AIA reaches anniversary milestone

Asphalt Industry Alliance marks 25 years as the voice of the asphalt industry

THE Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which was established in 2000 to increase awareness of the asphalt industry and its activities, is a partnership between the Mineral Products Association (MPA) and Eurobitume. 

AIA’s best-known initiative is the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, which provides vital data on the condition of the local road network in England and Wales and highlights funding shortfalls. ALARM has become central to the national debate on potholes and continues to underline the need for increased, sustained, and targeted investment.

Over the past 25 years, awareness of the AIA and its activities has grown, and it is now recognized as an authoritative, independent voice on industry issues.

Chair David Giles said: ‘Over the years, ALARM has become integral to, and synonymous with, the national debate on ‘the potholes problem’, and the AIA continues to use its findings to emphasize the importance of increased, sustained and targeted investment in maintenance of our local roads.’

The Alliance strengthens its call for long-term funding through direct engagement with policymakers, including support for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Better Roads. It also promotes knowledge-sharing through its annual Sharing Best Practice event and provides trusted data via RoadFile, an online hub of road statistics from UK and EU sources.

‘With limited budgets, the need to decarbonize, extreme weather, and rising traffic volumes on a deteriorating network, our work is more important than ever,’ added Mr Giles. ‘We will continue to make the case for accountable, long-term funding and promote practical, sustainable asphalt solutions that support a resilient road network and help the UK meet its net-zero ambitions.’