DfT data shows condition of some roads deteriorating

The proportion of road that should have been considered for maintenance is largely unchanged from the previous year, although increases have been seen in the past five years for both ‘A’ roads and ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads.

The new data, published by the Department for Transport (DfT), reveals that local authorities reported the proportion of local ‘A’ roads that should have been considered for maintenance to be 4%, unchanged since 2020 when it increased from 3%.

The proportion of ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads that should have been considered for maintenance is 7%, unchanged from a revised 2023 figure of 7% and an increase from the 6% recorded in 2016 to 2022.

Unclassified road that should have been considered for maintenance stands at 17%, unchanged from the previous year, but the DfT says that data for unclassified roads is less robust than for classified roads and can show greater yearly fluctuations.

While the percentage of ‘red’ road has remained at 4% since 2020 for local ‘A’ roads, the percentage of ‘amber’ road has increased. 

Since 2020, the percentage of ‘amber’ road has increased from 24% to 27% and the percentage of ‘green’ road has decreased from 73% to 68%.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “While the percentage of A roads that are deemed to be in the worst ‘red’ condition doesn’t appear to have got any worse, it’s concerning to see that more roads that were in reasonable ‘green’ condition have now deteriorated to ‘amber’ status. 

“Unfortunately, this is also the trend with B and C roads with 3% more of these now being categorised as ‘amber’ which means approximately 1,500 miles of road around the country are now significantly worse than they were.”

Drivers’ surveyed for this year’s RAC Report on Motoring listed the poor state of local roads as their number-one motoring issue of concern. 

“We badly need to end the decline in the condition of our local roads, so we hope the Government’s new approach to highways funding will enable council to plan longer-term maintenance that finally addresses this,” said Dennis. 

“We’re very encouraged to hear the Government talking about the need for preventative maintenance, such as surface dressing, as we know this is key to improving road surface conditions for the future. This way potholes will be prevented from appearing in the first place.”

The data also suggests that skidding risk has almost doubled since 2020, with the number of A roads requiring further investigation for skidding resistance hitting 18%, up from 11%.

Dean Standing, chief customer officer at data consultancy Sagacity, said: “Worsening conditions expose drivers and their vehicles to greater risk. But the data shows an uneven picture. 

“Roads are particularly bad in specific areas, such as Devon and Cornwall, while B and C roads are not maintained as well as A roads.”