This year's annual ALARM survey delivered a bruising result: with a record maintenance backlog of £14bn, senior figures across the industry called for a change of strategy and long-term funding.
The survey found that in England and Wales:
- It would now cost £14.02bn to tackle the local roads backlog and bring the network up to a standard from which it can be maintained efficiently and cost effectively going forward.
- Local authorities would have needed an average of an extra £7.7m each last year just to reach their own target road conditions.
- While half (51%) of local roads are reported to be in good structural condition, the remainder, more than 100,000 miles, could, without appropriate maintenance measures, continue to deteriorate to the point of needing to be rebuilt within the next 15 years.
- 18% of the network (almost 37,000 miles) is already assessed as having less than five years’ structural life remaining.
- One pothole is filled the equivalent of every 22 seconds.
- Roads are only resurfaced on average once every 116 years.
Rick Green, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, which produces the survey, said: 'What’s needed is a longer-term funding horizon from central government with more highway budget ring-fencing.'
Chief executive of the Institute of Highway Engineers, Steve Spender added: 'With a 75% response rate the report clearly identifies the real challenges that local highway engineers face maintaining a deteriorating network with reduced budgets whilst facing the severe challenges of inflation.
'It clearly highlights the real need for a longer-term funding plan from central government to help prevent further deterioration of our local road network.'
The Local Government Association's transport spokesperson, Cllr David Renard stressed that roads 'are the bedrock of our economy – vital for businesses and for ordinary people going about their day-to-day lives'.
'It is therefore alarming that, due to soaring inflation and historic funding cuts, councils’ repair backlog has grown and this has become increasingly challenging to tackle.
'To improve the condition of our roads, the Government should provide a funding increase for councils, including meeting new inflationary pressures.'
Head of roads policy at The AA, Jack Cousens, said the situation had become 'an international embarrassment', adding that 'national and local politicians have failed to look after their biggest and most important asset for years'.
'Years of sticking plaster solutions haven’t solved the problem, so it’s now time for serious investment and serious action. Coroners’ Prevention of future deaths reports in September and October show yet more cyclist deaths due to potholes. The dangerous state of some pavements is also a disgrace at a time when we are encouraging more people to walk.'
Head of roads policy for the RAC, Nicholas Lyes, said the findings made 'terrible reading' but the results would be 'no surprise to anyone who is forced to endure our pothole-plagued roads'.
'It’s incredible that council funding is now so inadequate that almost one-in-five roads have under five years’ structural life left,' he added.
He concluded that 'the Government’s eternal emphasis on filling potholes is so frustrating as it’s simply treating the symptoms, and not dealing with the root cause. As a nation so dependent on road transport, we must not let this go on.'
