The numbers don't lie - how Brits rate their pothole plague?

Things aren't looking good.

Pothole in the UK

Photo by: RAC

Angel Sergeev

By: Angel Sergeev

Aug 20, 2024 at 3:28am ET

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In the latest chapter of the United Kingdom's ongoing saga with road maintenance, it appears the battle between cars and craters is far from over. Money Barn asked citizens across Britain to rate just how bad the pothole problem is in their neck of the woods. The results? Well, let’s just say the nation is not exactly in the fast lane to smooth driving.

According to the survey, over 68 per cent of participants have declared the state of their roads as dire, placing their potholes in the ‘bad’ category, which translates to a rating of 7 or above on a scale of 1 to 10. It seems British roads might be more suitable for an off-road rally than a daily commute, with nearly 23 per cent rating the potholes as a solid 8 out of 10 in terms of severity, and 22 per cent dishing out a respectable 7. For the truly unlucky, 13 per cent gave their local roads the full 10 out of 10. That’s not a score anyone wants to be achieving in this game. On the flip side, a rare few (about 6 per cent) claimed to live in pothole-free utopias, rating their roads as 3 or below.

And speaking of repairs – or the lack thereof – the study unveiled that the most common waiting time for a pothole to get fixed in the UK is a leisurely 6 months or more. A whopping 29 per cent of respondents reported this timeline, which is apparently just enough time for drivers to memorise every bump and crevice in the road. Meanwhile, almost 21 per cent said repairs usually take between 3 and 6 months, a timeline only slightly more acceptable for those tired of playing "avoid the pothole" on their daily commute.

From bad to worse:

National Audit Office criticises England's road maintenance efforts

UK faces major pothole crisis: £14 billion needed for repairs

RAC reports 50 per cent more pothole-related breakdowns in Q1

UK's potholes cost drivers £1.48 billion in repairs

For the 11 per cent of respondents whose potholes seem to have achieved permanent residency, no repair seems to be on the horizon. On the other end of the spectrum, a lucky 17 per cent reported that their potholes were patched up within 4 weeks or less, with a speedy 5 per cent boasting repair times of under a week. These roadways must have some serious VIP status.

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Geographically, the speed of pothole repairs varies as much as the British weather. Central England, South West England, and Northern England appear to be the slowest at evicting these asphalt intruders, with over 30 per cent of respondents in these regions claiming that repairs drag on endlessly. Over 10 per cent in these areas reported that potholes are never addressed.

In contrast, drivers in South East England and Wales seem to be cruising a bit easier. In South East England, 23 per cent noted quick fixes (within a week or a month), while 21 per cent of those in Wales echoed similar satisfaction. Scotland presented mixed results, proving that the Great Pothole War is still a hot topic across the UK.

Source: Money Barn

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