- North West worst for potholes and disrepair, with South East
and Eastern England following.
- 50% of drivers in Scotland rate their roads terrible and 41%
in Wales.
- Northern Ireland rated best in UK.
- “UK roads will continue to crumble and crack into
catastrophe.” says AA prior to National Pothole Day.
More than half of drivers in the North West and South East (53%*)
say their residential roads are in a terrible condition, making
them the worst rated in the country according to a survey by the
AA.
More than 12,000 drivers were asked to rate the condition of
local road surfaces where they lived. Drivers in Eastern England
completed the top three regions with poor roads, with 51%
claiming residential roads were terrible. Meanwhile, London was
deemed to have the best kept residential streets in England
(42%).
Half of Scottish drivers (50%) said their roads were poor, with
two fifths (41%) of Welsh streets considered terrible and 37% of
local roads in Northern Ireland.
-
On a scale of 0-10 where 0 is “terrible” and 10 is
“excellent”, how would you rate the condition of road surfaces
close to where you live?
|
Rank
|
Region
|
Residential Roads – “Terrible” rating
(0-4)
|
|
1=
|
North West
|
53%
|
|
1=
|
South East
|
53%
|
|
3
|
Eastern
|
51%
|
|
4
|
Scotland
|
50%
|
|
5=
|
UK
|
49%
|
|
5=
|
East Midlands
|
49%
|
|
5=
|
South West
|
49%
|
|
8
|
Yorkshire & Humberside
|
46%
|
|
9
|
North East
|
43%
|
|
10=
|
West Midlands
|
42%
|
|
10=
|
London
|
42%
|
|
12
|
Wales
|
41%
|
|
13
|
Northern Ireland
|
37%
|
With local authorities up and down the country setting their
budgets for the coming financial year, the AA is concerned that
councils could decide to cut back on road maintenance spending to
balance the books elsewhere.
The cold spell prior to Christmas followed by heavy rain in many
parts of the country has led to a pandemic of potholes
particularly on local roads. Various local groups will be hoping
pothole protests** on National Pothole Day*** (15 Jan).
On rainy days since November AA Patrols called to - on average -
an additional 225 breakdowns each day as a result of drivers
hitting holes in the road surface often obscured by puddles. The
main pot-hole breakdowns are punctures, wheel damage and even
suspension faults. Rain-obscured potholes can also prove
extremely dangerous and indeed fatal for cyclists and
motorcyclists.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Step out
your front door and you won’t have to travel too far to find a
pothole. Years of underinvestment in the nation’s roads means we
are seeing more potholes develop than ever before.
“While the North West and South East top the charts this time,
most communities will say the main roads are usually in pretty
good shape but the minor and residential roads are where the
potholes create a menace (reflected in official road repair
expenditure statistics). Many of these are used for Active Travel
and exercise, such as cycling. Dimmed street lights add to the
threat in the dark.
“It’s not just road surfaces that need upgrading. Worn road
markings, damaged signs, streetlights no longer working, and
overgrown hedgerow covering signs are all too common on UK roads.
“Sadly, this all points towards a lack of funding or ring-fencing
by both central and local government. With tighter budgets
planned, roads maintenance could be cut in favour other projects.
Safe and maintained streets are vital for everyone regardless of
how they use the roads, and we desperately need to see a massive
cash-injection to upgrade local roads.
“Until that happens, UK roads will continue to crumble and crack
into catastrophe.”
ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
* AA Yonder Driver Poll, November 2022. 12,372 respondents
** Tenterden in 'pothole
crisis' as campaigners call on Kent County Council to step up
repairs (kentonline.co.uk)
*** NATIONAL POTHOLE DAY -
January 15, 2023 - National Today
