A fifth of people would be prepare to pay an extra 10% in council tax to help cover the cost of road improvements, a new poll has shown.
The survey, conducted by Roadmender Asphalt, found 19% of Brits would pay more council tax in order to help local authorities fix potholes. This would raise a further £2.5bn in England alone.
The study also found 69% of people would rather cycle or drive in to work as opposed to taking public transport due to the COVID-19 risk.
Harry Pearl, CEO of Roadmender Asphalt, said: 'After a decade of austerity, councils have naturally gravitated towards innovation and have helped launch R&D hubs, working with innovative SMEs. Together, SMEs and councils have started to ask why are pothole repairs filled with the same materials made to build roads, when they can fill potholes with materials made specifically for the job, that may prove to be significantly more efficient and cost-effective.
'Experienced by councils up and down the land, the problem with pothole repairs is they are carried out using a process built around materials designed for building roads rather than fixing them. As a result the process is more costly, inefficient and ineffective than it needs to be, rather like playing squash with a tennis racquet. You can do it but it’s far from ideal.'
