TO mark National Pothole Day

, the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) has turned to findings from its ALARM survey to highlight the growing challenge of improving local road conditions, set against the backdrop of recent government funding announcements and ongoing pressures on highway authorities.

AIA chair David Giles commented: ‘The backlog of local road repairs in England and Wales stands at an eye-watering £16.8 billion*, so it’s not surprising that moaning about potholes has become a national pastime for road-users.  Data from the AIA’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey reports that 17.5 million potholes** have been filled in the last decade in England and Wales. That’s the equivalent of one every 18 seconds, costing almost £1.1 billion, yet the condition of our local roads continues to be a cause of national embarrassment.

‘If we want to see an improvement in the condition and resilience of our local roads, the focus needs to shift away from an endless cycle of pothole patch and repair by giving local authority highway engineers the tools they need to do the job, so they don’t form in the first place. Early in the new year, the Prime Minister promised to use ‘every tool’ to make lives better for people living in Britain and investing in our local roads is one way to do just that, as improvements are immediately noticeable to taxpayers.’

Mr Giles continued: ‘We have long been calling for a different approach to Government funding to enable this, advocating both a longer-term funding horizon and more transparency to give local authority highway engineers the certainty of funding needed to carry out the right maintenance intervention at the right time for the greatest long-term benefit.

‘That’s why we welcomed the Transport Secretary’s Autumn Budget announcement that £7.3 billion has been allocated over the next four years to local highway maintenance. While it’s not a silver bullet that will eradicate the backlog of repairs, it is a positive first step and will support local highway engineers in their efforts to stem the long-term decline of our local roads.

‘In addition, the DfT’s latest announcement enables the mapping of local authority performance, aligns with our calls for more transparency on delivery, alongside additional investment.’

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