RIS3 and shine – Logistics UK welcomes freight focus in Road Investment Strategy

Tuesday 26 August 2025

The government’s third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), published today (26 August), recognises that the UK’s motorways and trunk roads are “the economic arteries of the country” and it is “delays, bottlenecks and deteriorating infrastructure that stifle progress.” The £25 billion investment in the Strategic Road Network (SRN) committed in the strategy is welcomed by business group Logistics UK, and Head of Infrastructure and Planning Policy Jonathan Walker says the focus must now switch to delivery:

“The current poor road conditions act as a "tax on business" and our members will be encouraged that the Road Investment Strategy addresses network reliability through a focus on proactive asset management and preventative maintenance. It is estimated that every £1 invested in the SRN returns over £2 to society so the business case for investment is clear.

“Logistics UK is also pleased to see network performance on key freight routes will be prioritised, and there are explicit commitments to meet the needs of the freight and logistics sector through areas such as alleviating weight and height restrictions and improving driver facilities - something Logistics UK has been campaigning for, for several years.

“The emphasis must now be on delivery and ensuring that National Highways is sustainably funded to leave the SRN in a better condition at the end of the RIS3 period in 2031 than it is today.”

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk