More than 70 MPs and political party peers were yesterday given unrivalled insight from senior representatives from the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA), Institute of Highways Engineers (IHE), Asphalt Industry Association (AIA) and Road Emulsion Association (REA).
These organisations shared their expert insight on how councils can best use their existing funding to look after their road networks. The event also gave parliamentarians access to key data points, revealing the true state of the roads and how much proactive maintenance councils have completed.
The purpose of the event was to highlight how both road preservation treatment and resurfacing can be utilised more effectively by local authorities, encouraging them to change the way they think about road maintenance and make the best use of the record £1.6bn funding the Government is providing this financial year.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “We have long advocated councils take a much more proactive approach to looking after their roads and put an end to the cycle of merely filling potholes.
“We need to shift the focus to carrying out the right type of maintenance at the right time, so our roads aren’t left to deteriorate. Preserving those that are currently in reasonable condition – using techniques such as surface dressing – and resurfacing the ones that are beyond repair is the ultimate answer to getting rid of the country’s potholes.”
The RAC Pothole Index revealed that the number of pothole-related breakdowns it attended in the last quarter had doubled, while road maintenance was completed on just 3% of England's road network in 2023/24. The 2024 RAC Report on Motoring also revealed that drivers surveyed cite the condition and maintenance of local roads as their top concern.
“It’s extremely positive that MPs and peers have heard from industry experts exactly what needs to be done to make our roads better at such an early stage in the new Parliament”, Williams continued.
“We hope MPs will use their new knowledge to work constructively with councils up and down the country. We were delighted that Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood took the time to attend and was receptive to the approach being advocated by the experts we had assembled.
“The RAC is committed to doing all it can to make driving a smoother experience, and bringing government closer to the road maintenance industry is absolutely key to that.”
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