Potholes most widespread motoring concern in UK, RAC survey suggests

An RAC poll of 3,068 drivers indicated that 38 per cent are agitated by the condition and maintenance of local roads.

This is up from 33 per cent in 2019 and is ahead of other issues such as motorists using handheld phones (32 per cent), the standard of other people’s driving (27 per cent), and the aggressive behaviour of other road users (26 per cent).

The Government has responded by saying that more than 319 miles of road resurfacing took place during lockdown earlier this year.

Meanwhile, a £2.5m road improvement scheme began across the East Riding, aimed at helping to prevent potholes, started in May.

Over five months, highways crews were due to upgrade road surfaces at 63 locations, with around 13,000 tonnes of

stone chippings laid on 67 miles of road.

Potholes are the number one complaint in relation to the state of local roads, but other issues include visibility of signs, roadside litter and maintenance of verges and foliage. More than half of those surveyed believe local roads are worse than 12 months ago, compared with 49 per cent who said this in 2019.

Only six per cent of drivers think conditions have improved.

Motorists based in rural areas are more likely to say local roads have worsened (59 per cent).

Separate RAC data shows it received 1,871 call-outs for pothole-related vehicle damage between July and October, which is the highest number for those three months since 2015.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said the figures are “a big concern” as last year’s relatively mild winter was not expected to have led to a further decline in road surface quality.

“Faced with the early stages of the pandemic, local authorities might not have been able to keep up their planned maintenance programmes, possibly due to staffing issues, and local roads suffered as a consequence,” he said.

“This also calls into question just how much progress has actually been made in fixing the 11 million nuisance potholes cited by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in May.

“On the flipside, with less traffic, there was perhaps a far better opportunity for councils to fix the roads than in previous years, so we were pleased to see that several local authorities did just that,” he said.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We know that people want to see potholes repaired and roads improved, which is why we’ve committed £2.5bn for local road repairs as part of the biggest nationwide pothole programme ever announced.

“During lockdown earlier this year, quieter roads enabled local authorities to carry out more highway maintenance works, leading to over 319 miles of resurfacing.”

The Government also said that it is providing £2.5bn over five years between 2020/21 and 2024/25 to help councils improve roads.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in June 2020 a further £100m this year for 29 projects, aimed to providing bridge repairs in Sandwell to boosting the quality of the A15 in the Humber region.