The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called on the country’s new transport minister to address its ‘crumbling’ roads after pothole repairs on the trunk road network fell by nearly 30% in 2021-22.
New transport minister and MSP for Aberdeen Central Kevin Stewart (pictured) was previously minister for mental wellbeing and social care. He was appointed to replace Jenny Gilruth by first minister Humza Yousaf, himself a former transport minister.
In response to a question from Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie, Ms Gilruth had revealed that on the network managed on behalf of Transport Scotland, the number of Category 1 potholes identified and repaired fell from 12,949 in 2020-2021 to 9,679 in 2021-22.
Mr Rennie said: ‘Scotland’s trunk roads have more holes than Swiss cheese. In the past the cost of repairing all of Scotland’s roads has been estimated at well north of a billion pounds. It’s not just frustrating to drivers, it’s dangerous too.
‘While we should be encouraging people to move towards more environmentally friendly means of transport where possible, across vast swathes of Scotland there is still no alternative to the car.
‘Road users pay vast sums in tax, they deserve to rely on smooth and well-maintained roads. The new transport secretary must ensure that Scotland’s trunk roads are not allowed to fall into disrepair.’
Although Mr Rennie presented the figures as an indication of poor performance, they could also be seen as showing that the condition of the network has improved, or that managers had focused resources on preventative treatments.
In her response, Ms Gilruth noted that the Scottish Government fully funds the inspection and repair of all potholes that present, or could present, an immediate hazard to trunk road users. Term maintenance contracts set out ‘strict’ timescales for the repair of these Category 1 defects.
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