Better UK road surfaces could save £5.5bn
Fixing potholes and improving UK road surfaces could result in savings of more than £5.5bn, according to a new report published by Citroën.
Its Better Roads Manifesto reports that road defects are responsible for six per cent of Britain’s fatal or serious collisions, with crashes cost society £54.7 bn a year.
Six per cent of £54.7bn is £3.3bn, while the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation believes a five-year strategy would improve roads could save local highways authorities £2.2 bn.
It is now calling for urgent action around funding and legislation, with a six-step strategy to unlock savings and improve road safety:
- Reform how local highways authorities inspect roads, using AI to cut costs, improve data quality and speed up targeted repairs
- Give local highways authorities greater powers to ensure utility companies properly repair the trenches they dig
- Introduce a five-year plan for road funding by government
- Create a national standard for road repairs
- Use volunteers to increase manpower at no extra cost
- Develop a road-cleaning strategy to remove dangerous surface debris.
Citroën highways consultant, Dave Gaster, said: “British roads are in a historically poor state. Unless we do something now, we continue to store up a raft of issues that will need to be dealt with.
“The findings of this report are deeply concerning, but the suggested remedies are practical logical and, if implemented, will make a profound difference to the roads in this country.”
