In their first budget, the Labour Government pledged to spend £500 million fixing potholes (Image: Getty)
One of the UK’s biggest motoring organisations has urged the Government to make more commitments in a bid to .
Whilst announced a number of measures to support motorists in the first in 14 years, including a £500 million fund to , many drivers think the Government can do more to improve issues drivers are currently facing.
A spokesperson for highlighted that, while the move to reduce potholes across the road network is a step forward, the methods used must be quality to ensure they do not form again.
They explained: “We have welcomed extra funding for maintenance through the delaying of various road investment schemes, but believe it should be ring-fenced and expenditure increased in the early years and used effectively.
“We were pleased with the Chancellor’s commitment to fix 1,000,000 extra potholes each year of this parliament, but stress it is essential that this is done using permanent methods that keep road users safe and offer value for council budgets.”
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Hitting a pothole too quickly can cause damage to tyres, wheels, and suspension parts (Image: Getty)
The Government’s increase of the road repair fund is enough to fix 1,000,000 potholes across the country, which would help to make journeys more comfortable whilst helping drivers avoid subjecting their vehicle to serious damage.
However, a study by the road repair assessment organisation Stan the App found that 7,000 motorists have already discovered more than 1.5 million potholes across 13 percent of the network, estimating that the UK could have as many as 15 million.
In addition, the increased amount of funding to repair potholes on the road was partially created by the axing of a number of road projects, such as the Arundel Bypass in West Sussex and the A358 from Taunton to Southfields.
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The AA recommended that local authorities fix potholes themselves to use the budget more effectively (Image: Getty)
The AA noted that the Government would be able to use their money more wisely by making local authorities conduct repairs, rather than more expensive contractors.
They continued: “We believe that part of the issue is that most UK highway maintenance in undertaken by contractors, rather than self-delivery by local authorities. Many contractors follow a cost-plus model and are not incentivised to introduce innovation, unless pushed to do so by the council client.
“In a cost-plus contract, the contractor will usually provide an estimate of the direct and indirect expenses upfront. Direct expenses include labour, raw materials, and equipment. They don’t factor in innovation and tend to rely on the same technology used for many years which arguably is not fit for purpose.”
In addition, the motoring organisation recommended that collaborations be set up to create a unified force that could effectively improve the overall road network.
They added: “Similarly, The AA would like to see collaborative working within the utilities sector to avoid roads being routinely dug up by different providers. It would be in everyone’s interests for all parties to carry out works at the same time, rather than have the road continuously dug up over an extended period of time.
“This analysis, coupled with the extensive research and campaigning by the AA over the last decade, shows the importance of this Select Committee inquiry and why urgent action is needed to improve the local road network and spend the funds more effectively.”