Transport -
Britain's Roads
Britain's roads are in a
state of collapse after years of underspending.
Many highways are little more than a patchwork of
potholes and dodgy temporary repairs. Rural lanes
are in an “appalling” condition, with
surfaces in the worst shape for 25 years. And
street lighting is also in a bad state, with no
sign of things improving. Three out of four local
councils are failing to keep roads in good
condition, the powerful Commons transport
committee found. And millions of pounds in
taxpayers’ cash is being paid out every year
to pedestrians hurt on dodgy pavements.
The committee said things are now so bad that a
third of all highways spending is on temporary
repairs. And it warned that the backlog of work
is so long the Government has no chance of
meeting its target to improve roads by 2010.
Labour’s Gwyneth Dunwoody, who chairs the
all-party committee of MPs, said, “Like the
railways, the problems of under-investment are
coming home to roost.” The MPs fear roads
are sliding down the priority list as the
Government focuses on schools and hospitals.
Shadow Transport Secretary Tim Collins said the
report highlighted the “real scandal behind
the neglect and exploitation of motorists”.
He added, “While taxes paid by drivers have
soared by £10billion since Labour came to power,
the state of our roads gets steadily worse. Not
only do we have to endure endless traffic jams,
but it is clear that existing roads are little
more than a collection of potholes.” Mr
Collins also tore into the decision to split the
duties of Transport Secretary Alistair Darling
who now also has responsibility for Scotland.
He said, “Having a part time Cabinet
minister in charge of roads won’t
help.” Lib Dem transport spokesman Don
Foster said our roads were in their worst state
ever. And he asked, “Why is it so much for
us to ask for our roads to be safe?” MPs
blamed the crisis on cash-strapped councils
“raiding” road budgets. Most the of
cash earmarked for building and maintenance is
diverted to other areas. As a result the repairs
backlog has topped £3.75billion, with another
£5.5billion in outstanding bridge maintenance.
The report added: “If the funding is to
deliver more than a ‘makeover’ the
Government must widen its policy to ensure that
roads are safe, well-lit and long lasting. For
their part, local authorities must improve their
performance if the most is to be made of the
extra money. The roads budget must not be used as
a regular slush fund for other local
services.” The committee also said the
crisis was being made worse by the amount of road
works undertaken by firms such as gas and
electricity companies.
Some roads seem to be made up more of patches
than original surface, members said. New laws are
being drawn up to give authorities more powers to
co-ordinate road works and cut delays. But the
MPs called on the Government to make the existing
system work first.
Serious safety concerns about new
road surfaces being laid across the UK have been
uncovered in a BBC investigation. The materials,
stone mastic asphalt, or SMA, are approved by the
Highways Agency for trunk roads and motorways.
File On 4 found the same surfaces are banned in
Ireland on some roads because of fears about poor
grip. The Department for Transport said just
because roads require further investigation,
"it doesn't necessarily mean they are
unsafe". SMA surfacing systems are widely
used because they are said to last a long time,
are quick to lay and give a smooth, quiet ride.
But police crash investigators have become
concerned because, in certain conditions, some do
not offer much grip for up to two years until
they have bedded in. Sergeant Jim Allen said he
experienced grave difficulties when conducting
routine skid tests in optimum conditions on a
Derbyshire road newly laid with SMA. "It was
a sunny day in August. I jumped on the brakes and
the car just kept going and going. Instead of the
scream of tyre on road and a cloud of smoke there
was just a gentle hiss as I passed over the road,
and I skidded far further than I ever expected
to."
Tests carried out by the National Roads
Authorities (NRA) in the Irish Republic raised
questions about the materials' ability to provide
enough friction for tyres at higher speeds. The
NRA has decided to restrict its use to roads with
a 30 mph speed limit, and has taken remedial
action on other roads where they have put it
down. "When we found the skid resistance to
be doubtful we simply had to go and surface dress
all those roads to make them safe again,"
said NRA spokesman Sean Davitt. "Basically,
our attitude towards the material is that we
still have to be fully convinced of its
benefits."
In a statement, the Highways Agency said all new
materials pass a rigorous testing procedure which
includes examination of surface texture for skid
resistance. But File On 4 found that skid
resistance tests were conducted in the wet and on
surfaces that were worn down, but that tests in
dry conditions were overlooked. Significantly,
critics of SMA say that slipperiness can be a
problem on new, dry roads. The programme also
reveals that one in five miles of existing main
road are now potentially dangerous due to low
skid resistance, according to the government's
own most recent maintenance survey.
And the AA Motoring Trust warns that England's
road network is broadly in the worst condition
since records began in the 1970s. Spokesman Paul
Watters says, "I think road surfaces are a
hidden menace to road users and I think perhaps
we don't know the half of it, to be honest with
you. In London it's as many as a third of main
roads that have skid resistance at a level that
needs looking at. Clearly this is an alarm bell.
There could be lives at risk."
In a statement, the Department for Transport
said, "A number of factors would have to
come together to make a road unsafe, including
volumes of traffic, speeds and the nature of the
road itself...Just because roads have reached a
level requiring further investigation, it doesn't
necessarily mean they are unsafe." The
government would not accept that road repairs are
in crisis, saying it was committed to spending
more than £31bn over a 10-year period.
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