Britain’s road works stretch from Lands End to John O’Groats
Britain’s road works currently stretch 834 miles, which is the equivalent of the distance between Lands End to John O’Groats.
New research from Britannia Rescue reveals that there are so many road works on British roads that drivers clock up almost 240 miles avoiding them each year, with drivers saying they now add 43 minutes to their driving time each week on average.
Over a third of the drivers questioned reported that they have seen more road works in their area in the last year, which is backed up by the data obtained by a freedom of information (FOI) request to local authorities. Official figures reveal that there are more than 19,000 separate road works currently underway and as a result, a quarter (24%) of drivers were forced to change their route to avoid these road works.
Despite the increasing number of road works, many drivers believe the state of Britain’s roads is not improving. Over a fifth (22%) think that highway repairs have actually made the quality of the roads worse, with more than half (61%) saying that road quality in general is declining. In fact only 5% of drivers rate the condition of their local roads as ‘very good’.
FOI data revealed that there have been more than two million road works projects started in the UK in the last five years. Councils with some of the most ambitious road maintenance projects for the year include Essex County Council which has 6,000 road works currently underway, East Riding of Yorkshire which has 2,066 outstanding projects and the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council which has 1,815.
Councils with some of the highest number of road works in their area
Council - Number of road works currently underway
Essex County Council 6,000
East Riding of Yorkshire Council 2,066
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council 1,815
Lincolnshire County Council 1,676
Oxford City Council 1,439
London Borough of Hounslow 993
London Borough of Merton 946
Medway Council 733
Shetland Islands 543
London Borough of Wandsworth 446
Drivers feel frustrated that they often have no warning that local road works will be taking place in their area. A quarter (27%) of drivers say they have been caught up in road works where there was no advance notice of the work taking place. Sitting in road works has also led to tensions flaring on the road with one in ten motorists saying they have experienced road rage from a fellow motorist, while stuck in road works.
Peter Horton, Britannia Rescue Managing Director, comments: “With more cars on the road than ever, it is extremely difficult for the authorities to maintain the quality of our roads without impacting drivers. Sitting in traffic with the engine running for long periods of time can cause engine overheating and damage a car. To reduce the impact on your car, make sure it is regularly serviced and that you keep your oil and water topped up and if you are being held in traffic for more than a minute, switch the engine off.”
For more information on Britannia Rescue, visit britanniarescue.com.