Toll of breakdowns caused by potholes doubles in a decade
THE proportion of vehicle breakdowns caused by pothole- related damage has more than doubled over the past decade, according to a study. Thousands of motorists require assistance each month for issues such as broken shock absorbers or faulty suspension springs, the RAC said.
The figures show there was a sudden rise in pothole damage between 2007 and 2009 – when the economic recession meant councils had less money to spend on road maintenance and resurfacing. And it would seem that the country’s roads have yet to recover.
In the 12 months to June, some 0.9 per cent of the RAC’s 2.4million breakdown call- outs, which equates to 21,600 vehicles, were due to such damage. That compares to 0.4 per cent over the same period to June 2006.
Experts claimed that ‘ short- term funding’ in recent years has ‘not been sufficient to tackle the underlying problem’.
RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: ‘The condition of our local roads has deteriorated drastically in the last decade.
‘This analysis suggests that the quality of the UK’s roads suffered a steady decline from the start of 2007 through to the end of 2009, presumably due to lack of investment in maintenance and resurfacing during worsening economic times.
‘Since then, injections of shortterm funding have addressed the immediate aftermath of periods of
‘Deteriorated drastically’
extreme weather but have not been sufficient to tackle the underlying problem.’
In separate research by the AA involving 25,000 drivers, more than a third said their car had been damaged after hitting a pothole in the past two years.
Councillor Peter Box, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said councils are fixing more potholes than ever before but they are ‘hamstrung by a huge disparity in funding’.
The LGA claimed the Government has earmarked more than 40 times more money per mile of motorways and major trunk roads in England than it has for local roads.
Local authorities in the South West are getting the most money at £8.4million, with the North East receiving the least at £3million.
Earlier this year, the Government announced the first allocation of a £250million-a-year funding boost to repair potholes. Nearly one million potholes are being repaired in England over 12 months through the pothole action fund, according to the Department for Transport.
But the Asphalt Industry Alliance estimates that it will cost £11.8billion and take 14 years to fix roads in England and Wales.
Earlier this year a council officially redefined what a pothole is in order to cut its road repairs budget.
In a bizarre money- saving move, Perth and Kinross Council in central Scotland declared that potholes must now be 2.4in deep – 50 per cent more than previously – before they consider filling them.
A Department for Transport-spokesman said: ‘Well-maintained local roads are incredibly important, to deliver better journeys and keep communities across the country moving and connected.
‘We have committed £6billion to councils in England over this parliament to improve local roads and through the pothole action fund, we will spend a further £250million over the next five years specifically to tackle the blight of potholes.’
To prevent long-term damage to vehicles, the RAC suggests that drivers check their tyre pressure regularly, remain safe by holding steering wheels correctly and watch speeds when driving over potholes as driving at speed can cause more damage to the vehicle.