Fuel duty repair for potholes?

If you’ve ever driven down a road that’s pitted with potholes – and surely you have – then you will know that it’s annoying.

It can also operate out costly. Professionals reckon potholes are to blame for up to 1 in 10 mechanical failures, costing motorists an estimated £730 million a year.

Bright idea

So how’s this for an notion? The Regional Government Association (LGA), which represents much more than 370 councils in England and Wales, is calling on the government to invest some of the billions it collects in fuel duty back into road maintenance.

Fuel duty

Fuel duty is currently 57.95p a litre and swells the Treasury’s coffers by a whopping £33 billion a year.

There’s no require to increase fuel duty below the LGA’s program. It just desires the government to invest just 2p a litre of duty on road maintenance – around £1 billion a year – which it calculates would render our roads pothole-cost-free by 2025

Road functions

“Our roads are in such disrepair that it will now take a lot more than a decade and £12 billion to bring them up to scratch.”

Cllr Peter Box, chair of the LGA’s Economy and Transport Board, does not mince his words: “Our roads are in such disrepair that it will now take a lot more than a decade and £12 billion to bring them up to scratch. Tackling this ever-increasing national repair bill should be a priority and the Government can do this by injecting an additional £1 billion a year into road maintenance – funded by investing 2p a litre from current fuel duty.

“Motorists spend billions to the Treasury every single year in fuel duty when they fill up their auto at the pumps only to then have to drive on roads that are decaying after decades of underfunding. They deserve roads fit for the 21st century.”

Poor circumstances

Our roads are definitely in a sorry state: virtually 20% of roads in England are classed as in ‘poor’ situation. So perhaps the LGA is onto one thing.

It may well also win the assistance of motorists. A current survey by the RAC identified that 85% of drivers want more funds to be spent on enhancing neighborhood roads.

And let’s not forget that the circumstance is only going to get worse as much more of us jump in the vehicle. The government’s own projections recommend a 40% enhance in nearby visitors by 2040.

Repair backlog

It’s effortless to blame local councils for the pothole issue, but they currently fix about 2 million potholes a year.

But there’s the query of regardless of whether potholes are getting patched or appropriately repaired – and whether or not entirely stretches of road are being brought up to the required common provided contemporary targeted traffic loads.

There’s also the problem of funding. Road upkeep is underfunded by about 55% or £1 billion a year and there is now a £12 billion backlog of road repairs.

So you can realize why councils are struggling to maintain up, especially following the recent harsh winters and year-round wet weather that plays havoc with our roads.

Compensation claims

If all this weren’t poor sufficient, local councils fork out millions in compensation claims due to poor roads – £31 million at the last count in 2103, a 50% improve on 2011.

In other words, councils have to pay compensation claims since they can not spend to repair the potholes.

Is that as ludicrous as it sounds? There must be a far better way to spend taxpayers’ cash.

Rapid fix

The Government not too long ago gave councils a share of a £168 million fund to fix potholes. The Department for Transport also offered an extra £103.5 million to flood-affected councils for road repairs in March.

But it’s hardly enough – and only pays for a swift repair rather than a longer-term answer to our crumbling road ne2rk.

Something clearly has to be completed as it’s not only motorists that finish up in a hole – it’s taxpayers’ income, as well.

Fuel duty repair for potholes?