Pothole research reveals MAJOR differences in how municipalities decide when to fix them

Local authorities are taking a startlingly polarized approach to classifying potholes, a new study has revealed.

The RAC and Channel 4s Shipments The program showed that whether or not to repair potholes depends entirely on the municipality’s own criteria. And the benchmark for what constitutes a pothole that needs to be repaired can vary greatly from region to region.

The research found that a third of municipalities only repair potholes when they reach a certain depth, regardless of how wide they are.

This means that many dangerous potholes go unrepaired, posing an ongoing risk to road users – especially those on two wheels.

Of the 206 councils contacted by the motoring group, only 76 (37 per cent) said they were taking a ‘risk-based approach’ when deciding which potholes to fix and how quickly.

However, what this ‘risk-based approach’ entails is anyone’s guess as none of the 76 authorities have provided much information to explain their decision-making.

Incredibly, three in ten municipalities (29 percent) do not list public criteria for pothole repairs.

This varied approach to patching potholes is causing enormous frustration for road users who report potholes to local authorities after sustaining vehicle damage or personal injury while driving or driving through them.

Potholes in the road are often simply made bigger before they are deemed large enough to be repaired based on the elusive criteria.

A report by trade body Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), published in March, put the bill for pothole-related compensation claims at £15.2 million. The AIA estimates the average cost of filling a pothole at £72.26, compared to £66.54 in 2023.

Of the 35 percent of municipalities (71) that say they will only take action against potholes if that is the case they conform to certain barometers – the most common indicated depth is 4 cm (by 54 councils).

But for hapless road users in Warwickshire, Torbay, Thurrock, Nottingham, Torfaen and South Lanarkshire, the potholes must be at least 5cm deep before road crews are sent out to fill the holes.

And if you live in Buckinghamshire, Stockport and Devon, you’ll need a sheet of paper to know whether it’s worth reporting a pothole to the council for repairs.

These three are among the thirteen municipalities that state that a pothole must be 30 cm wide (the length of an A4 format) and 4 cm deep in order to be repaired.

The RAC is concerned that using specific size-based criteria could be a way to ‘kick the bucket’ and avoid patching potholes.

It calls on ‘Whitehall to provide new guidance to councils to ensure consistency when it comes to prioritizing potholes and taking action to fix them’, as reports emerge of councils dodging compensation claims over technical repair issues.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘We are concerned that some councils are refusing compensation claims from drivers who have had their cars damaged by potholes, saying they have already planned repair work, even if that repair is months away.’

Responding to the research, Cllr Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said councils are ‘on the side of all road users’ and want to focus on ‘repaving our roads properly’, including tackling the £16.3 billion backlog of road repairs.

“Many factors influence repair rates, such as road profile, traffic levels and available budgets,” Rodwell said.

‘Councils would much rather focus on preventive repairs, but only greater year-on-year long-term funding security for the maintenance of all parts of our highways will help them achieve this.

“The government should award highway departments five-year funding allocations, similar to national highways, to give them greater certainty in developing resurfacing programs and other improvements to help prevent potholes.”

The study’s findings follow a report from Citroen last month that also found a lack of a standardized national approach to reporting, measuring and repairing potholes.

The French carmaker said this is creating a postcode lottery for road repairs in Britain.

Citroen has filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) with local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, which also revealed that there is no centralized government policy to follow.

Councils in England and Wales are only required under the Highways Act 1980 to carry out repairs in a ‘timely manner’.

In addition to the different breadth and depth criteria that determine repair rates, Citroën revealed that the repair timescales differ greatly: Barnsley Council has two categories of repair timescales, ranging from 24 hours to a month, compared to Warrington Council, which has seven, leaving potholes can remain seated. weigh for up to 40 days until the problem is resolved.

The RAC also found little consistency, with East Riding Council being a shining example of pothole management, using a risk-based approach to repairing road defects. It inspects all reported potholes within 24 hours, fixes the most urgent ones within the same time frame and then clearly sets out how to prioritize fixing the rest.

In stark contrast, it appears that Redcar and Cleveland Council do not have a single page on their website that even refers to potholes, nor the ability for people to report them online.

Citroen’s managing director at the French car company’s UK division, Greg Taylor, expressed similar concerns: ‘The lack of consistency in the way councils report and tackle potholes is allowing even greater numbers of essential road repairs to be missed by the gaps appear, leaving even more roads open. motorists at risk.”

*The War on Britain’s Motorists: Dispatches airs on Channel 4 on Thursday, May 23 at 8pm.