PAS 2161 Compliance and 2026/27 Road Condition Surveying
What PAS 2161 Compliance Means for Your 2026/27 Surveys
WDM Limited is pleased to announce our type ‘M’ survey technology submitted to the PAS 2161 demonstration of compatibility has been deemed compliant.
The WDM Road Assessment Vehicle (RAV) has been collecting SCANNER data for the last 20 years. In 2026/27 The WDM RAV fleet will collect and supply:
- SCANNER data; and
- PAS 2161 Road Condition Data using type ‘M’ mobile technology
WDM is actively working to supply PAS 2161 Road Condition Data using RAV data (Type S) and will be entering this technology through the 2026 PAS 2161 demonstration of compatibility, provisionally programmed for Spring 2026.
We will provide more information early in the new year, but hope the following information will answer any questions you may have:
1. I have a SCANNER contract with WDM. Is PAS 2161 Road Condition Data for 2026/27 included in the original rate? Because of the additional processing requirements, the supply of the PAS 2161 Road Condition Data in 2026/27 will attract an additional charge.
2. Why do I need SCANNER data? In addition to understanding the step change in national reporting between SCANNER and PAS; we believe only by understanding the absolute measurement of the carriageway in terms of macro texture, profile, rutting etc can the highway engineer be able to understand the true condition of their most valuable asset; and to plan, design and undertake an effective whole life treatment strategy.
3. Do I need a RAV survey if I only want PAS 2161 Road Condition data? No, if only PAS 2161 Road Condition Data is required, WDM will use type ‘M’ mobile technology. This will be at a different rate to collecting both SCANNER and RCD in a single pass. This opens options of having a cheaper survey strategy for lower road hierarchies.
4. I have a 2025/26 SCANNER survey can I use it to produce a PAS2161 condition data set? WDM additionally made a type ‘S’ submission to the 2025 PAS demonstration of compatibility. Type ‘S’ being a dedicated collection vehicle and WDM based this on SCANNER data coming from our RAV vehicles. This type ‘S’ submission did not meet the ‘acceptance criteria’ – it was within single percentage points of achieving compliance.
Although SCANNER survey data reported to PAS2161 condition categories is not PAS compliant, it will provide a strong indication of a PAS score. WDM will supply this data for all clients who request it for their 2025/26 WDM survey at no additional cost.
When DfT release the PAS reference data, WDM will use this to refine our type ‘S’ methodology with the aim of making a second submission in the 2026 PAS demonstration of compatibility.
Please contact info@wdm.co.uk to find out more.
RAV Data Collection Systems
PAS 2161 Type ‘M’ dedicated mobile technology
and
Objective measurement of condition utilising 42 parameters in 12 family groups including:
- Deformation – through laser rut measurement.
- Ride quality – through laser measurement
- Texture depth – an assessment of the road surface – through laser measurement
- Cracking – through laser imagery and machine learning
- Alignment through Inertial Platform
- Survey videos
- GPS
Data is collected at 100mm intervals and reported as 10m averages.
All data is based on precise measurement, and subject to quality standards.
All data is geospatial, so it can be viewed using mapping to identify extent of poor condition etc.
