UK's pothole problem worsening

The UK’s pothole problem is worsening across its road network.
By MJ Woof February 28, 2020 Read time: 1 min
The UK’s pothole problem looks set to worsen – image © courtesy of Mike Woof

An insurance firm has highlighted the serious pothole problem facing the UK’s road network due to underinvestment. Zurich UK predicts that the number of potholes across the UK network could jump from 580,636 to more than 650,000 by 2030. The firm derived this prediction on research focussing on the UK’s road condition and the limited spending on improvements.

Zurich UK utilised data compiled by economics consultancy Cebr as the basis for its report. There is a lack of spending by the UK Government on road repairs and for the capital, London, this could result in the number of potholes topping 23,000.

According to Zurich UK, a better approach to risk management is required to target problem areas. This is in spite of plans by the UK Government to spend up to €10.23 billion on road improvements by 2030.

Maintenance

Related Content

  • Driving recycling, unlocking the value of UK roads
    May 16, 2016
    Concerned about the risk of material failure, many local authorities and network operators have been reluctant to incorporate high recycled content asphalt into the surface course of UK roads. David Smith, development director at FM Conway, explained why asphalt recycling is crucial to maximising the value of Britain’s largely untapped road asset.
    Read More
  • ACE/AECOM report: private sector and user-pay for English roads
    May 14, 2018
    It’s one minute to midnight for funding England’s roads, according to a timely new report, and the clock’s big hand is pointing to some form of user-pay solution, reports David Arminas Is there any way out of future user-pay funding for England’s highway infrastructure? The answer is a resounding ‘no’, according to the recently published report: Funding Roads for the Future. The brief 25-page document by the London-based Association for Consultancy and Engineering, ACE**, sums up the state of England’s ro
    Read More
  • Work related crashes are a major factor in the EU
    June 20, 2017
    Work-related crashes account for up to 40% of road deaths in Europe. This is the finding of research by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). The findings come as safety gains on Europe’s roads have hit a plateau. According to the ETSC, employers could be essential to tackling road risks and improving safety overall. The report by the ETSC says that employers, national governments and the European Union must boost efforts to tackle the problem of work-related road risk. In 2016, 25,671 lives were lo
    Read More
  • Highways England: new agency with long-term investment strategies
    August 18, 2015
    Highways England, created out of the old Highways Agency, was set up on April 1 to oversee a closer relationship between government client and private contractors. World Highways went to a recent forum in London to hear both sides declare their hopes and challenges. Government reforms are often met with a certain amount of scepticism thanks to years of disillusionment over forgotten ministerial promises. Given that, highway contractors in the UK could have been forgiven if they had raised their eyes skyward
    Read More

Highlighted Content