More than a quarter of London’s roads are in ‘poor condition’ – meaning they have less than five years’ life remaining – according to a new report.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) commissions an annual survey of highways departments in all local authorities in England and Wales to build a picture of the general condition of local roads.
The 2019 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, published on 26 March, shows that 26% of the Capital’s roads are in poor condition – above the national average of 21%.
The survey also suggests that the condition of London’s roads is worsening – with 10% more now ranked poor than in 2017 (16%).
Meanwhile, the number of roads rated good by the report – meaning they have 15 years’ or more life remaining – has also fallen this year, down 6% to 45%.
As a result, the ‘one-time catch-up cost’ to get roads in London back into reasonable condition – per authority – is estimated to be £31.9m, more than double the £14.6m stated in last year’s report.
However, the report highlights that funding for highway maintenance in the Capital has risen for a second consecutive year.
Local authorities have an average budget of £10.6m in 2019 – compared to £9.2m last year.
This includes funding for bridge maintenance and structural work, cyclical maintenance (such as sweeping, grass cutting, checking traffic signals and replacing street furniture) and maintaining street lighting.
68% of this funding is provided by local authorities, while the remaining 32% comes from central government.
29 March 2019