Fixing the country’s broken roads is a conundrum that’s nowhere near being solved

OF the many topics Auto Express has covered extensively both online and in print this year, two stand out. The first is how much time British drivers spend stuck in traffic, and what this costs society, and the other is the growing issue of potholes on our roads.

The numbers should be familiar by now. There’s a 14-year backlog of pothole repairs that’ll cost the economy £10billion to fix. In terms of traffic delays, the picture is even more expensive. According to traffic specialist Inrix, roadworks, delays and congestion cost the UK economy over £37billion annually, because each driver loses £1,168 in productivity, fuel and time.

However, the Government is working on a solution of sorts. Utility companies will now be required to dig up pavements instead of the main road whenever they can, according to plans by the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

He told The Times that as “far fewer potholes appear in intact roads than roads that have been regularly dug up”, he considered “one part of the solution is having fewer roadworks”. He added that utility companies would have to show they’d considered digging up pavements or verges before being given permission to dig up roads.

This is a far-from-perfect solution, though, as critics rightly point out that pedestrian pavements are also in a state of despair, and digging them up more will only exacerbate their condition. There’s no easy solution to fixing our roads, and it looks like the Government will have to bite the bullet somewhere.

“Utilities will have to show they’d considered digging up pavements or verges before roads”