Winter transport problems probed by independent review

Scotland saw further snowfall on Tuesday

Initiatives to combat the effect of cold winters on the transport network are to be proposed in an independent review set up by the government.

The move follows two consecutive winters which have seen transport disrupted by harsh conditions.

The review's priority is to consider what initiatives can be introduced quickly to deal with winter 2010/11.

The team will then also consider how well Britain is prepared for bad weather in future years.

The worst snow in the London area for 19 years caused transport chaos in the capital in February 2009 and winter 2009/10 was the coldest for 30 years.

The announcement came as travel in Scotland was affected by further snow showers.

'Lessons learned'

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said: "Following a decade of relatively mild weather, the UK has now experienced two harsh winters in succession.

"For the most part our transport networks have coped well, but there are lessons that can be learned in order to improve our resilience for future winters."

He added that he had asked the review team to seek evidence from "a wide range of stakeholders in order to identify and disseminate examples of the very best practice in responding to severe winter weather".

The review will be headed by RAC Foundation chairman David Quarmby.

He said: "Last winter's severe weather and the transport problems it created were rare in historic terms, but because of climate change the country needs to be prepared for more frequent extreme conditions.

"By setting up this review the government has recognised how important a resilient transport network is to the economic and social wellbeing of the nation and just how many people are affected when things go wrong."