Government statistics have revealed that in certain parts of England, there are at least eight per cent of main roads that are in need of repairs, while over 10% of minor roads require fixing.
The report on road conditions in England covers the March 2020 to March 2021 period and revealed that on a national level, as much as one in every 25 miles (four per cent) of A roads and nearly one in every 16 miles of minor roads (six per cent) that are looked after by councils require maintenance due to being in a ‘poor condition’.
When it came to the roads managed by National Highways, it was found that four per cent of motorways and seven per cent of ‘A’ roads needed attention.
Local authorities also reported that 17% of unclassified roads were in the ‘red’, meaning they “should have been considered for maintenance”.
One thing worth considering when looking at the results is the impact that Covid-19 had – the pandemic caused significant disruption with regards to repairs. In fact, the report revealed the levels of maintenance carried out were the lowest they had been since 2007/08 for A roads, while it was the lowest since records began for minor roads.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “While the Government claims road conditions are ‘stable’, the harsh reality is that they are stuck in a rut.”
“Road users don’t have to travel too far from home to see a plethora of potholes, fractured tarmac, worn away surfaces and faded road markings which make driving and cycling uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst.”
“More than nine out of 10 drivers* said that the recent Budget needed to heavily invest in fixing local roads in order to ‘level up’ the crumbling road network. Not only would this make roads safer, but would help eliminate unnecessary pothole-related compensation claims which drain council budgets.”
You can find out more about the Government’s road conditions report here.
Here in 2024? Then find out how pothole-related breakdowns r0se by 33% in 2023.
*Data taken from an AA Yonder Driving Poll, October 2021, 15,115 respondents
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Road users don’t have to travel too far from home to see a plethora of potholes, fractured tarmac, worn away surfaces and faded road markings