New phone number for
Highways Agency Information Line makes savings all round
A new phone number
is making it easier and cheaper for the public to get in touch
with the Highways Agency, which manages and operates England’s
motorways and major A-roads.
The new number 0300 123 5000 is included in all phone
packages which means many people will be able to call the Highways
Agency for free and everyone else will pay a standard rate.
The Highways Agency Information Line handles more than 150,000
calls a year on topics as varied as real time traffic information,
the status of road works and reports of debris or spillages on the carriageway.
Although it has always been a local rate number from a standard
BT line, some mobiles and other phone operators charged
significantly more.
Not only will customers be able to make a saving from the number
change, but the Agency itself will be more efficient because it
will no longer be charged more than 5p per minute for receiving
each call, as it was using the previous 0845 number.
Steve Crosthwaite, group manager for the Highways Agency contact
centre, says:
“The number change is a win for the customer and a win for the
Agency as we both save money.”
The new 0300 numbers are reserved for not-for-profit and public
sector organisations and mean fairer and more transparent call
charges for customers. Calling an 0300 number costs no more than
calling a geographic (01 or 02) number and all phone companies are
required to include them in inclusive minutes and discount
schemes, even on mobiles.
The old Highways Agency 0845 number will be phased out over two
years, meaning that there will be no costs for replacing existing
publications and road signs. Callers using the old number are now
automatically transferred to 0300 123 5000.
All aspects of the service provided by the Highways Agency
Information Line, which is available 24 hours of every day, will
remain the same.
It is part of a range of information services provided by the
Highways Agency to help road users. Details of roadworks, major
schemes and other helpful advice can be found on the website www.highways.gov.uk
Live traffic information, collected from cameras and vehicle
sensors buried in the road, is provided round the clock to help
people plan their journeys and avoid bottlenecks. Road users can
get updates from the website, Traffic Radio, overhead message
signs, display screens at motorway service areas, a mobile website
and iPhone application.
The Highways Agency information covers England’s 4300-mile
network of motorways and major A-roads. Although this network is
less than three percent of the country’s roads, it handles around
a third of all traffic and two-thirds of freight. There are
separate authorities responsible for roads in London, Scotland and
Wales, while local roads are maintained by local authorities.
Notes to Editors
1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department
for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England’s motorways
and trunk roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.
2. Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and
major A roads is available:
- From our Traffic Radio service,
available on DAB digital radio and the internet at www.trafficradio.org.uk
To tune into the DAB service, simply press the
"scan" button on your radio. The radio will tune
into all available channels and you can select the new service by
scrolling through the channels until you reach "Traffic
Radio".
- From the web at www.highways.gov.uk/traffic
or www.highways.gov.uk/mobile
if using a phone or mobile device.
Before using any mobile,
find a safe place to park. Never stop on the hard shoulder of a
motorway except in an emergency. Make sure it’s safe and legal
before you call.
- By phone from the Highways Agency 24-hour
voice activated phone service on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT
residential landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p
per minute; call charges from other landlines and mobile networks
may vary).
3. For more general information about the Highways Agency and its
work, visit the Highways Agency website www.highways.gov.uk, or
telephone the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000 at
any time (Calls to 0300 numbers will cost no more than 5p per
minute from a standard BT residential landline. Call charges from
other landlines and mobile networks may vary, but will be no more
than a standard geographic call and will be included in all
inclusive minutes and discount schemes).
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Contacts:
Mik Barton.
Phone: 075 5445 8909
mik.barton@highways.gsi.gov.uk