Cracks in road budgets
Page 13
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Local-authority road budgets are running L1.2bn in the red, and the average frequency of resurfacing is now estimated at 115 years, as opposed to the recommended 10-20 years. And in the past decade there has been an 85% increase in the number of road users claiming against local authorities for accidents or damage to vehicles caused by poorly maintained roads.
These figures were revealed in a survey of local authorities by the Refined Bitumen Association. Respondents also referred to: "Patching up hiding the real need for reconstructing" and "short
sighted policies storing up problems for the future".
A quarter of road budgets are spent on reactive, rather than preventative maintenance, the survey reveals.
But this fails to hide the cracks: there has been an 81% increase in the number of visual defects reported in the past 10 years.
El Last month, Commercial Motor
highlighted the plight of Lancashire hauliers facing access restrictions because of broken roads, Lancashire County Council has a roads budget of £18m, with a repairs backlog of £83m (CM 12-18 Feb).