The RAC and the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) have called for the Government to introduce mandatory training for councils on how to prevent potholes.
To mark the RSTA's Pothole Prevention Week (8-14 September) this year, the two organisations have urged the Government to help councils understand the benefits of 'low-cost preventative maintenance treatments.
According to the RSTA, many highway authorities are ignoring preventative treatments that can be applied five years after a new road surface is laid, helping prevent water ingress into road surfaces to keep them in better condition for longer.
RAC analysis of Government road condition data appeared to show that half of England’s local highway authorities failed to use any form of preventative maintenance on their A roads in the 2023/24 financial year, with 36% of authorities failing to carry out this work for B, C and unclassified roads.
It stated that the data also illustrates a ‘huge decline’ in the percentage of the overall road network receiving preventative treatments.
Figures from the Road Emulsion Association (REA) suggest only 34 million square metres of surface dressing was applied in 2023, nearly 50% less than the 64 million square metres applied in 2012.
However, there was a notable 13% increase last year, with 38.5 million square metres of surface dressing applied over the surface treatments season in 2024, according to the REA.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: ‘The ‘reactive only’ maintenance approach, which so many local authorities rely on is particularly expensive, as it means only a small proportion of the road network is actually being treated. This has very clearly contributed to the situation we are in today, with large volumes of potholes and roads in poor condition.
‘The Government has already taken on board our joint calls about preventative maintenance by asking councils to report how much of this work they have done and are planning to do. A logical next step is requiring mandatory training for authorities that have carried out little or no preventative maintenance to fully understand its benefits.'
RSTA chief executive Mike Hansford added: ‘Our joint plea to the roads minister at the start of Pothole Prevention Week is for the Government to mandate training for those local authorities not carrying out any preventative road maintenance.
‘There are some knowledge gaps in the sector that are leading to poor road maintenance decisions that are neither cost-effective or carbon-efficient.’
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