The Department for Transport “does not have a good enough understanding of the condition of local roads” – that’s the damning judgement of the National Audit Office (NAO) after its report into the conditions and maintenance of roads across England.
The independent parliamentary body’s investigation has revealed the extent of the government’s disconnect with local councils, with DfT data suggesting that the state of our roads has remained stable over time, despite complaints from motorists and the roadbuilding industry that conditions are worsening.
Such a disconnection from the situation can be linked to the minimal amount of data collection from local authorities. The NAO has found that there is no reporting requirement for classified roads. The government says this is to “minimise administrative burdens”, but this doesn’t allow for the fact that such roads account for 62 per cent of England’s road network. That said, while 70 per cent of councils did submit this data last year, one in five failed to share maintenance data regarding A roads under their jurisdiction.
Read Article