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Three years of poor winter weather have left the UK’s roads in their worst state for three years, according to motoring organisation AA.
A new AA/Populus poll revealed that 81 per cent of AA members had found road conditions to have deterioriated in the last three years, while 57 per cent said conditions has deteriorated significantly. Almost a quarter said considions had deteriorated slightly.
Respondents positive about the state of the roads were in short supply, with one per cent finding a considerable improvement in road conditions and six finding a slight improvement. A cautious 12 per cent said conditions hadn’t changed in three years.
The findings of the poll mirror those from the CTC, which saw pothole reporting – via www.fillthathole.org.uk – hit record numbers in January.
But the cycle trade is fighting the pothole battle with the CTC through sponsorship. Specialized is the first company to get involved with the initiative.
AA president Edmund King said: "We have to keep up the battle against this blight which damages cars and risks road safety, especially for those on two wheels.
"An emergency pothole fund is urgently needed to help cash-strapped local authorities to patch up the roads. However a more coherent maintenance strategy and long term increased funding is required to stop the rot."
The AA/Populus poll in full:
Respondents were asked to think of the area they live in, and say whether they believed the condition of local roads in terms of surface and pot-holes has improved, deteriorated or stayed the same over the last three years.
(Ordered ‘best’ to ‘worst’ by percentage saying that road conditions have deteriorated)
London – 74 per cent (including 51 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
South West – 74 per cent (47 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
South – 75 per cent (48 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
N. Ireland – 76 per cent (49 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
East Midlands – 77 per cent (50 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
East Anglia – 78 per cent (49 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
West Midlands – 80 per cent (56 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
Wales – 83 per cent (59 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
North East – 86 per cent (66 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
North West – 86 per cent (65 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
Yorkshire and Humberside – 88 per cent (68 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
Scotland – 92 per cent (79 per cent saying deteriorated considerably)
