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Roads survey gives cause for concern
Following the recent publication of a survey showing the 'shocking state' of local roads, the RAC Foundation has called for immediate commitment from government to address the problem.
The annual ALARM survey into the state of roads in England and Wales shows:
- English authorities receive just 40 per cent of the budget they need to spend on local roads.
- Welsh authorities fare even worse, receiving only 28 per cent of the budget they require - just £1 per metre a year is spent on roads in Wales in comparison to £2 in the rest of England, and £6 in London.
In addition, English authorities spent £106m last year on compensation claims for damage to vehicles, or road accidents due to road structural conditions. Welsh authorities spent £17m on these claims.
Roads are re-surfaced every 51 years in England (outside of London) and 61 years in Wales. London's roads are resurfaced every 23 years. The recommendation for road resurfacing is 10 - 20 years depending on road type.
Visual defects, including cracking, deterioration, patching and potholes have risen by 130 per cent in Wales and 69 per cent in England (outside of London). In London the increase is 41 per cent.
The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey is conducted by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA). It collects information from local authorities regarding frequency and standards of maintenance, funding and other related issues such as road safety. Over the past five years the survey has shown a consistent annual shortfall of £1-1.5bn for road maintenance, and presents evidence of road-user safety being jeopardised as a result.
"The ALARM survey makes for uncomfortable reading," said Edmund King , executive director of the RAC Foundation. "Persistent under funding of road maintenance has led to a situation whereby 100 per cent of local authorities in Wales and almost 90 per cent in England believe this creates a real threat to road-user safety. There is still a massive shortfall in terms of what engineers need to maintain our roads adequately. Surely, this is an accident waiting to happen."
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