Maintenance neglect threatens road safety

"CONTINUOUS under-funding of road maintenance is threatening road-user safety and has led to a 50% increase in claims against local authorities for accidents and damage to vehicles caused by the structural state of Britain’s roads, according to a survey of local authority highways engineers published in April."

The survey shows that around £1 million per week is being paid out by local authorities or their insurers in injury or damage claims by road users who have suffered as a result of poorly maintained roads.

"A year after Pawsons went into Administration, the operation of Britannia Quarries, producers of Woodkirk York stone, was taken over by York Stone Products."

"Speaking at the launch of the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) Survey’s findings, Julian Peake, chairman of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, which conducts the survey, said: ‘This is the sixth year of the survey and every year it has consistently shown an annual shortfall of around £1 billion between what local authorities say they need to maintain roads and what they actually receive. This year there is a £1.3 billion shortfall."

"‘Despite government promises in its last election manifesto to improve road maintenance, four years later money is not yet reaching those who are looking after our roads. If the Government has, in fact, made more money available then it is not getting to the right people and the whole system of funding needs a radical review.’"

"According to local authority highways engineers, under current budgets roads can be resurfaced on average only once every 87 years as opposed to the recommended 10–20 years, and the need for structural maintenance of roads has increased by nearly 90% over the past 10 years."