The ministry of Transport has published it’s annual survery into the Road Conditions of England (2007), and we are bringing you here the top 10 in the best and worst roads.
The results show the percentage of the road network for each local authority responsible, that require further investigation.
The Best;
- Reading 2%
- West berkshire 3%
- Blackburn 4%
- Waltham Forest 5%
- Hampshire 5%
- Calderdale 5%
- Medway 6%
- Kensington & Chelsea 6^
- Sutton 6%
- Wokingham 7%
And the Worst;
- Salford 66%
- Lambeth 50%
- Barnsley 49%
- Windsor & Maidenhead 49%
- Oxfordshire 48%
- Worcestershire 47%
- Leceister 47%
- Luton 46%
- Telford 46%
- Rotherham 46%
One thing that stands out is the vast difference between the best and the worst performing authorities. For example two different London Authorities, both with some of the busiest roads in England, but with hugely varying rates, 6% for Kensington & Chelsea, and 50% for Lambeth.
So, if location isn’t impacting on the state of the roads, maybe it’s the local council’s spending priorities. A review of political control of local authorities shows some very telling results with regard to this.
Of the top 10 local authorities with the best road condition, 5 are in the control of the Conservatives, along with a further 4 with no overall control by any particular party, the last one being in Lib Dem control.
A different political picture is shown for those authorities with the worst condition roads, of the worst 10, 6 are under Labour control, with 2 to each the Conservatives, and no overall control.
When the local councillors are lobbying for our votes there are many things included in the manifestos, lots of local issues, and also, lots of attention given to the national political priorities. However, what this report shows clearly is that the choice of political party in our local government can have huge implications on the spend, and therefore quality of our local road conditions.
We are approaching that time of year when the number of road accidents increase quite dramatically, where potholes appear with overnight frosts, sudden railfalls washing debris and mud all over the roads, and minor issues such as leaves on the road can contribute to accidents.
So next time your local councillor is campaigning for the vote, ask them how high high road repairs are on their list of priorities.