The UK Pothole Problem
Everybody I know has a pothole story. From punctured tyres, cracked alloys to broken suspension, it is a common complaint for the UK motorist.
Potholes have become the bane of our lives, but potholes in the UK have become not only an irritation but dangerous. Deaths have occurred especially in vulnerable road users like cyclists.
According to the RAC report on potholes, the UK has reportedly over 1 million potholes which means per mile of road you can expect to encounter six potholes per mile of road.
Thats a very sorry situation. In my 32 years in business, this is the worst state of the roads that I can remember seeing.
These potholes are not only dangerous but cost businesses time and money.
In a straw poll of our network members, over 10% of them had been affected by potholes in the last week alone.
When you take into consideration the thousands of vehicles that our network runs that’s a lot of vehicles that are off the road because of the poor state of our country’s roads.
What is the impact of potholes? In some cases, it’s led to the withdrawal of motorcycle services around the countryside as people are finding it dangerous to be on the UK’s roads.
In others, it’s damage to vehicles that are holding thousands of consignments causing delays and costing our diamond network members and their clients time and money.
People are left by the side of the road, vulnerable and in dangerous conditions either changing tyres or awaiting recovery. To some road users it can be fatal.
This is an issue that is not just on the A and B roads.
It’s increasingly challenging on motorways as well. Motorways potentially have even more substantial ramifications because the high-speed impact of vehicles going over potholes can cause big accidents.
What is to be done about it?
There has got to be a shift in priority away from paying compensation to people because of pothole damage – statistics suggested in the south-east in 2023 alone over £500,000 was spent on compensation payments.
Use the money to repair the potholes. There must be further budget set aside regionally and nationally.
This must be without further cost implications to the road users. We have been taxed for years for the maintenance of roads.
The £16.3 billion cost that is needed for road repairs needs to come from central as well as local government.
Where do you think in the UK is the worst for potholes and do you have a pothole story? Let us know and we will bring together a survey to try and get this matter raised at a higher level.
