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Motorists unhappy with highways

19 March 2010

Motorists satisfaction on the state of the highways has dropped, as the number of potholes on them increased after the recent wintry weather.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) report noted that public satisfaction with the present condition of roads is currently at 46%, down from 60% seen during last autumn.

In addition, nearly half of those questioned said that they would consider roads to be their first or second priority for more investment, up from 40% in autumn 2009.

Geoff French, vice-president of ICE, said: "We need long-term, preventative road maintenance to properly address existing defects, rather than short-term 'quick fixes'."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We want local authorities to implement a system of regular, well-managed maintenance - not to leave things until they deteriorate to the point that repairs become urgent and more costly."

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