- Two-thirds say the condition of local roads has deteriorated,
a huge jump on last year
- Eight-in-10 drivers have had to take sudden evasive action to
avoid hitting potholes
Anger with the poor state of Britain’s local roads has reached
its highest point in nine years with half of drivers (49%)
surveyed for the RAC’s annual
Report on Motoring* listing it as a top motoring concern,
making it the single biggest issue by a considerable distance
this year.
Concern among drivers is now at a record level since the RAC
first started asking drivers for their views on the condition and
maintenance of local roads in 2015. The previous high – 46% – was
recorded in 2021. The next biggest worry after local roads was
the cost of fuel which was cited by 42% of drivers.
The condition and maintenance of local roads is a particularly
significant problem for older drivers with 55% of those aged
between 45 and 64 saying it is their top concern. This rises to
59% among those aged 65 and older.
The RAC study also reveals that two-thirds of drivers (67%) say
that the condition of the local roads they regularly drive on has
deteriorated in the past 12 months, up from 60% in the 2022
report, making for the biggest increase since 2017. This year
only 4% think local road conditions have improved over the last
12 months. While problems with road surfaces are overwhelmingly
to blame (cited by 97% of drivers), there are several other
factors contributing to this decline, including faded road
markings (61%), litter (35%) and poor signage visibility (34%).
The desperate state of roads has also led to most drivers having
to take sudden, sometimes even shocking evasive action, with a
third (35%) reporting they have been forced to swerve quickly to
avoid a pothole and ended up completely crossing into another
lane or going on to the other side of the road. Seven in 10 (69%)
say they have been forced to slow sharply to drive over a pothole
and 37% have tried to maintain a greater distance from the car in
front to give themselves more time to react to road-surface
problems.
Drivers had more positive views about the condition of Britain’s
motorways and high-speed dual carriageways in comparison to local
roads, but many are still frustrated by the level of
deterioration they have witnessed. This year, 11% of drivers say
the condition of these major roads is a top concern, up from 8%
in the 2022 report. Among those who use motorways and other
high-speed roads, 44% say their condition has worsened in the
past 12 months, up significantly from 38% in 2022. This
deterioration is mainly due to worsening road surfaces (cited by
81%), but faded lane markings (46%), roadside litter (39%) and
poor signage visibility (28%) are also to blame.
Where repairs are being carried out to roads of all types,
drivers are wholly unimpressed with the quality of the work done:
81% say they do not think roads are resurfaced to a high enough
standard, while the same proportion (81%) do not believe roads
are resurfaced as often as they should be. The disruption caused
by maintenance work is another source of dissatisfaction, with
74% of drivers saying they are frustrated by roadworks taking
place on the same road in quick succession and 72% complaining
that works frequently overrun.
The 2023 edition of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA)’s annual
report indicates that local councils in England and Wales
continue to face significant shortfalls in the funding required
to keep road surfaces in a reasonable condition. The latest
Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) report**,
published in March 2023, says that the total amount of money now
needed to address the backlog in road maintenance works has
increased to more than £14 billion, up 11% from a year ago.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Many drivers will be
wondering why so many potholes appeared on the country’s local
roads in the absence of a particularly cold winter. Sadly, a
long-term lack of funding for maintenance and repair work means
our roads are in a such a fragile state that it only takes a
little rainwater getting into existing flaws followed by some
sub-zero temperatures for them to break down further.
“We have to bring the ongoing deterioration of our local roads to
an end by giving councils the certainty of funding they need to
be able to plan proper maintenance programmes which include
resurfacing roads that have gone beyond point where they can be
patched up.
“This is why we continue to call on the Government to ringfence
2p from every litre of existing fuel revenues over a five-year
period which will give councils the funds they need to be able to
plan proper maintenance programmes.
“We have raised this issue with the Secretary of State for
Transport and urged the Chancellor in our Autumn Statement
submission to shake up his road funding policy, because as it
stands the £26bn collected from drivers is currently just another
form of general taxation.
“We believe a change in funding strategy is long overdue, not
least because England’s major roads receive seven times what
local roads are given, despite the fact there are seven times
more miles of minor roads.
“It is plain wrong that drivers who contribute billions in tax
every year have to put up with roads that are so far from being
fit for purpose.” Ends
Notes to Editors
* RAC Report on Motoring 2023 – survey completed by a
nationally-representative sample of 2,583 UK drivers
** https://www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/ALARM-press-release-for-website.pdf
