23 February 2011
Harsh winter weather over three years has clearly taken its toll and Britain's roads have been under attack from frost and thaw which weakens vulnerable sections of road.
According to a new AA/Populus poll* 81% of AA members think the roads have deteriorated in the last three years with 57% of respondents saying conditions had deteriorated significantly and almost a quarter saying conditions had deteriorated slightly.
Only 1% thought conditions had improved considerably and 6% thought they showed slight improvement. 12% of those who responded thought conditions were unchanged.
Edmund King, AA President, said: "We have to keep up the battle against this blight which damages cars and risks road safety, especially for those on two wheels.
"An emergency pothole fund is urgently needed to help cash-strapped local authorities to patch up the roads. However a more coherent maintenance strategy and long term increased funding is required to stop the rot."
The AA/Populus panel was asked:
Thinking of the area you live in, would you say that the condition of local roads in terms of surface and pot-holes has improved, deteriorated or stayed the same over the last three years?
(Ordered 'best' to 'worst' by percentage saying that road conditions have deteriorated)
