Britain’s roads are in crisis – and no one knows that better than Mark Morrell, aka Mr Pothole. LocalGov reports.
After more than a decade campaigning to get the UK’s crumbling roads repaired, Morrell says it’s time the Government stops chasing vanity projects and starts protecting lives.
‘£17bn. That’s the maintenance backlog across England and Wales,’ he says. ‘Meanwhile, we’re seeing £15bn promised for future transport projects and £10bn for the Lower Thames Crossing. It’s insanity. We’re building flashy new extensions while the house is subsiding.’
The state of our roads is not just frustrating – it’s fatal. Poor maintenance is now costing the economy £14.4bn every year, but worse still, it's costing people their lives.
‘I’ve spoken to victims and families. People have died. Others left with life-changing injuries. All because we refuse to invest in basic, essential maintenance,’ he says.
A commonsense fix ignored
Mark Morrell is not just pointing out problems – he’s offering solutions. Chief among them: a £3bn annual resurfacing programme.
‘That would stop the rot,’ he says. ‘It would spread funding across the country, not just London and the South East, and create thousands of apprenticeships and jobs. This is invest-to-save – pure common sense.’
But common sense, he says, is sorely lacking in Whitehall. ‘Governments love big-ticket, ribbon-cutting projects. But they ignore what’s under their noses – the broken, dangerous roads millions of people use every day. It’s not glamorous, but it’s vital.’
A national emergency hiding in plain sight
Despite years of warnings from local authorities and road user groups, Morrell says the crisis is only getting worse. Temporary repairs don’t last, and councils are being forced to waste money firefighting a problem they can’t afford to solve long-term.
‘The Government talks about levelling up,’ Morrell says. ‘Well, here's a way to do it: give every part of the UK the funding.’
To learn more about solutions to the road maintenance crisis, check out: How to Fix Local Roads: Sustainable Road Maintenance Solutions for Local Government
