01926 633333June 22nd, 2026
How a Lean Travel Review Helped Somerset Council Identify Opportunities to Reduce Highways Inspection Emissions
Applying Lean methodology to planned and reactive inspections to reduce unnecessary travel, improve collaboration and support decarbonisation.
Situation
As part of the ADEPT Live Labs 2 programme, Somerset Council sought to reduce carbon emissions associated with highways inspections across the county. Planned inspection activities alone generated approximately 48.8 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, representing around 25% of the Council’s transport-related emissions.
Multiple teams were involved in both planned and reactive inspections, including Highways Superintendence, Street Works, Traffic Engineering and Highways Risk. Each operated independently, resulting in duplicated journeys, inefficient scheduling, fragmented information and unnecessary travel.
Whilst vehicle electrification formed part of the longer-term strategy, Somerset Council recognised that meaningful carbon reduction would require a fundamental review of the processes and systems enabling travel demand.
Task
Bourton Group Partner, Ghislain Taschini, supported Somerset Council in undertaking a Lean Travel Review to:
- Develop a shared understanding of planned and reactive inspection activities.
- Identify sources of process waste and unnecessary travel.
- Prioritise opportunities to reduce CO₂ emissions.
- Create a roadmap for both short and longer-term improvements.
- Demonstrate how Lean methodologies could support decarbonisation across the wider asset lifecycle.
The review formed part of the wider ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads programme and aimed to create approaches that could be transferred to other local authorities.
Action
Using Bourton’s Lean and DMAIC methodologies, Ghislain Taschini facilitated a structured review involving stakeholders from across Somerset Council.
Define
Scoping interviews were conducted with leaders from seven highway-related functions to understand inspection volumes, fleet usage, travel patterns and existing inefficiencies. A “Quad of Aims”, or project charter, established objectives, stakeholders and success measures.
Measure
Current-state processes were mapped using SIPOC and detailed process mapping techniques. Lean awareness sessions introduced the principles of value from the client’s or user’s perspective and the Eight Wastes, enabling teams to identify non-value-adding activities.
Analyse
Detailed analysis highlighted that 79% of potential CO₂ reduction opportunities existed upstream within:
- Demand management
- Inspection organisation
- Inspect and assess activities
rather than within repair activities themselves.
Root causes included:
- Poor information quality.
- Manual scheduling.
- Risk-averse behaviours.
- Siloed working between departments.
- Duplication of visits.
- Lack of triage and route optimisation.
Improve
A benefit versus ease assessment identified and prioritised opportunities with the greatest potential impact. Six deep dives were undertaken covering:
- Risk-based policy reviews.
- Filtering and triage systems.
- Better route planning and scheduling.
- Delegation of low-risk activities.
- Cross-functional collaboration.
- Video and remote inspection technologies.
A phased implementation roadmap was then developed, incorporating quick wins alongside medium-longer-term initiatives.
Although Bourton’s assignment concluded at the Improve phase, the importance of the Control stage of DMAIC was emphasised to ensure that progress could be monitored, improvements adjusted and learning captured during implementation. Importantly, the Lean approach developed through the review has since been shared across other authorities participating in the ADEPT Live Labs 2 programme, demonstrating how a structured, process-based approach to reducing travel demand can be replicated more widely.
Result
The Lean Travel Review shifted the focus from simply changing vehicle technology to reducing demand for travel itself.
Strategic Outcomes
- Established a shared understanding across multiple highways functions.
- Created a formal governance framework for CO₂ reduction.
- Demonstrated the suitability of Lean methodologies for decarbonisation programmes.
Operational Benefits
- Identified numerous opportunities to eliminate unnecessary travel.
- Prioritised six high-impact improvement areas.
- Highlighted the importance of demand management and cross-functional collaboration.
- Developed a phased implementation plan balancing quick wins with longer-term policy changes.
Behavioural and Cultural Impact
The review highlighted that reducing emissions required more than technology investment. Success depended on:
- Improved collaboration between teams.
- Better quality information at source.
- Greater confidence in risk-based decision making.
- Challenging long-standing inspection behaviours and ways of working.
Long-Term Vision
The programme established aspirational targets of:
- 25% CO₂ reduction in the short term.
- 50% reduction in the medium term.
- More than 75% reduction in the longer term.
Most importantly, the review demonstrated how Lean thinking helps organisations simultaneously improve operational efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and build greater organisational resilience.