New traffic level estimated from the Department for Transport (DfT) underlined the need for greater investment to improve the condition of the UK’s road network.
Provisional road traffic estimates for Great Britain for the year ending September 2016 show that traffic levels rose by 1.4% to a new record level that is 1.8% higher than the previous peak in September 2007. It total, there were 320 billion vehicles miles travelled on the road network between September 2015 and September 2016.
“Decades of under investment in road maintenance means that our network, in particular the local road network, is unable to cope with the amount of traffic that uses it. This is confirmed by the unacceptable high levels of deterioration and potholes”, said Howard Robinson, chief executive of the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA). “Over £12 billion is necessary to bring the condition of the local road network up to an acceptable standard. The ongoing severe budgetary pressures on local authorities means that they unable to commit to the necessary investment for programmes of long-term road maintenance.”
He continued: “These traffic figures should be a wake-up call for the Chancellor. His forthcoming Autumn Statement should include real funding investment in road maintenance to ensure that the network is in a fit state to cope with the increased traffic pressures”.