Last year, potholes damage to vehicles cost an estimated £474,000,000 – and a new Pothole Partnership between road users, JCB and the AA aims to tackle the issue
A new Pothole Partnership of road users and repairers have come together to drive for more effective, permanent repairs.
Figures from the AA for National Pothole Day shows that the AA dealt with 631,852 pothole related incidents in 2023, the highest for five years. As the AA only covers around a third of British drivers, the actual number of potholes could be much higher.
The Pothole Partnership has been formed by the AA, the National Motorcyclists Council, British Cycling, IAM RoadSmart, the British Motorcyclists Federation and manufacturer JCB.
Pushing for permanent pothole provisions
As most new cars now don’t come with a spare tyre as standard, pothole punctures are costing drivers more time and money, warns the AA.
Edmund King, AA President, said: “Last year AA patrols dealt with more than 600,000 pothole-related incidents which on a national scale will have cost drivers almost half a billion pounds. Currently, we often have a vicious circle of: pothole formed; damage caused; pothole patched; pothole reappears with more damage caused – when what we need are more permanent repairs.
“Potholes are the number one concern for 96% of drivers and can be fatal for those on two wheels so hopefully pressure from the Pothole Partnership will lead to permanent repairs.”
The Pothole Partnership’s Pledge includes:
- Permanent: Local authorities to limit the practice of temporary pothole repairs or patches and, where possible, every pothole or patch to be repaired permanently
- Precise: All local authorities / contractors to adhere to UK-wide repair and inspection standards, and report annually on the repairs undertaken
- Price: Government to demonstrate greater urgency by accelerating and increasing spending of the £8.3bn pothole funding for England in the first three years – with total clarity on the distribution to local authorities
- Provision: Central and local government to guarantee ringfencing of ALL road maintenance funding to help deliver innovations that enable permanent repairs
- Progress: Full transparency from local authorities on their roads repair backlog, categorised by potholes, patching works and road resurfacing
Precision pothole solutions will be needed, such as durable ironwork
However, while funding has been allocated to address these issues, civil engineering expert Dave Sanders from specialist supplier Wrekin Products has warned that there is no quick fix solution.
Dave said: “Unless there is a real push for long term pothole repair solutions instead of quick fixes, then we will not be able to solve the pothole crisis – no matter how much budget is allocated. We’re seeing a growing number of local authorities unhappy with the approach of patch repairing already subpar pothole repair works, but this is happening far too often.
“More guidance surrounding how potholes are formed and the innovative solutions available will allow more local authorities to address the root causes properly.
“Other underlying causes of potholes include road ironwork failures and this needs to be addressed. Potholes will form when weaknesses exist in the road surface, potentially from surfacing joints, remedial works, or the use of poor-quality materials. Fitting a piece of ironwork in a road can create a potential weakness, as well as the cuts in the road needed to remove ironwork. Replacement or repair of ironwork also poses an increased risk.
“Selecting robust systems with the correct, appropriate materials can reduce the potential for surface weakness. Durable ironwork that is sympathetic to its bedding materials and surrounding environment is key to preventing potholes.”
