Two highways sector experts have spoken about the implications of continuing on a reactive pothole repair path, describing it as a “national problem” on National Pothole Day.
Lee Merces, director of Multi-Contracting Services Ltd, said
“The problem of potholes will never go away all the while we are not maintaining the network effectively through preventative surface treatments. Although we are seeing vast sums of money being invested in the sector, much of this is being tied up with reactive works from previous underspend and this is where we are helping local authorities to keep their networks safe for their road users.
“Our mastic repairs are now one of the most resilient, cost and carbon effective solutions on the market. Since setting the company up 12 months ago we have been successful in working with many local authorities and tier one contractors across the whole country to deliver these services with inbound enquiries coming in almost daily at the moment. As a British tax payer I would rather we weren’t required but as its a national problem, we are here to help and deliver high quality repairs in a timely, cost effective and low carbon way.”
David Giles, Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), 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.
“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 enabling the mapping of Local Authority performance, aligns with our calls for more transparency on delivery alongside additional investment.”
