The poor state of England’s road network is costing £14.4bn a year in economic damage, new research has revealed.
A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) calculated the overall cost to the economy of pothole-related vehicle damage, accidents, reduced speeds and emissions.
mage: Patrick Shutterstock / Shutterstock.com.
The crisis is caused by reduced spending on road maintenance by English local authorities, according to the think tank.
English councils’ spending on ‘routine maintenance’ fell from £1,756m in 2006 to £1,276m in 2023 – a drop of over 27%.
Drawing on anecdotal evidence, Douglas McWilliams, the CEBR's deputy chair, suggested the roads in England are now worse for potholes than most places between Beijing and Paris.
The latest ALARM survey, which is carried out annually by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), found that less than half (47%) of all local roads are reported to be in good structural condition.
This article first appeared on localgov.co.uk.
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