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Footways & Cycleways Management Group

The FCMG champions the role of good maintenance and asset management practices in realising the benefits associated with increased levels walking and cycling

The Footway and Cycletrack Management Group is a subgroup of the UK Roads Board. 

The group is made up of representatives from Local Highway Authorities, National Governments, other interested Groups (such as Sustrans) and Consultants, all experts in the field of Footway and/or Cycletrack Management or represent groups who promote increased levels of walking or cycling.

FCMG Terms of Reference 2018

 

Key documents

Background

The Footway Maintenance Working Group was formed in 1993 as a working group of the County Surveyors Society to steer practical research on footway construction and maintenance. In 2001 the group was incorporated as a technical group of the UK Roads Board with a wider remit to consider all issues related to the management of cycletracks as well as footways, and it was renamed the Footway and Cycletrack

Management Group (FCMG). It is one of the sub-groups that reports directly to the UK Roads Board on which its Chairperson has a seat.

The group is made up of representatives from Local Highway Authorities, National Governments, other interested Groups (such as Sustrans) and Consultants, all experts in the field of Footway and/or Cycletrack Management or represent groups who promote increased levels of walking or cycling

Aims and Objectives

• To champion the role of good maintenance and asset management practices in realising the benefits associated with increased levels walking and cycling
• To promote good practice relating to pedestrian and cyclist use of the highway network and collaborate in the work of other groups to offer specialist advice relating to these users’ needs and aspirations
• To provide useful guidance to allow better, systematic data-driven, risk-based asset management practices for pedestrian and cyclist use of the highway network
• To support the application of a risk-based approach to asset management for footway and cycle infrastructure, taking into account the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and other users
• Monitor information needs for asset management of pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, evaluating and advising on surveys and other data sources to meet those needs
• Develop more open dialogue channels between Authorities / Consultants / Government / Other Groups (both UKRB and others)
• Provide the governance and develop the future strategic direction
• Ensure that the work of the Group is properly communicated and coordinated with other interested parties and encourage an open sharing community thus spreading good practice
• Produce outputs that are suitable for application to the wider range of users and types of network that exist across the UK

Overall function

• Identify, develop and disseminate best practice in the field of footway and cycletrack design, construction, maintenance and management, including asset and risk management.
• Drive and steer research into footway and cycletrack related matters
• Drive and steer ongoing development of footway and cycleway surveys, including the review and update of the FNS survey, in conjunction with the Road Condition Management Group
• Periodically review and update the guidance produced by the group
• Engage in collaborative work with other UKRB sub-groups and other groups such as the DfT Cycle Proofing Working Group to offer specialist advice on how on pedestrians and cyclists are affected by their projects.
• Seek stakeholders views, with the aim of ensuring that asset management of footway and cycle infrastructure reflects the needs and aspirations of pedestrians, cyclists and other stakeholders
• Provide and review content for the FCMG area of the UKRLG website (www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org/en/UKRLG-and-boards/uk-roads-board/uk-roads-board-subgroups/footways-and-cycleways-management-group)

Membership

The Management group is compiled from Local Highway Authorities, National Government, Research Consultants, Technical Consultants and representatives of Stakeholder Groups.
 

All members of the Group will have voting rights and will declare any vested interests on particular matters and will abstain from any votes where they have a vested interest.

Organisation	Number of members	Comment
National Government Representatives (Welsh Government, Scottish Government, DfT, Transport Ni)	Up to 4 members	One permanent member from each National Government/Assembly Organisation would be ideal (not achieved at present – DfT and DRD Northern Ireland currently represented)
Local Highway Authorities and Regional Transport bodies from throughout the United Kingdom	Up to 8 members	Representing a range of different types of authority. County Councils, Unitary Authorities, Metropolitan and London Boroughs should be represented. Should the number of LHA numbers drop below 6 ADEPT, SCOTS or CSS Wales will be asked to nominate new members to replace them.
Regional and National Transport bodies.	Up to 4 members.	Highways England and Transport for London are represented. Other regional transport bodies may be invited as they develop.
Research, Support and Consultancy	Up to 2 members	Linked to active research tasks.
Other Interest Groups	Up to 3 members	Sustrans are currently represented

 

Notes:

• Other specialists and user representatives are invited on an ad-hoc basis as required.
• Industry/user groups are consulted on specific tasks as required.
• In addition to the standing members above, other representatives can participate as corresponding members
• The group liaises closely with other groups in the UKRLG/Roads Board structure on matters of shared interest.

Position of Chairperson

Members of the Group shall appoint a Chairperson. This person will be an existing member of the Group and be a Local Government employee. The position means that they will also represent the Group at the UK Roads Board. The usual term of office for the Chairperson of the Group will be 3 years.

Meetings
Meetings can be called by the Chairperson if or when items require a group decision, typically 3 meetings per year are held. Members of the group may be asked to prepare information for these meetings to facilitate an informed discussion.

Communications
The group will provide information for the FCMG pages of the UKRLG web site on a regular basis, including publication of the outputs of the research tasks carried out by the group.

 

Key research from the FCMG is available here.