A first-of-its-kind event including MPs and senior road network experts was hosted by the RAC in Westminster on 23 April to tackle the UK’s ongoing pothole problem.
Over 70 MPs – along with political party peers – met with senior representatives from the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA), Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE), Asphalt Industry Association (AIA) and Road Emulsion Association (REA).
The organisations sought to share their expertise to allow councils to best utilise the funding currently available to them to maintain their road networks. It also allowed for MPs to learn ‘the true state of the roads’, according to the RAC, by giving them access to key data points on how much proactive maintenance councils have completed and what is still needed.
The RACs goal with this meeting was to emphasise the benefits of road preservation treatment and resurfacing and how they can both be ‘utilised more effectively by local authorities’, with a specific focus on how the unprecedented £1.6bn funding from the Government for this financial year can be used most effectively.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: ‘We have long advocated councils take a much more proactive approach to looking after their roads and put an end to the cycle of merely filling potholes.
‘We need to shift the focus to carrying out the right type of maintenance at the right time, so our roads aren’t left to deteriorate. Preserving those that are currently in reasonable condition – using techniques such as surface dressing – and resurfacing the ones that are beyond repair is the ultimate answer to getting rid of the country’s potholes.’
The meeting came after the RAC reported that only 3% of England’s road network received any type of road maintenance. This, coupled with the RAC Pothole Index showing that the number of pothole-related breakdowns that it attended in the last quarter had doubled, is why Mr Williams said: It’s extremely positive that MPs and peers have heard from industry experts exactly what needs to be done to make our roads better at such an early stage in the new Parliament.’
He added: ‘We hope MPs will use their new knowledge to work constructively with councils up and down the country. We were delighted that Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood took the time to attend and was receptive to the approach being advocated by the experts we had assembled.’
Image credit: Shutterstock @David Michael Bellis
