One in every 50 miles of Notts’ roads in poor condition

The AA said England’s roads are stuck in a rut with motorists facing a ‘plethora of potholes’ on their journeys.

Council-run roads were surveyed in the 12 months to March 2021 and classed as ‘red’ if they should be considered for maintenance.

Figures from the Department for Transport show 2 per cent of A roads in Nottinghamshire were put in this worst category – unchanged from in 2019-20.

And 3 per cent of B and C roads were also in need of work.

A recent AA survey indicated nine out of 10 drivers want the Government to heavily invest in fixing local roads.

Jack Cousens, AA head of roads policy, said: “While the Government claims road conditions are ‘stable’, the harsh reality is they are stuck in a rut.

“Road users don’t have to travel too far from home to see a plethora of potholes, fractured tarmac, worn away surfaces and faded road markings which make driving and cycling uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst.”

The DfT figures suggest the smallest roads in England are in an even worse condition than classified ones, with one in every six miles in the ‘red’ category.

In Nottinghamshire, 25 per cent of unclassified roads were in need of maintenance in 2020-21 – ​up from 23 per cent a year previously.

Surprising

Coun Tom Hollis, Nottinghamshire Council member for Sutton West and transport spokesman for the Independents at County Hall, said: “The only thing that’s surprising about these figures is that one in 50 seems too low.

“The reality is these figures cover Nottinghamshire as a whole.

“Real inequalities continue to exist over the allocation of highway’s spending across Nottinghamshire.

“Areas like Newark and Rushcliffe have received millions more in pavement and road repairs than places like Ashfield and Mansfield. This is because the Conservatives continue to allocate monies via length and not usage of roads. This means that probably one in 20 roads in places like ours need repairing and more like one in 100 need repairing in more affluent parts of the county.

“Fixing our broken roads and pavements is the number one priority for Ashfield Independent councillors.

“Make no mistake, improvements have been promised via the recent highway’s review at County Hall because of the incessant campaigning that we, as Independent Councillors continue to do.

“This includes ending the use of the dreaded ViaFix, changes to the processes that have led to continual botched jobs and continuing to do everything we can to deliver an extra £1 million a year to fix our dodgy roads.”

The council’s cross-party highways review has just published its recommendations for Nottinghamshire’s roads, including using new technology and equipment to improve the quality of repairs, as well as moving from a one-year to a three-year programme of highways investment, so residents have a better idea of when their road may be fixed.

Coun Neil Clarke, council transport and environment committee chairman, said: “At the recent elections, on the doorstep, the main issue was road repairs and maintenance.

“We listened.”

He said the panel’s ‘whole stack’ of recommendations had been backed by councillors.

He said: “Our commitment is as strong as ever to improve Nottinghamshire’s roads.”

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