Government Pledges Cash To Fix Potholes and Maintain Motorways

England's busiest motorways and country roads are set to benefit from a huge injection of funds, with £28.8bn due to be spent maintaining motorways and £420m set aside for repairing potholes.

A National Road Fund has been established in order to raise the necessary money, which will be predominantly generated by an increase in road tax. Active between 2020 and 2025, it will be the first time that Vehicle Excise Duty has been ring-fenced solely to pay for road repairs.

It is believed that £25.3bn will be given to Highways England for use in renovating motorways, with a further 3.5bn allocated to well-used, council operated, local routes. The fund will see the budget of Highways England increase by 40 per cent, a dramatic increase in the £17.6bn that has been invested throughout the previous five-year period.

While the focus on England's road network appears to be a welcome move from the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, many groups believe that the amount promised for secondary roads in particular is not nearly enough.

Anti-pothole campaigners have likened the amount set aside for pothole repairs as 'peeing in the sea', and have suggested that at least £8bn, 19 times as much, is actually needed to successfully tackle the problem. Investment in these minor roads has fallen by 40 per cent since 2009, despite the fact that they represent 88 per cent of the country's overall road network.

Such limited funding is especially frustrating to campaigners in light of the danger that potholes represent. According to The Department for Transport, least 390 cyclists have been killed or seriously injured due to potholes since 2007.

Cycling UK, the charity which released the 'Fill That Hole' app for users to easily report potholes in their area, made a freedom of information request to discover that the average compensation claim for a cyclist affected by pothole-related injuries was £11k, a much larger figure than the £841 that motorists received.

This average compensation amount shows just how dangerous potholes can be, especially for cyclists, and there is no question that any repairs will be welcomed by road users.

If you have been injured as the result of a pothole, either whilst in a car or riding a bicycle, then get in touch with Winns today. Our team is ready to talk to you and get your claim underway, so call or use our LiveChat tool today.

Share this article