transport network within the Borough. The strategy covers all the key transport assets for which the Council is responsible, including footways, carriageways, street lighting, bridges, traffic signals, signs, street furniture and public rights of way etc. 2

4 Executive Summary Luton is located approximately 30 miles north of London and has excellent transport links. Luton is accessible from the M1 motorway and enjoys a frequent 30-minute rail service to London. Furthermore, London Luton International Airport lies on the edge of the town and provides excellent air transport. The Borough is a dense urban area interspersed by award winning parks and open spaces. The highway network consists of 58km of Classified Roads and 401km of Unclassified Roads. The highway asset, including carriageways, structures, land, street lighting and other ancillary assets, has a gross replacement cost in excess of 3bn. Although Luton Borough Council already practises elements of asset management on the highway network, a need has been identified to develop a written approach to the management of highway assets across the whole service. The asset management strategy and policy builds on existing processes and tools to form a continuous improvement framework that complements and supplements existing good practice. It also provides the capability to manage and maintain the local highway network for the safe and efficient use of road space as required under the Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA). The strategy will be further developed in-line with good practise and implemented over a number of years which will enable systems to be established to manage all network assets on a long-term basis using lifecycle planning principles taking into account statutory requirements, customer expectations and available funding. Whilst this Highway Asset Management Strategy is a long- term framework, its implementation will require keeping it a live document that will require at least an annual review to update and appraise work programmes and financial plans against updated data and conditions, financial provisions, costs of works and expectations. This review should consider the outcome of customer satisfaction surveys, annual statistical returns, and monitoring the outputs of our term-maintenance contractor s work. It will also take account of any emerging Best Practice. 3

5 1.0 Highway Asset Management The Highway Asset is the most valuable and most well-used asset the Council owns. The management of such a valuable and vital asset needs to be undertaken in a systematic and proactive manner that realistically manages local aspirations. Furthermore with increasing pressure from central government and the public alike calling for transparency and accountability, this has led to a constant and continuous scrutiny of maintenance needs. The Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Guidance defines Asset Management as: A systematic approach to meeting the strategic need for the management and maintenance of highway infrastructure assets through long term planning and optimal allocation of resources in order to manage risk and meet the performance requirements of the authority in the most efficient and sustainable manner This definition puts emphasis on the systematic approach that asset management plays in managing the strategic long-term needs of highway assets within an organisation and highlights the need for optimal allocation of resources and long term planning in order to Deliver the most efficient and effective maintenance regime over the lifecycle of the asset, Comply with network management duty under the TMA. Ensure the performance of that asset reflects the requirements of the Council, Establish appropriate budget allocations by demonstrating the effects of underinvestment and the implications of not meeting safety and serviceability requirements of the customers using the network, and Give consideration to customer and stakeholder expectations and, whilst recognising that such expectations cannot always be met, monitor customer/stakeholder satisfaction in order that they may influence asset management policy, tactical and operational decisions. Luton s strategic long-term approach to highway infrastructure asset management, supported by more detailed operational action plans such as the Winter Maintenance Plan, has been developed to take into account the following considerations: Meeting stakeholder needs; A systematic approach; Optimal allocation of resources; Managing expenditure over the asset lifecycle; Meeting performance requirements in the most efficient way; and Managing risk. In 2006 the council produced a Highway Maintenance Plan; which was followed in 2008 with a Transport Asset Management Plan (TAMP). Together these provide a logical and practicable method of managing highway assets. The 2015 Asset Management Strategy and Policy amalgamate all previous documents including various other council policies and strategies so as to provide a consistent and uniform approach to asset management. The 2008 TAMP also set out processes to manage the Councils highway assets more effectively, and included 63 recommendations ranging from aspects such as the appointment of an Asset Manager, risk management protocols, reviewing systems etc. Since then the council has built on those 4

6 recommendations, focussing on the implementation of a holistic approach to asset management by identifying key outcomes and developing processes. Our aim is that through identification of best practise and the efficient use of our finances the Council can implement a complete lifecycle plan equating to prudent investment. This Asset Management strategy sits within the wider Council plans and is a key strategic document linked to the Corporate Plan, departmental delivery plans and Highway Maintenance Plan. Incorporated within a framework is the councils adopted policies and legal requirements as well as our agreed service provisions. The Highway Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) guidance documents have recommended a relationship structure reflective of the importance of controlled asset management in the delivery of services. We have developed this strategy in-line with the HMEP s recommended framework and the aim is to identify the relationships between asset management and corporate and national drivers as shown in Figure 1. 5

7 Figure 1 - HMEP Framework 6

8 2.0 What is a Highway Asset A highway asset can be described as anything and everything that is on the public highway that is not on private property (with exceptions). The public highway is land maintainable at public expense whereas private property is owned by others. Acting as the highway authority, the council is responsible for maintaining the public highway along with its associated assets but excluding third party utility equipment such as gas, electricity and water etc. Highway assets have been identified and divided into key asset groups and components, as described in Table 1. In asset management language this is referred to as the parent and child relationship. Table 1: Asset Groups The componentisation of assets also allows the council to identify and target key areas of investment as well as keeping an accurate log of accounts in terms of pinpointing where investment is most needed or how funds are being spent. In essence, componentisation has been adopted to 7

9 visualise a clear understanding of budget allocation across the different asset groups, which facilitates towards understanding our investment. The ability to visualise investment allows the Council to monitor performance against service delivery; and allows the implementation of a continuous improvement process within the constraints of available funds. 3.0 Why and How we Manage Highway Assets As already stated, the Highway Asset is the most valuable and most well-used asset the Council owns. The management of such a valuable and vital asset needs to be undertaken in a systematic and proactive manner that realistically manages local aspirations. The highway asset, including carriageways, structures, land, street lighting and other ancillary assets, has a gross replacement cost in excess of 3bn. With such a substantial estate, a systematic approach to asset management is needed with regular investment that follows a lifecycle plan so as to minimise costs over the residual life of an asset whilst maintaining performance. The effective management of this complex area can only adequately be addressed within a strategic framework that connects the service with the wider council. Below we have visualised our Strategy in terms of what it is we are aiming to achieve. Central to this is an integrated Highway Works Management System binding together new and existing systems. Data management is fundamental to the overall asset management process. A significant factor when assessing and identifying appropriate data requirements is the interrelation of data within other processes that incorporate data use. As part of the asset management approach there is a need to examine: Processes for information capture, verification and confidence, transfer, retrieval, updating, backup and the staff responsible for each; Storage location and media; Data usage existing and proposed data usage. Effective asset management is not just about the assets to be managed, it is about the systems and business processes used to manage those assets. It is essential that reliable information is widely available to all who need it, as the same data may be used for different purposes and in different levels of detail. 8

10 Visualised Aspiration 9

11 Data management and information systems are crucial to implementing asset management and delivering potential benefits. In this regard the council has carried out an extensive task of data cleansing identifying what asset information the council holds as well as purging duplicates and delegating ownership and identifying data objectives. Luton has created many single datasets and continues to progress in this area. The council recognises that effective asset management and its implementation relies on systems that can be used as tools to support decision making at all levels. The following tools are currently in use by the Authority: Symology Street Inspections, Works Ordering and Asset Management AMX Integrated Life Cycle Planning AutoCAD GIS GGP GIS ParkMap Traffic Regulation Orders, (Lines and Signs) The council undertook a thorough review of our asset management system and processes in 2013 and our findings have amalgamated into an improvement plan incorporated into this strategy. 4.0 Asset Management Planning The asset management strategy supports a continual review and improvement of its processes and procedures, ensuring, as far as possible, that the standards identified in relevant legislation and codes of practice are adopted and that our customers receive a good and efficient service that reflects the resources available. Luton considers that the Scheme Priority Matrix (SPM) is fundamental to good asset management planning and robust investment and lifecycle planning decisions. The Scheme Priority Matrix is an inhouse tool developed by Luton that takes into account a multi-criteria analysis approach so as to prioritise competing schemes. A weighting system has been developed within the Scheme Priority Matrix that gives importance to key factors such as condition and Emergency Service Routes which in turn impacts the overall score. The Table below sets out Luton s matrix and weighting, illustrating those areas the Council considers in assessing and prioritising competing schemes. SCANNER TEXTURE CRACKING 0.13% 0.12% 0.12% Red Amber Green Red Amber Green Red Amber Green M VARIANC RUTTING SCRIM % 0.11% Red Amber Green Red Amber Green Red Amber Green Restricted Workings Planned Works (LTP or SWN) Symology Defects (1-3 LOW, 4-6 MEDIUM, 7+ HIGH) 0.05% 0.05% 0.05% Yes No Yes No High Medium Low

12 Flare Carriagew ay Defects, Potholes (1-3 LOW, 4-5 MEDIUM, 6-24 HIGH) Bus Route Emergency Service Route 0.05% 0.05% 0.05% High Medium Low Yes No Yes No Substantial resources have therefore been focussed on the SPM and we will continue to support the development of further processes and tools that inform budget decisions at the strategic, tactical and operational level as well as help prioritise investment decisions. The weighting system within the SPM gives priority to condition and cost followed by usage. This methodology has allowed the council to identify an overarching strategy balancing worst first costly investment with the more prudent approach of pre-emptive maintenance. At the strategic level the council has embraced the industry standard lifecycle planning toolkits thus allowing the council to determine the risks and benefits of a long term funding strategy. However, at the tactical / operational level the SPM considers condition, cost and usage so as to practicably determine the areas of investment. As part of the annual Whole of Government Accounts (WGA); central government has set stringent requirements for the manner in which the value of the highway is reported to HM Treasury on the council s audited account. The WGA process requires a fully audited approach to financial reporting; and for this to be achieved, there is a clear need for accurate and detailed inventory information and performance data. The WGA requirement will support asset management by providing an improved understanding of network deterioration combined with service level requirements. Luton embraces this approach and is developing the processes for collating the data needed to meet the WGA requirements whilst developing good asset management practices that will ultimately lead to a refinement of the service. Trend analysis by scrutinising the Depreciated Replacement Cost can illustrate whether resources are used effectively. For example, if an authority intends to improve current condition, Depreciated Replacement Cost can be measured to see a decrease over time. At a corporate level, availability of asset values can influence investment strategies across the council. 5.0 Lifecycle Planning Lifecycle planning comprises the approach to the maintenance of an asset from construction to disposal. It is the prediction of future performance of an asset, or a group of assets, based on investment scenarios and maintenance strategies. The lifecycle plan is the documented output from this process. Luton has identified and working towards the following benefits of a prudent lifecycle plan: - Identify long term investment for highway infrastructure assets and develop an appropriate maintenance strategy; - Predict future performance of highway infrastructure assets for different levels of investment and different maintenance strategies; - Determine the level of investment required to achieve the required performance; - Determine the performance that will be achieved for available funding and/or future investment; - Support decision making, the case for investing in maintenance activities and demonstrate the impact of different funding scenarios; 11

13 - Minimising costs over the lifecycle while maintaining the required performance. A principle driving force of asset management is to spend resources with prudence. In order to be prudent the council is working towards an understanding of the network in terms of its current condition, rate of deterioration and aspirational target performance. Once a thorough understanding of the network has been ascertained; the council will be in a position to create lifecycle plans which in turn will enable the authority to financially plan ahead and predict future spend. 6.0 Levels of Service for Highway Assets Levels of service describe the quality of service provided by the asset for the benefit of the customers. They are composite indicators that reflect the social, economic and environmental goals of the community. The County Surveyors Society s Framework for Highway Asset Management defines levels of service as the manner by which the highway authority engages with the customer and are about reflecting the customer s interests in terms that can be measured and evaluated. To ensure that the Levels of Service are understood by its customers, a written description has been developed for each level of service. These have been linked to performance indicators already in use by the Council and a scoring mechanism has been developed. This allows performance to be measured and evaluated. The Levels of Service are described below: CONGESTION Reduce congestion and improve journey time SAFETY Increase the safety of the transport asset and reduce the risk of accidents to all users ACCESSIBILITY Maintain the transport asset so it is accessible to the customer The below figures have been obtained from the 2015 R119B and WGA submission and are subject to change year on year. Within the Borough of Luton, the main highway assets are: 58km Classified roads 401km Unclassified roads 1,074km Footways and footpaths 21,000 Street lights & Other Electrical Equipment 222 Bridges and highway structures 96 Sets of Traffic Signals 62,000 (approx.) Other street furniture 7.0 Asset Management Implementation As part of the asset management framework, and in accordance with other national guidance, the highway asset has been divided into asset groups. Each group is then broken down into asset components and activities. The asset groups and components are described in Section A key function of the asset management process is to understand the future spending needs of the council. To understand spending needs each asset group must be banded together as good, bad or 12

14 satisfactory according to its condition. Once the assets have been grouped according to condition then it becomes possible to quantify budgetary requirements as well as performance. Inherent to this process is a need to understand the influence of budget decisions on customers and the impact financial implications will have on the network. Investment in one area naturally leads to less spend in other areas and understanding this consequence is part and parcel of the lifecycle plan. The council has fully adopted the industry standard lifecycle toolkits and have developed such kits within our asset management software. For the delivery of the highway service, Luton divides its highway network into geographical ward boundaries covering routine and operational functions. The Town Hall is the central office which administers the Term Maintenance and Structural Maintenance programmes. The council has developed a priority matrix encompassing the Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) approach to lifecycle planning. The matrix takes into account twelve criteria s which can broadly be broken down into 3 categories namely; condition, cost and usage. 8.0 Carriageways Luton currently has a five year programme which is revised annually. The revision takes into account a number of factors which are detailed within Luton s multi-criteria SPM model. The primary factor that impacts our annual programme of works is the condition data of the carriageway which is carried out via a number of surveys, namely; Surface Condition Assessment of the National Network of Roads (SCANNER), Coarse Visual Inspection (CVI) and Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine (SCRIM). The SPM produces a report that ranks potential schemes and once the reports are finalised, the reports are then verified with an on-site inspection so as to validate our findings. 9.0 Footways Luton in liaison with our contractor (Highway Surveyors) is currently in the midst of a four year plan to record the condition of our footways. Footway condition is recorded via an industry standard Footway Network Survey (FNS). However, as a consequence of recent budgetary cuts, funding allocation for the regular maintenance of footways has been revoked. Notwithstanding, an understanding of footway deterioration and condition is paramount to producing accurate WGA figures, therefore significant investment is taken to record, monitor and understand the footway condition. Footway survey data is fed into Luton s multi-criteria SPM model which in turn ranks potential schemes on a worst first or economically most advantageous basis. This information is then circulated amongst senior management who in turn consider large-scale footway maintenance to coincide with other works such as the area studies programmes, thus taking a holistic approach to highway maintenance and improvement Street Lighting The Local Government Act 1966 made county and borough councils highway authorities in their own right, with a duty to ensure the safety of the public highway. The highway authority was given responsibility for the provision and maintenance of road lighting on adopted highways, or potentially adopted highways, in its administrative area. 13

15 The Local Government Act 1966 does not confer a duty on the Highway Authority to provide and maintain road lighting. However the Highway Authority has a duty to ensure the safety of the highway, which could include the provision of lighting. Whilst a Highway Authority does not have a duty to provide lighting, it does have a duty of care to maintain its lighting stock in a safe condition and to ensure that the equipment is fit for purpose. Night Scouting is carried out within the borough. This involves officers driving 14 pre-determined scouting routes to identify lighting faults. It is carried out monthly between April 1st and September 30th and twice monthly between October 1st and March 31st. The night scouts are conducted by members of the Highway Services team. Faults are identified and recorded on paper (see appendix C for copies of night scout report sheets) and are entered the next day onto the management system Symology. The paper record of the scout is signed by the officer and kept as a record of the faults on the network at that given time. As part of the CMS roll out it is planned to reduce the amount of night scouts done with majority of faults picked up via the Centrally Managed System, (CMS), it may however not be feasible to stop all night scouting. Some night scouting may still be required to monitor the CMS as well as to record faulty equipment that is not on CMS. This includes SOX lamps and some CDMT lamps as well as sign lights and bollards Structures Bridges provide a vital role in the economy and serving the community. It is therefore essential that the bridge stock is maintained in safe and good condition in the most cost effective manner. Gross Replacement Value of bridges and other structures in Luton is 117m. Regular bridge inspection and maintenance was carried out during 2014/15 utilising specialist bridge management software to enable efficient asset management of highway structures, including prioritisation of inspection and maintenance programmes. However, it was not possible to complete the programme. Currently there remains a backlog of bridge deck waterproofing and parapet works that cannot currently be funded whilst every effort is being made to co-ordinate these works with the carriageway resurfacing programme in order to reduce costs. Moving forward, budgetary constraints will lead to difficult decisions to be considered such as bridge closures or weight limit restrictions ITS There are currently ninety-six sets of traffic signals in Luton with a Gross Replacement Value in excess of 13m with each set having a nominal life of 15 years. To manage the problem of ageing, obsolete and difficult to maintain traffic signals; it has been deemed that three to four sets need to be replaced annually. Without the regular annual investment, signal faults will increase and in some cases the only option may be to switch the signals off. If the signals are switched off road user safety will be severely compromised and the liability of the Council will be put into question. In 2014/15 a total of 315,000 of LTP funding was spent on upgrading five sets of signals. Luton utilises the industry standard UTC - SCOOT (Urban Traffic Control - Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Techniques) within the town centre network to enable co-ordination between multiple 14

16 traffic junctions in close proximity to each other. Isolated signal sites are either VA (Vehicle Actuated) or MOVA (Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation) which calculates and adjusts the green time depending on the volume of traffic. Luton s approach follows the principles as set out in the Management of Electronic Traffic Equipment which is part of the UK Roads Liaison Group (UKRLG) best practise publications Other Street Furniture According to Luton s WGA submission, the borough has in excess of 62,000 items of street furniture ranging from street name plates to traffic signs. An itemised listing of our street furniture can be seen in Table 1 on page 5 which forms part of Luton s effort to manage its street furniture inventory. A survey is planned for sometime between to collect and grade the condition of all highway furniture found within the borough with the view to ascertain future maintenance requirements of ageing assets. Having an understanding and knowledge of our street furniture will enable the council to have purchasing power to order bulk upgrades in the future at a fraction of the normal cost. Furthermore, a number of sites have been found to contain redundant items of street furniture which are being gradually removed to reduce street clutter and improve the environment Highway Services One of the aims of good asset management is to improve co-ordination between the various teams that work on the highway, including the works carried out by Statutory Undertakers. In 2011 the highway maintenance and highway improvement teams merged bringing together maintenance, highway improvements and street-works into one section. Collaborative working has raised awareness and ensured that any new infrastructure or upgrade adopts the most appropriate design option and the most appropriate materials. The council is developing and implementing a process for incorporating asset management within our routine street inspections. The process advocates training and learning new skills as part of the identification of deterioration in the condition of highway assets Risk Management All highway projects delivered by Luton Borough Council involve an element of risk. It is therefore standard practice that Luton Borough Council as the Highway Authority for the borough undertakes risk assessments as the project initiation phase of a scheme. This section outlines the methodology for managing risks. By identifying the risks associated with each project Luton Borough Council will be better placed to prevent those risks from happening and in the cases where this is not possible, be better placed to react and mitigate against their impact Roles and responsibilities The application of risk management is the responsibility of all officers who are working on the scheme, from design right through to implementation. This document and its related risk register will therefore be deposited in a place where it can be accessed by all. The project manager will have the overall responsibility for ensuring the risk register is kept up to date and to react to any changes to the status of individual risks. If mitigation is required it will be the responsibility of the project manager to advise the project board. 15

17 The term contractor is better placed to advise of the status of risks during the construction phase of the project. It is therefore required that a representative for the term contractor updates the project board at project review meetings Risk Management Approach The standard model for risk management seeks to identify, analyse, plan and manage risk. This approach is embedded within the LBC corporate risk management strategy, which is the basis for all risk management within the organisation. Risks will not remain static as they will be reviewed at regular intervals and if a risk event occurs. Risks could then be assigned a new risk score. Identify Manage Analyse Plan Within the corporate framework, risk registers are created to assess risk within set areas. Luton Borough Council Highway Authority has its own risk register relating to all highway issues including work on and maintaining the public highway. These risks form the basis for the risk register for each scheme. All risks are created using a template based on the Luton Borough Council corporate risk management system, JCAD. This system allows all elements of the risk to be entered and will include risk status and risk scores, and will prompt for information to be added if there are any changes to any given risks Risk scores are based on a set risk profile matrix as shown below. PROBABILITY HIGH (3) MEDIUM (4) HIGH (7) HIGH (9) MEDIUM (2) LOW (2) MEDIUM (5) HIGH (8) LOW (1) LOW (1) LOW (3) MEDIUM (6) NOTICEABLE (1) SIGNIFICANT (2) CRITICAL (3) IMPACT There are different methods for dealing with different types of risk. The strategies for dealing with risk are listed in JCAD and responded to accordingly. 16

18 18.0 Identifying and recording risks Within Luton Borough council there are layers of risk. Risk is identified on three levels as shown in the diagram below. Corporate Risk Highway Authority Risk Project Risk The corporate risks are an umbrella of risks that impact across the whole organisation of Luton Borough Council; the Council s Corporate risk strategy is regularly reviewed. Scheme specific risks drills down further to include risks that are specific to the impact and delivery of each individual scheme. The Highway Authority risks will encompass some corporate risks but will mainly be focused on the risks that have a direct impact on the public highway and its associated infrastructure, including the impact of statutory duties, highway users and so on. Each of the identified project specific risks have been assessed to establish the probability of the risk occurring and the potential impact of the risk. This information is partly established from lessons learned from previous projects of a similar nature. Quantitative analysis will provide information on the potential financial impact of a risk event occurring. However, risk management is embedded into the project management process within Luton Borough Council and therefore the financial impact of risk is included as a contingency within project costs. This approach has proved the most successful due to the nature of highway work Performance Management and Review The Council is continually seeking to understand the needs and requirements of both our key stakeholders and the wider community in Luton in order to meet the key aspirations of our Corporate Vision to be responsive, accountable and innovative in listening and responding to public demand and stakeholder aspiration. This section sets out the main strands of this process. The key stakeholders for this document are primarily Council Members and Senior Managers generally associated with maintenance and new works on the highway network. Other stakeholders include the users of the highway network, such as borough residents and rate payers, drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, public transport operators and taxi operators. It is also necessary to consider 17

19 the needs of local and through traffic, visitors, the emergency services, schools, hospitals, businesses, developers, haulage associations, and the airport Increased public satisfaction Whilst this Strategy represents a long- term framework, its implementation will require keeping it a live document that will require at least an annual review to update and appraise work programmes and financial plans against updated data and conditions, financial provisions, costs of works and expectations. This review should consider: Customer satisfaction surveys; Annual Statistical Returns; Compliance Monitoring e.g. contractor and consultant s outputs, street-works permitting performance. The principal vehicle in understanding public satisfaction is through the annual NHT surveys. The Council first participated in the NHT surveys in 2009, 2010 and 2014; comparison of the survey results in Luton enables us to determine whether satisfaction in the various aspects is improving. From 2016 on, we intend to participate annually in these surveys, which will enable us to monitor public satisfaction in relation the various aspects of highway maintenance within Luton, but also to benchmark against progress in other authorities. In addition, the Council receives enquiries via its website, which includes on-line forms to complete to report problems on the highway or footpaths/bridleways. These are logged on the Council s Flare system and allocated to particular Council officers for a response. The public can also raise queries at the Ward Forum s and Area Board meetings, which take place quarterly. We will make every effort to understand current and future requirements by listening to our customers. In order to deliver this aspiration we have become established members of national survey bodies as well as actively participating via online social forums. We also monitor various performance measures, such as annual casualty statistics and the annual road condition surveys and, where appropriate, will draw comparisons between this quantitative data and the qualitative public satisfaction associated with particular aspects of highway maintenance. Finally we will ensure that the contractors and consultants responsible for delivering various highway improvements meet the Performance Indicators associated with the contracts. The monitoring process will enable the timely identification of instances where expected performance is not being achieved so that corrective action can be taken, thereby ensuring targets are met. Learning from mistakes, amending processes and feeding this information back into the asset management process will ensure continual improvement in the asset management approach The monitoring, review and feedback regime is a process that is completed in order to examine the service delivery to the customer, the performance of the assets, asset management practice and contractor performance, to enable effective management of the assets. The examination process involves the use of performance measures to compare target and actual performance. The 18

20 examination outcomes are then fed back into the asset management process, resulting in a continuous cycle of improvement Prioritising maintenance needs Maintenance needs should be prioritised on an annual basis utilising a formal Value Management (VM) process to enable robust and defendable works programmes to be prepared. VM should not be made complex and overly involved; the process should cover appropriate criteria to enable comparison and the production of a prioritised score. It should be noted that VM is only appropriate for the more important schemes or where significant maintenance implications exist; a simplified process may be considered for use to prioritise less important schemes. It should not generate data collection/storage requirements beyond those required for recognised good management practice, e.g. as defined in the national Codes of Practice. The process should be suitable for automation in a computerised asset management system, i.e. it should be able to run, at least in part, from data that is readily available in a system Review and Best practice Luton is committed to the development and implementation of good practice at national, regional and local levels. Furthermore knowledge and experience is actively shared with other Highway Authorities via the following channels: The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Highways Asset Management Planning Network; East of England Directors of Environment and Transport (EEDET) Eastern Highways Alliance 23.0 Supporting Documentation The Asset Management Strategy refers to and is linked to a number of key documents as listed below. When read in conjunction it allows for the asset management approach to be implemented in a manner it can be supported. National CIPFA Code of Practise on Transport Infrastructure Assets CSS County Surveyors Society Framework for Highway Asset Management HMEP Highway Infrastructure Asset Management UK Roads Liaison Group Well Maintained Highways, Management of Highway Structures, Well Lit Highways, Management of Electronic Traffic Equipment ALARM Survey Findings ISO 55000:2014 Asset Management Local Luton Highways Maintenance Plan Luton Transport Asset Management Plan (TAMP) Corporate Strategy Local Transport Plan, (LTP) Work Programme for Integrated Transport and Highway Maintenance 19

21 Overview, Principles and Terminology 24.0 Review Process This strategy will be updated regularly as a live working document with major reviews undertaken every 3 years. Considerable planning has been undertaken to ensure the longevity of the shelf-life Benefits of the Highways Asset Management Strategy The benefits of asset management are summarised below: Increased Public satisfaction Encourages engagement with stakeholders Transfer of risk in managing assets Greater security and certainty of budgets Optimise our assets to achieve maximum efficiency within limited resources; Collaborative cross departmental working Live up to date information so as to enable better informed decisions The adoption of asset management practices enables the more efficient use of available resources, delivering value for money and providing a service that is aligned to its customers. This is demonstrated by: Alignment of delivery of the service with the Council s over-arching objectives ; A comprehensive understanding of the asset and the associated liability; A programme of highways and street works inspections and surveys to record current asset condition; Defined Levels of Service; Adoption of a lifecycle approach to the management of the asset; Explicit identification and the effective management of risks; Decision-making that is based on the relationship between the asset and the Council s Priorities and Objectives through Levels of Service; Demonstrating the consequences of funding decisions; Considering the current condition and priorities required to maintain the asset and the network; and Readiness to respond to change resulting from climate change and weather emergencies. 20

22 21 Luton Highway Asset Management Strategy