The state of the roads in the UK has been a topic of concern and controversy for years. According to a recent report, almost one in five local roads in England and Wales are in poor condition, and there is a maintenance backlog of £20 billion. This is a staggering figure that highlights the massive problem of potholes and poor maintenance in the roads.

However, what is even more concerning is that the government is not doing enough to address the issue. Despite the statistics and images detailing the alarming state of our roads, the Government continues to want to create new roads. Over £11 billion pounds is being spent on building new roads projects up until 2025, when we can’t even maintain the ones we already have.

David Pett of the Stop the Wensum campaign group sums up the situation perfectly when he says, “It offends people's intelligence when notwithstanding Norfolk County Council's knowledge of the appalling state of local roads it continues to bang on about how a £300 million pound road which it cannot afford will help improve travel time. Essentially it is arguing that once on the new road, it will save a few minutes but once you are back on the connecting radial roads, we cannot guarantee your safety. Third world thinking at its very best.”

The situation is so dire that almost one in ten drivers has suffered damage to their vehicle as a result of hitting a pothole. In some cases, these potholes have caused serious accidents, leading to injuries and even fatalities. This is unacceptable and highlights the need for urgent action.

The government needs to invest more in road maintenance, public transport, and active travel. According to research, people are desperately calling for proper road maintenance, with 65% of car and van drivers placing the maintenance of existing roads as more important than building new roads or adding lanes to existing ones. This is a clear indication that the public wants to see action taken to fix the existing problem.

In Wales, the government has decided to halt road building unless the project passes four tests. This approach should be adopted in England as well to prevent more of the public's money from being wasted on new roads that we cannot afford to maintain.

The government needs to take responsibility for the poor state of the roads in the UK and take significant steps to address the problem. It is not enough to throw money down potholes; we need a roads reset to get our roads in a reasonable state. Preventative maintenance is approximately 20 times more cost-effective than patching and filling potholes, and the government needs to invest in this kind of maintenance to ensure the safety of drivers and the public. We need to put an end to the third world thinking and take action to fix the roads in the UK.