Safety Inspections

Safety Inspections are used to identify defects, which are likely to create a danger, or serious inconvenience to users of the highway network.

When setting the frequency of inspections, consideration is given to road classification, traffic use, characteristics of adjoining network, local knowledge and expertise.

To ensure the highway network is free from hazards to the travelling public, regular safety inspections are undertaken on foot by a team of trained, experienced Inspectors. Defects identified during these inspections are ordered for repair on a priority basis, based on the level of hazard and importance of the route.

A table of Carriageway Inspections linked to the Hierarchy is shown here.

Category	Hierarchy	General Description	Frequency
2	Strategic Routes	Non-motorway trunk and some principal "A" roads, between primary destinations.	1 Month
3a	Main Distributor	Major Urban Network and Inter-Primary Links. Short-medium distance traffic.	1 Month
3b	Secondary Distributor	Classified Road (B & C class) and unclassified urban bus routes carrying local traffic with frontage access and frequent junctions.	1 Month
4a	Link Road	Roads linking between Main and Secondary Distributor Network with frontage access and frequent junctions.	3 Months
4b	Local Access Road	Roads serving limited number of properties carrying only access traffic.	1 Year

Find out more information about road maintenance. If you have any queries about this please contact our Highways Action Line.