The number of road works registered continued to increase in 2024/25 compared to the previous year. However, there are signs that this continued increase may have peaked as the increase was much smaller than in previous years.
Despite the increase in works, the potential noticing failures metric showed significant improvement, falling to the lowest level for a number of years. The historic gap between the performance of utilities and roads authorities against this measure has been significantly closed. This shows that utilities are putting more effort into making sure that they meet their obligations to correctly notify works.
Whilst there was no national coring programme in 2024/25, the sample inspection results showed improvement which gives some reassurance that the quality of utility reinstatements remains good.
2024/25 was the first year of Commissioner inspection powers and compliance notices. The focus on roads authority compliance with the safety code has delivered a step-change improvement in compliance in some areas. However, there remains a need to focus on this activity to ensure that the improvements are sustained and embedded across Scotland.
As I have reported in the past, there are still some roads authorities who do not fully utilise the powers available to them to help co-ordinate works in their areas. I remain convinced that authorities should use the tools available to best effect in order to deliver effective co-ordination.