Features - Award-Winning National Reports

Road and Road Transport in a Changed World

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Responsibility for transport policy and funding sits with various government bodies across the UK. The UK Government in Westminster develops the policy, and provides the bulk of the funding, for roads and local transport in England. In other parts of the UK this is mostly provided by the relevant devolved administrations (in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), although the UK government retains reserved powers for "national" transport issues, such as vehicle standards and taxation. Local government in all parts of the UK except for Northern Ireland (where it is the responsibility of the devolved administration) is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the local road network (which accounts for over 97% of all roads by distance) and for supporting local public transport, such as buses and light rail. This context allows for different approaches to be adopted within one country. The approaches of local authorities and devolved administrations can differ from those of, and may not always be supported by, the UK Government.