Drivers being short-changed as road surfaces worsen
AA president Edmund King OBE has said drivers are being-short changed as road surfaces continue to deteriorate.
Speaking to Rob Cubitt, managing director of Cubitt Cars, in an episode of YouTube channel The Logbook titled ‘We pay billions so why are the roads falling apart?’, King urged the government to stop regarding the condition of UK roads as a periphery issue and ensure motorists get what they are paying for.
He said that driver contribute billions to the Treasury every year, yet too many roads remain dangerous and badly repaired, while roadworks are poorly coordinated.
The government has pledged £1.6bn to fix potholes, but King has said that money will be wasted if councils adopt a short-term, patch-and-run approach instead of seeking permanent fixes.
Standstill
King said: “Our country without roads is nothing. Ninety per cent of freight goes by road and 86% of passenger journeys are by road. If we didn’t have the roads, the country would be at a standstill. There would be no goods in our shops, no exports, and people wouldn’t get to work. This isn’t a periphery issue – this is the number one issue.
“It is the number one transport issue for 96% of drivers. At The AA we see it first-hand. Last year our patrols were called out to 617,000 pothole-related incidents – punctures, damaged wheels, steering and suspension damage. For drivers, it is the worst feeling: dark nights, wet roads, puddles, you can’t see the pothole, and then you hear the bang.”
Cubitt added: “Drivers feel more squeezed than ever. Fuel is up, vehicle tax is up, the cost of everything is up – and yet the roads we are driving on seem to be getting worse. People can’t help but ask: where is all our money going?
“We all feel angry about these things. We are paying more to be motorists, but we are not seeing the standard of roads that motorists deserve.”
