Our pothole-ridden roads must be repaired – now
It is hard to remember a time when the state of our roads in Sussex was worse. After a winter of heavy rain and a tendency to just fill the holes rather than invest in the more permanent solution of resurfacing whole roads, there are few roads now that are not littered by dangerous, gaping craters.
The dangers cannot be underestimated. As motorists focus on the road surface and swerve to avoid the holes, their attention is distracted. The risks are even more significant for cyclists.
Sussex World and its weekly newspapers have never received as many complaints about the failure of national and local government to resolve the problem as we have this year. Just about everyone now knows of a motorist who has had their tyres and wheels wrecked – often multiple times.
Today we invite you to drive home the message to our county councils and politicians. Their public silence on this subject beggars belief. We urge you to send in photographs and video of potholes near you – taken safely – with your experiences of seeking redress. You can do so via submit. nationalworld.com
Despite residents’ anger – culminating in huge potholes in Tangmere near Chichester being marked in white lines in the shapes of penises – response is slow.
Many of these roads are the responsibility of our county councils with some support funding from the national government. Those forming the Strategic Road Network (SRN) like the A27, are managed by National Highways.
The problem is not simply confined to Sussex. It is a national one. It was put into stark context this week (March 19) with the publication of the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey report, produced by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA). Now in its 29th year, it is widely respected throughout industry and local and national government as the most authoritative and comprehensive study into local road maintenance funding and condition.
Its findings only relate to those roads maintained by local councils. It asserted that more than half of the local road network in England and Wales could fail in the next 15 years as the amount needed to fix the backlog of repairs reaches a record high of £16.3billion.
AA president Edmund King is reported as saying: “Our breakdown data shows that 2023 was the worst year for potholes for five years. The latest ALARM report shows just how much is needed to simply get our roads up to standard.
“Arguably the road network is a local council’s biggest asset, but not enough planned investment and repairs are being made to make streets safer and smoother for drivers and those on two wheels.
"Resurfacing occurs on average once every 80 years – making it a once-in-a-lifetime event.”
“Local authorities have a bit more money to spend this year but the impact of rising costs due to inflation means they have actually been able to do less with it,” said Rick Green, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, which commissions the ALARM survey.