New road surface treatment is not a final solution

Online highway maintenance campaigner, Potholes.co.uk, has welcomed the government’s endorsement of a new road surface preservation treatment, but warns that the scourge of potholes will not suddenly disappear as a result.

The Highways Agency this week agreed to start using an asphalt preservative, designed by road maintenance experts ASI Solutions to work as an anti-ageing product to stop the condition of road surfaces across the UK deteriorating any further.

But Potholes.co.uk spokesperson, Amanda Allen, says this will merely avoid things getting any worse, rather than making things better.

“On roads where damage already exists, a preservative is not going to make any difference,” she explained. “The new product will be great for safeguarding undamaged roads against falling into disrepair, but the government has a 10-year backlog of repairs to catch up on, and the ‘patch and mend’ mentality that currently exists as far as highway maintenance is concerned still needs to be changed.”

This year’s ALARM report on highway maintenance and repair revealed that £33 million was spent on filling 589,000 potholes in the last 12 months. This compares with an estimated bill of £320 million stumped up by the UK’s motorists to repair vehicles damaged by potholes according to research by independent warranty provider, Warranty Direct.