The UK’s perennial pothole problem shows no sign of ending any
time soon, according to the latest breakdown data analysed by the
RAC.
While, as is customary, the total number of pothole-related
breakdowns, such as damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension
springs and distorted wheels, attended by RAC patrols in the
third quarter of the year dropped substantially to 1,746, the
number of such call-outs seen over the last 12 months remains
stubbornly high.
In the last year the RAC dealt with 14,220 breakdowns where the
overwhelming likelihood was that they were caused by potholes –
this represents 1.5% of all its call-outs during this period.
This is the second highest percentage ever recorded since the RAC
started analysing this data in 2006, with the highest being 1.6%
– a figure previously only seen during 2015 and 2017.
The Pothole Index*, which is the RAC’s long-term indicator of the
health of the UK’s roads, also shows that things are not getting
any better as the index remains considerably higher than it was
in the third quarter of 2017 when it was 2.38. In fact, with the
index now standing at 2.63, motorists are now more than 2.5 times
as likely to suffer a pothole breakdown than they were 12 years
ago. The record high index figure was 3.5 in Q1 2010 when
motorists were 3.5 times more likely to breakdown due hitting a
pothole as they were in 2006.
The ongoing pothole problem highlighted by the RAC Pothole Index
is clearly in line with drivers’ views as research for the RAC’s
2018 Report on
Motoring has found the state of local roads to now be
the issue of greatest concern.**
Data from the comprehensive study of motoring trends now in its
30th year shows a marked increase in the
proportion of drivers who say the state of local roads is one of
their top overall concerns, up from 33% in 2017 to 42% in 2018.
More specifically, 17% cite this as their number-one concern
compared to 10% in 2017.
In addition, two-thirds of the 1,808 drivers surveyed (66%) said
the condition of local roads had deteriorated in the last 12
months which represents a worrying increase on 2017 when the
percentage was 51%. Motorists who live in the East of England
(81%), the East Midlands (82%) or Scotland (78%) had an even
greater tendency to say conditions have become worse than the UK
average.
Among those who say conditions are worse in 2018, the
overwhelming majority (98%) blame road surfaces – this is an even
higher proportion than the 92% who said this last year.
While overall concern about the state of motorways and highspeed
dual carriageways has not increased significantly in 2018
relative to other issues, there is a growing number of motorists
who feel the condition of these roads has also deteriorated over
the last 12 months. When asked specifically for their views on
the condition of the UK’s roads, 78% agreed the state of them –
including motorways and major dual carriageways as well as local
roads – was ‘generally poor’. Less than one in 10 (9%) disagreed
with this.
RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: “There is little doubt
local road conditions in many parts of the country are
substandard and have been so for quite some time. Data from this
quarter’s RAC Pothole Index supports this showing there has been
a steady deterioration in road condition over the last 18 months
with the latest quarter not showing a significant improvement. We
cannot simply blame Storm Emma and the Beast from the East, even
though they certainly made matters worse.
“This is consistent both with motorists’ views from this year’s
RAC Report on Motoring research and the annual independent study
carried out by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) which shows
the backlog in terms of road repairs and maintenance continues to
grow. The AIA also found thataround 20% of local roads are
in ‘poor structural condition’, which means they have five years
of life or less remaining.***
“The Government has continued to make some efforts to address the
issue. In March 2018 a further £100m was made available to help
local authorities repair potholes and storm damage that had
resulted from the harsh winter weather.
“However, this needs to be seen in the context of the maintenance
backlog of over £9.3bn reported by the AIA which is their
estimate of the one-off investment required to return local roads
to a state that is fit-for purpose. We need a 10-year plan with
ring-fenced funding that will eliminate the backlog of
preventative maintenance that will stop the plague of potholes
appearing every time there is bad weather.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
* The RAC Pothole Index is a 12-month rolling measure of the
share of pothole fault breakdowns compared to 2006, corrected for
seasonal weather effects and improving longer term vehicle
reliability Data has been collected by the RAC since 2006. Data
excludes punctures.
** Research for the RAC Report on
Motoring was conducted by Quadrangle using an online
survey of 1,808 motorists who hold a full, current driving
licence, drive at least once a month and who have a motor vehicle
in their household. The research was carried out from 2-18 May
2018.
*** www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/alarm-survey-2018-FINAL.pdf
