Highway Workers

Comprising over 4,000 miles of road, the strategic road network, consisting of England’s motorways and major roads, carries around a third of all motor vehicle traffic in England. Those responsible for looking after this important road network, the National Highways workforce, are tasked with ensuring our major roads are dependable, durable, and—most importantly—safe. Lisa Marshall, a PCS union rep and Highways worker in Yorkshire, joined the profession in 2016. With a substantial rise in the number of cars on the road, she says it’s an incredibly important job. ‘Traffic officers are normally the first on scene in the event of emergency, prior to the police and ambulance getting there,’ she explains. ‘They assess the situation and try and make it safe.’