Drivers’ anger with the state of local roads has hit a new high, with more than a third having to swerve to avoid a pothole, a survey of motorists has said.
Nearly half (49%) of those surveyed by the RAC said the condition of local roads was their biggest motoring worry, the highest proportion recorded since the motoring services company started polling drivers in 2015.
Last year, the level was 45% and the year before saw the previous high of 46%.
More than a third (35%) said they have had to swerve quickly to avoid a pothole, causing them to cross lanes or drive on to the wrong side of the road.
Two-thirds of the 2,583 UK drivers questioned in March by Online95, said the condition of the local roads they regularly drive had got worse in the previous 12 months.
Drivers pointed to poor surfaces, faded markings, litter and signage visibility among their concerns.
A little over a tenth (11%) said they were concerned about the state of motorways and high-speed dual carriageways, but nearly half (44%) said their condition had worsened since 2022.
Up to £14bn is estimated to be needed to address the backlog in local road maintenance in England and Wales, according to the Asphalt Industry Alliance.
Potholes often form when water enters cracks in the road surface, then freezes and expands.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams blamed “a long-term lack of funding for maintenance and repair work”.
Some roads, he said, are in such a fragile state that “it only takes a little rainwater getting into existing flaws followed by some sub-zero temperatures for them to break down further”.
He urged ministers “to ring-fence 2p from every litre of existing fuel revenues over a five-year period, which will give councils the funds they need to be able to plan proper maintenance programmes”.
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“We have to bring the ongoing deterioration of our local roads to an end,” he said.
“It is plain wrong that drivers who contribute billions in tax every year have to put up with roads that are so far from being fit for purpose.”
Darren Rodwell, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, called for councils to be given “five-yearly funding allocations to give more certainty, bringing councils on a par with National Highways”.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The decision to redirect HS2 funding to other transport projects means that an extra £8.3bn has been freed up to help local authorities fill potholes and resurface roads across the country, which is on top of the near £1bn the government already provides on average every year.
“We are investing a record amount of funding into tackling potholes and resurfacing roads, which will see highway maintenance funding to local authorities almost doubled over the next decade.”
