Pothole Road Maintenance Ratings must underpin long term road renewal, says Logistics UK

Responding to the publication today (11 January) of local highway authority Road Maintenance Ratings, Jonathan Walker, Head of Infrastructure and Planning Policy at business group Logistics UK commented:

“The Road Maintenance Ratings announced today are a positive step toward greater transparency and accountability in local highway authorities ensuring roads are in good condition. Potholes cost the UK economy over £14.4 billion¹ a year, largely because of longer journey times as drivers attempt to limit damage to their vehicles, and a well-maintained road network is critical for the UK’s logistics sector and the nation’s economic prosperity.

“However, for logistics operators, the ultimate goal is not simply more pothole repairs, but a decisive shift toward planned, preventative maintenance and investment. Long‑term programmes that resurface and renew roads before they fail are far more cost effective than reactive, short-term maintenance activity that does little to address the underlying deterioration that disrupts supply chains, increases vehicle operating costs, and undermines road safety.”

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk