Road repairs don’t solve the whole problem

Ahealthy cash injection to tackle the county’s potholes is welcome, but a more forward thinking approach is needed to get on top of the pothole epidemic.

With 500,000 miles of roads to maintain, Kent County Council’s (KCC) contractors will have their work cut out carrying out important repairs this spring and summer.

But much like the NHS, no matter how much capital is invested in patching problems it will not solve many of the fundamental issues.

Potholes are a hazard to motorists and an obstacle to business, but repairs to them are only a sticking plaster solution.

Kent’s road network is aging and unable to cope with growing pressure and this isn’t just our major motorways. Villagers regularly have to contend with large trailers navigating narrow roads, sometimes causing damage to buildings and posing a hazard for drivers.

For many, they are a fact of life and an ever more common obstacle, but they should not be

The money also doesn’t dispel the suspicion felt by many of our readers that the lion’s share of work goes on critical, major routes while country roads in our more far flung towns and villages are left to crumble.

Following cuts to its road maintenance budget last year KCC is almost entirely reliant on a central government pot of funding, which is only guaranteed up until 2021.

What happens after then is anyone’s guess, but perhaps a levy on the petrol tax or larger contribution from businesses could help plug the gap.