Investment needed in local roads, not empty gestures (Canterbury & Whitstable Liberal Democrats)

Canterbury & Whitstable Liberal Democrats <info@cantlibdem.org.uk>

Investment needed in local roads, not empty gestures

April 6, 2010 9:33 AM

Alistair Darling's announcement in the Budget that he plans to give councils across the country £100 million to fix potholes sounds very generous. In reality, it is more designed to capture headlines than do any real good. To put this figure into context, Kent County Council spent just under £30 million relocating the Highways offices from Canterbury to Ashford.

We are all aware of the dangerous state of many of our roads and pavements. Some of the damage was caused by the bad weather over the winter. Much more, though, was caused by a lack of proper maintenance over a number of years. The current round of pothole filling is only a short term solution.

If we are to make our roads safer for all users - pedestrians, cyclists and drivers - there needs to be a regular programme of maintenance of all roads. This will make the roads more resilient to the impact of future cold weather and mean that the highways budget is not used simply to fill potholes after every winter.