Major works prioritised ahead of local repairs says survey of users

Almost half of all road users believe that local councils prioritise major roads projects ahead of highways repair work according to a new survey by technology company Yotta.

The 43% of road users who feel repair work is not prioritized is similar to the 44% of respondents who have complained to their local authority over the state of the road network. In contrast, just 18% of respondents complained over the state of the major highways network.

Simon Topp, Yotta’s director of marketing and international business, said: “It’s clear that there is a significant disconnect between the public and the authorities when it comes to the repair of the road network.

“Problems with local roads affect more people every day and yet there’s a perception that the majority of the budget is going towards maintaining major cross-country routes, which many people may only use occasionally,” says.

“When almost half care enough about the state of their neighbourhood roads to contact the authorities about their experience – with more than a quarter (26%) complaining multiple times – then it’s clear that people are dissatisfied with the way budget is allocated.”

The survey also showed even higher levels of discontent in Scotland, where 54% of respondents believed that the authorities prioritised major roads with just highways 4% believing local roads came first.