The first release of official road condition statistics since the pandemic has revealed a decline in standards across major roads in England.
The Department for Transport has published the Road Conditions in England statistical release for the years ending March 2020 and March 2021. The release covers two years as data collection was postponed for 2019/20.
One in 25 (4%) of English local authority A roads were in red condition last year - meaning that they should be considered for maintenance - following a rise in 2019/20. The proportion of unclassified council roads marked down as red rose in the last 12 months to 17%.
Unclassified roads managed by local authorities form the majority (60%) of the road network in England, while council managed ‘A’ roads and motorways account for around 9% of the English road network and carry approximately a third of all traffic.
The document also shows that 6% of ‘B’ and ‘C’ classified council managed roads were categorised as red.
The majority (72%) of local authority managed ‘A’ roads were categorised as green (good condition), with 24% categorised as amber (work may be needed soon) in 2020/21. Officials said these were similar to the levels in 2019/20.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: ‘While the Government claims road conditions are stable, the harsh reality is that they are stuck in a rut.
‘Road users don’t have to travel too far from home to see a plethora of potholes, fractured tarmac, worn away surfaces and faded road markings which make driving and cycling uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst.’
The RAC's head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: 'Given that most roads looked after by councils are minor ones, it’s hugely concerning – and rather disappointing – that an increasing proportion are earmarked for maintenance, particularly with so many already in need of repair. What’s more, unclassified roads in more rural areas tend to have poor safety records compared to their major road counterparts, so crumbling infrastructure only adds to the risks faced by both drivers and cyclists.
'We had hoped that the fact so few people were using the roads last year because of the pandemic would have given councils a golden opportunity to catch up on much-needed road repairs. Sadly, this data appears to show there’s still a huge amount to be done.'
Motorways managed by National Highways saw a similar proportion (4%) of roads in red condition, while 7% of National Highways A roads were classified as needing maintenance.
Local authorities and National Highways also undertake and report skidding resistance surveys.
More than a quarter (28%) of the council-managed motorway and A road network in England required further investigation in the three-year period from 2018/19 to 2020/21. Officials said this was the same as the three-year period from 2015/16 to 2017/18.
In 2020/21, 4% of motorways managed by National Highways and 12% of the government-owned company’s A roads required further investigation.
Over the year, 5.7% of council-managed A roads (excluding motorway) and 3.0% of minor roads (B, C and U roads) received maintenance treatment, both slightly lower than the previous year.
Surface dressing accounted for 49% and 70% respectively of all treatments on council A roads and minor roads in 2020/21.
