Better information for your journey
The National Traffic Control Centre collects real-time information on road conditions.
How We Manage Our Roads
In this section you can find out more about how we manage and maintain these roads and plan for the future
The Project Control Framework
On 1st April 2008 we launched the Project Control Framework. The Framework sets out how we, together with the Department for Transport, manage and deliver major improvement projects.
Traffic news on your desktop
Helpful ways to access the latest traffic information when you need it.
M3 London to Southampton Route Management Strategy
4 Route Functions and Performance
4.1 Derivation
The Government, in its vision for transport in England ("Transport 2010: The 10 Year Plan" (1998)),describes the motorways and trunk roads that make up the strategic road network in England as beingthe "backbone of our transport system". They provide the main transport arteries for the country,playing a vital role, both economically and socially. Although representing less than 4% of the totalroad network in England, the strategic road network carries around 34% of traffic and 67% of freight(by vehicle miles)2, providing for the efficient movement of goods and people while at the same timemaintaining the Government's 5 objectives for transport: safety, environment, economy, accessibilityand integration.
The Highways Agency in its role as Network Operator has a remit that runs beyond the traditionalnotion of the Agency as road builder and maintainer towards achieving a wider strategic aim:
"to contribute to sustainable development by maintaining, operating and improving the trunk roadnetwork in support of the Government's integrated transport and land use policies".
In its management of the motorway and trunk road network towards this end, the HA are guided by anumber of key objectives:
- Giving priority to maintenance whilst minimising whole life costs
- Developing the network operator role
- Reducing congestion and increasing journey time reliability
- Carrying out the targeted investment programme
- Minimising the environmental impact of the trunk road network
- Improving safety for all road users
- Working in partnership and promoting choice and information for travellers
Providing focus for these key objectives within the Government's five investment criteria, the HAhave produced a set of strategic plans, outlining its method, strategy and vision for the future. Theseplans provide the context for the development of a set of performance functions for the M3 whichreflect the character and operation of the route.
During the course of the RMS study, a number of functions of the M3 between Junctions 1 and 14were agreed with the major stakeholders. These are listed below.
4.1.1 Strategic Functions
Strategic functions describe how the M3, or part of it, serves as a transport corridor that caters forinter-regional and international passenger and/or goods movement.
- SF1. Forms part of the E5 Euroroute from Gibraltar to Greenock in Scotland via Portsmouth.
- SF2. Is part of the M3/M27/A31 trunk route between London, the south coast and the South West
- SF3. Is part of the M3/A303 trunk route between London and the South West
- SF4. Is part of the M3/A34 trunk route between the south coast, the Midlands and the North
- SF5. Provides strategic access to the south coast ports
- SF6. Provides a road-based alternative to the London to Bournemouth and London to Salisbury main line railways
4.1.2 Regional Functions
Regional functions explain how the M3, or part of it, serves as a transport route that caters forpassenger and/or goods movement that are likely to have started and/or ended within the South andSouth East regions.
- RF1. Acts as a key element in the regional road network, serving communities in south-west London, north-west Surrey, the Berkshire Unitary Authorities, Hampshire and its Unitary Authorities, The Isle of Wight, and parts of Wiltshire and Dorset
- RF2. Provides the main highway link between the major population centres in Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and London.
- RF3. Gives regional access to the M25 and London
- RF4. Provides regional access to the south coast and the Solent towns
- RF5. Provides regional access to Heathrow and Gatwick International airports
- RF6. Provides regional access to Southampton and Bournemouth International Airports and Farnborough aerodrome
- RF7. Acts as a feeder route to bring customers to regional tourist destinations
4.1.3 Local Functions
Local functions give details of how the M3 serves as a transport route that caters for passenger and/orgoods movements that are likely to have started and/or ended within their respective counties. This isgenerally either Hampshire and/or Surrey.
- LF1. Acts as a route around Winchester, Basingstoke and the Blackwater Valley towns
- LF2. Acts as a route through large population centres, giving relief to local roads
- LF3. Acts as a wildlife corridor
- LF4. Acts as a commuter route to local employment centres in Southampton and the Solent towns, Winchester, Basingstoke, the Blackwater Valley towns and south-west London
4.2 Function Performance
The future route performance of the M3 is dependent on improvements to its operation andmaintenance that will begin to resolve the conflict between its functions.
Through maintenance studies and schemes that the RMS can identify and recommend, these also havethe potential to influence and improve the route functions and therefore give greater route performancewhilst minimising whole life costs.
The RMS anticipates changes in the functions of the route that will incorporate greater integrationbetween local and strategic-regional functions. Reducing the conflict between functions is likely tomake a greater impact on route performance, improving safety for all users, increasing journey timereliability and improving integration and accessibility for the route's catchment area.
Route performance can be affected by potentially large traffic generating developments or land use.The Land Use and Development Control Statement in Part 2 of Volume 1 of this RMS proposes howthe HA will respond to planning applications and to future development plans or strategies which havethe potential to increase traffic movements and reduce route performance. There is strict developmentcontrol along the M3 due in part to the environmental sensitivity and designation of the countrysideadjacent to the route. The future of the route's performance in the period of this RMS is likely to beaffected by some of the proposed major developments. However, the longer term regeneration of thesouth Hampshire towns is likely to bring with it growth in traffic using the M3.
The following tables indicate factors that are affecting route performance in co-ordination with thefive investment criteria.
4.3 Factors Affecting Route Performance
| Existing Route Function | Factors Affecting Route Performance | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety | Environment | Economy | Accessibility | Integration | ||
| SF1 | Forms part of the E5 Euroroute from Gibraltar to Greenock in Scotland via Portsmouth. | Close proximity of junctions increases potential for problems with merging and diverging traffic. At capacity junctions cause "exit blocking" where off slip queues tail back to the main carriageway. Projectiles being thrown from over carriageway structures. | Strict development control relating to the Hampshire Downs, the Metropolitan Green Belt and SSSIs may affect any future plans to improve the route. Noise and air quality affected by high volumes of traffic, especially in peak times. | Congestion delay, particularly in peak periods, impact on journey time, reliability and the economic functioning of the route. Incidents (including accidents, breakdowns, planned and unplanned maintenance) cause delay, especially in peak periods. The perception of excessive and/or unreliable journey times to the coast is not assisting the economic regeneration of the south Hampshire PAER. | Local usage conflicts with strategic functions. Conflict with Non-Motorised Users at junctions. Improved frequency in strategic bus and coach operations. | Poor integration between the M3 and M27 around Southampton and Eastleigh causes congestion on the local road network. |
| SF2 | Is part of the M3/M27/A31 trunk route between London, the south coast and the South West | |||||
| SF3 | Is part of the M3/A303 trunk route between London and the South West | |||||
| SF4 | Is part of the M3/A34 trunk route between the south coast, the Midlands and the North | Poor integration between the M3 and M27 around Southampton and Eastleigh causes congestion on the local road network. | ||||
| SF5 | Provides strategic access to the south coast ports | |||||
| SF6 | Provides a road-based alternative to the London to Bournemouth and London to Salisbury main line railways | |||||
| Existing Route Function | Factors Affecting Route Performance | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety | Environment | Economy | Accessibility | Integration | ||
| RF1 | Acts as a key element in the regional road network, serving communities in south-west London, north-west Surrey, the Berkshire Unitary Authorities, Hampshire and its Unitary Authorities, The Isle of Wight, and parts of Wiltshire and Dorset | Close proximity of junctions increases potential for problems with merging and diverging traffic. At capacity junctions cause "exit blocking" where off slip queues tail back to the main carriageway. Projectiles being thrown from over carriageway structures. | Strict development control relating to the Hampshire Downs, the Metropolitan Green Belt and SSSIs may affect any future plans to improve the route. Noise and air quality affected by high volumes of traffic, especially in peak times. | Congestion delay, particularly in peak periods, impact on journey time, reliability and the economic functioning of the route. Incidents (including accidents, breakdowns, planned and unplanned maintenance) cause delay, especially in peak periods. The perception of excessive and/or unreliable journey times to the coast is not assisting the economic regeneration of the south Hampshire PAER. | Improved frequency in strategic bus and coach operations. Regional usage conflicts with strategic functions. Local usage conflicts with regional functions. Conflict with Non-Motorised Users at junctions. Perceived cost and frequency of public transport makes the car more convenient for regional journeys. Poor regional east-west rail services increase tourism use of the car. | Poor integration between the M3 and M27 around Southampton and Eastleigh causes congestion on the local road network. |
| RF2 | Provides the main highway link between the major population centres in Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and London. | |||||
| RF3 | Gives regional access to the M25 and London | |||||
| RF4 | Provides regional access to the south coast and the Solent towns | Poor integration between the M3 and M27 around Southampton and Eastleigh causes congestion on the local road network. | ||||
| RF5 | Provides regional access to Heathrow and Gatwick International airports | Lack of adequate cost effective public transport alternatives encourages private car usage to the major airports. | ||||
| RF6 | Provides regional access to Southampton and Bournemouth International Airports and Farnborough aerodrome | Poor integration between the M3 and M27 around Southampton and Eastleigh causes congestion on the local road network. Potential for greater interchange with local public transport. | ||||
| RF7 | Acts as a feeder route to bring customers to regional tourist destinations | |||||
| Existing Route Function | Factors Affecting Route Performance | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety | Environment | Economy | Accessibility | Integration | ||
| LF1 | Acts as a route around Winchester, Basingstoke and the Blackwater Valley towns | Close proximity of junctions increases potential for problems with merging and diverging traffic. At capacity junctions cause "exit blocking" where off slip queues tail back to the main carriageway. Projectiles being thrown from over carriageway structures. | Strict development control relating to the Hampshire Downs, the Metropolitan Green Belt and SSSIs may affect any future plans to improve the route. Noise and air quality affected by high volumes of traffic, especially in peak times. Embankments, trees and hedgerows mitigate the visual impact of the motorway and provide important wildlifehabitats. | Congestion delay, particularly in peak periods, impact on journey time, reliability and the economic functioning of the route. Incidents (including accidents, breakdowns, planned and unplanned maintenance) cause delay, especially in peak periods. Important to the local economy. | Conflict with Non-Motorised Users at junctions | Limited transport interchanges with park and ride initiatives and rail. |
| LF2 | Acts as a route through large population centres, giving relief to local roads | |||||
| LF3 | Acts as a commuter route to local employment centres in Southampton and the Solent towns, Winchester, Basingstoke, the Blackwater Valley towns and south-west London | |||||
| LF4 | Acts as a wildlife corridor | |||||
4.4 Future Route Functions
4.4.1 Future Strategic Functions
There are no changes expected to the Strategic Functions, subject to the availability of capacity
4.4.2 Future Regional Functions
There are no changes expected to the Regional Functions, subject to the availability of capacity
4.4.3 Future Local Functions
There are no changes expected to the Local Functions, subject to the availability of capacity
- Source: "Road to the Future", Highways Agency Strategic Plan for Operating the Network, 2000) back [2]
