Call-outs and breakdowns continue, despite lockdown

Despite the country being in various stages of lockdown for the last few months, RAC patrols still had to go to the rescue of 1,766 drivers whose vehicles had fallen foul of potholes

In the first three months of 2020, RAC patrols rescued some 3,426 motorists whose vehicles may have fallen victim to the UK’s pothole-ridden roads, an increase on the same period of time last year. The start of the coronavirus lockdown – which came into force on 23rd March – however meant there were nine days when far fewer cars were on the country’s roads, so the actual number of pothole-related breakdowns may have been higher under normal conditions.

Data from the RAC Pothole Index shows that this represented a 64 per cent increase of 1,337 compared to October to December 2019 and 150 more than the first quarter 2019 – a rise of 4.5 per cent.

In the first quarter of 2020, breakdowns resulting from damaged shock absorbers, broken springs and distorted wheels that are most likely to be attributable to poor road surfaces made up 1.6 per cent of all the RAC’s call-outs for its individual members. According to the RAC, this was considerably up on the last quarter of 2019 when the figure stood at 0.9 per cent and marginally up on the same period a year ago – 1.5 per cent. Despite the increases, the RAC’s Pothole Index suggests that the overall standard of the roads has improved a little as the Index currently stands at 1.6, down from 2.3 in the same period last year. This does mean however that drivers are still 1.6 times more likely to break down as a result of pothole-related damage than they were back in 2006 when the RAC first started collecting data.

Road maintenance continues to have a high priority with the public and they expect right-first-time maintenance and repair solutions

Nicholas Lyes, RAC head of roads policy, said: “The jump in pothole-related breakdowns from the last three months of the year to the first quarter of the next year is always the largest as winter weather has the greatest effect of all in wearing down our roads. Many parts of the country suffered very wet weather conditions throughout February, though the winter overall was generally mild.

While the wet conditions mercifully gave way to much drier weather as we headed into March, it’s still likely that the storms and floods were major factors in why the number of pothole-related breakdowns was higher than the same period last year.”

During lockdown

Despite the country being in various stages of lockdown from April to the end of June in its fight against the coronavirus, the RAC also reported that its patrols still had to go to the rescue of 1,766 drivers whose vehicles had fallen foul of potholes. While government data shows that overall motor traffic volumes were down by as much 60 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, pothole-related call-outs during this period still made up 1.1 per cent of all breakdowns attended by the RAC.

Lyes said that, whilst on the surface the statistics ‘appear encouraging’ because they make it seem as though the quality of our roads hasn’t worsened, ‘when you consider how few vehicles were on the road, they are a real cause for concern’.

Responding to the second set of statistics, David Renard, the Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, said: “Fixing our roads is a top priority for councils. Despite the pandemic, councils have been working hard to fix potholes and repair road surfaces as well as supporting the increase in cycling infrastructure through temporary road measures.

“Extra government funding has helped but our local roads are deteriorating at a faster rate than can be repaired by councils. It would cost more than £11 billion to clear our current roads repair backlog. With devolved infrastructure and transport budgets and long-term funding, councils can improve our roads and deliver the infrastructure improvements that allow people to move around in less carbon intensive and more sustainable ways.”

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Moving forward

At the start of September, Paul Boss, chief executive of the Road Surface Treatments Association, stressed that the need for a well-trained and competent highways workforce has never been higher as the impact of budgetary cutbacks, maintenance backlogs and extreme weather takes an ever increasing toll on the local road network.

The RSTA says that, against the background of budget restrictions, there are other drivers for a well-trained workforce. Road maintenance continues to have a high priority with the public and they expect rightfirst-time maintenance and repair solutions rather than poorly carried out patch-andmend. In addition, local authorities when forwarding their case for road maintenance funding must demonstrate the competence of their decision makers and workforce. The need for accessible, industry recognised highway engineer and operative training has never been greater.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced in August that an audit into the mapping of potholes in England is being launched

Increasingly, local authorities are turning to industry associations to provide training programmes. Established as an industry sector focus, the RSTA is well placed to provide a training resource. The association has invested in and continues to develop a comprehensive CPD approved training programme specific to the road maintenance sector.

Boss said: “If road maintenance and repair are to be successfully undertaken then the right surface treatments need to be correctly specified and carried out by well-trained and competent decision makers and workforce. That is what ensures quality of work, best practice, improved health and safety, better value and increased efficiency.”

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Pothole mapping project

Towards the end of the summer, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that an audit into the mapping of potholes in England is being launched. Seeking to better target improvements so that roads are in top condition as people return to work and school, the Department for Transport said that it will work with highway data and mapping company Gaist, alongside local highway authorities, to identify ‘pothole hot-spots’.

It is hoped that the department will be able to paint the most comprehensive picture ever of where funding is most needed to make sure roads are not plagued by potholes. This will make roads as safe as possible as more commuters and students undertake journeys in the coming months, forming part of a wider government plan to help cyclists and motorist get back to school and work.

The launch of the review arrived as new data reveals that highway maintenance works undertaken in the past months when roads were quieter during lockdown had led to 319 miles of resurfacing.

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