Tuesday 25 January 2011

Road maintenance spending cuts ahead but Olympian aids calls for more funding, Good Garage Scheme hears.

Last October we reported that billions of pounds were lost by British businesses each year due to inadequate road maintenance as revealed by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA). Councils are this year being forced to cope with further cuts totalling tens of millions of pounds, as revealed by the Local Government Association.

Cllr Peter Box, Chairman of the LGA's Economy and Transport Board said: “Ensuring our roads are kept up to a safe standard for motorists is a priority for councils and we will be working flat out to repair as many potholes as we possibly can.”

The AIA’s latest figures have revealed an average of ten potholes per mile on roads in England and Wales and with this new blow it can only be expected to get worse.

Helen Melhuish of the AIA, said: “If the government provided more funding to help get local roads back into reasonable condition, local authorities would be better able to implement their planned preventative maintenance programmes.”

However, Olympic gold medalist Victoria Pendleton has given her support to calls for drastic improvements. With her fame is the world of cycling, she is supporting a scheme aimed at rewarding councils judged to be the best at pothole repairs.

The 30-year-old cyclist said: “I'm getting involved because anything that showcases pothole repairs and encourages councils to improve their roads has to be a good thing for both cyclists and motorists.”

Her high profile support can only be beneficial for all road users.

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