Government launches pothole map
Areas will be graded using a traffic light rating
People across Kent can now see how well their local highway authority is doing at fixing potholes.
An interactive map has been launched by the Government with a red, amber or green traffic light rating system.
The interactive map shows every LHA’s rating, to highlight best practice and drive improved performance from councils.
It comes after the Government backed LHAs with a record multi-year investment to improve the condition of their roads, after years of them calling for long-term certainty.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:
“For too long drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate. I have heard time and again their frustration on footing the bill because they hit a pothole – money they should never have to spend in the first place.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for. Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.
“This Government’s record investment will save drivers money on repairs, make roads safer and help restore pride in our communities.”
The red, amber, green ratings are based on three key areas: the condition of local roads, how much LHAs are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways.
The first of its kind rating system shines a light on where local authorities are excelling and, crucially, where more needs to be done to deliver change people see in their communities.
Those that scored Green were able to demonstrate they are following best practice such as investing in more long-term preventative measures rather than just patching up potholes, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads.
‘Amber’ ranked LHAs showed some of these qualities with room for improvement in individual areas, while those rated ‘red’ are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured by the ratings such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
The announcement comes in the same week the Government unveiled the first Road Safety Strategy in over a decade, to save thousands of lives on the nation's roads by tackling drink driving, improving training for young drivers, and introducing mandatory eye tests for older motorists.
Edmund King, AA president and founding member of the Pothole Partnership, said:
“The top transport demand for 96% of AA members is fixing potholes with increased investment in repairing and upgrading roads.
“We welcome this Government initiative to hold local highways authorities to account which should help to promote the Pothole Partnership objective of more proactive and permanent repairs.”
RAC Head of Policy Simon Williams said:
“These new ratings are a positive move that will help drivers understand how councils are performing when it comes to improving the state of local roads. While there are examples of good road maintenance practice taking place, this isn’t consistent across the country and means drivers have for too long been left with substandard roads.
“We hope this initiative, plus the promise of longer-term funding for councils to allow them to plan and carry out much-needed preventative maintenance, means we’re finally on the way to having smoother, better roads."