Highways Improvement Programme (HIP)

How are schemes selected for the Highway Improvement Programme?

There are over 1,000 roads in Lambeth so choosing roads to invest in every year needs thorough consideration. We have applied a risk-based approach for our Highway Improvement Programme and have prioritised highways which support local infrastructure, economic growth and suffer from heavy usage. Our risk-based approach measures the likelihood and consequences of the road failing. 

We use the below factors to prioritise investments.

• Condition grade
• Scheme size
• Highway classification
• Amenities
• Reactive maintenance history
• Sustainable travel

Each factor has a risk rating value. The value shows each factor’s influence on the likelihood and consequences of failure. Each value is worth a set number of points. The total maximum score is 100 points. Highways with the highest number of points are given greater priority.

Factor	Maximum points
Scheme size and condition grade	60
Highway classification	15
Amenities	10
Reactive maintenance history	10
Sustainable travel	5
Total	100

Condition grade

We commissioned borough-wide footway and carriageway condition surveys. An independent surveyor presented their condition findings with five colour grades. The best condition is grade 1 and grade 5 is the worst condition.

Condition grade colours:

Condition grade	Colour	Description
1	Blue	Damage free
2	Green	Signs of wear and tear
3	Yellow	Serviceable
4	Orange	Malfunctioning
5	Red	Structural or surface failure

Scheme size

Major schemes provide value for money because material suppliers offer discounts for bulk orders. If minor schemes are near to each other, they are merged into a single major scheme.

Scheme type	Minimum area
Major carriageway	1000 square metres
Major footway	500 square metres
Minor carriageway	500 square metres
Minor footway	250 square metres

We combine defective sections to produce the ideal minimum area. To be considered a worthwhile scheme, the area must have condition grades of either 4 or 5. Highways which satisfy these conditions are given 60 points. Highways which do not achieve this standard are given zero points and will not be considered for the Highway Improvement Programme.

Highway classification

Every highway in the network is classified by how it distributes traffic. Surfaces with high volumes of either vehicular or pedestrian traffic wear out faster than those with low amounts of traffic.

The below table describes the different types of highways in the Network Hierarchy and how many points are given for each type.

Highway type	Description	Points
Motorway	Major infrastructure for a high volume of fast traffic	N/A
Trunk road	Strategic route with Transport for London’s red road markings	N/A
Prestige	High profile location with top quality assets	15
A class	Direct route through a local area, which connects external traffic from trunk roads to internal routes	13
B class	Route that links traffic from an A class road to other internal routes. It has frequent junctions and front access points.	11
C class	Route that connects A or B class roads to unclassified roads.	9
Unclassified	Short-distance route that supports local traffic.	7

Amenities

Amenities are features of either the built or natural environment. Residents and visitors to the borough use or visit amenities so this means that more people will walk, cycle or drive to these locations. This increases the level of traffic so more damage and greater exposure to hazards is usually caused to the roads around amenities,. Points are based on the number of amenities. The maximum score is for amenities is 10. The list below establishes which features may be considered an amenity:

• Care home
• Community or leisure centre
• GP clinic
• Hospital
• Library
• Museum
• Open space
• Park
• School
• Town centre
• Transport hub

Reactive maintenance history

Reactive maintenance records show which highways are expensive to maintain. We assess repairs over the last 3 years.

Reactive maintenance repairs	Points
Over 50	10
Over 30 and less than 50	8
Over 20 and less than 30	6
Over 10 and less than 20	4
Over 0 and less than 10	2
None	0

Sustainable travel

Healthy routes and cycling routes encourage sustainable travel. Healthy routes have cleaner air than other routes. They either have less motorised traffic or offer a separate space for pedestrians. Cycle routes are recognised as highways that are popular with cyclists. Routes that promote sustainable travel are awarded 5 points.

Sustainable travel	Points
Yes	5
No	0