While I welcome this new approach to assessing roads, it would be interesting to see the detail on how the ratings have come about.
The assessment of our road condition as Amber is not new – we have been pressing government for some time now to fund our roads properly, so we can carry out long-term lasting repairs rather than fixing problems as they arise. Our own assessments, fuelled by AI and other new technologies, gives us a detailed picture of the issues on our highways networks.
In our recent Medium Term Financial Strategy we have already pledged to invest an extra £15 million into our roads over the next two years, and our Roadmap sets out the changes we are making to our operations to ensure more money is spent on the ground, making a difference to our residents. However, we are clear that more money is needed if we are to truly improve the condition of our roads.
We disagree with the Best Practice Amber score, as this does not reflect the innovative work going on in Staffordshire. We do far more preventative maintenance than any other council, carrying out preventative treatments on 9% of our A roads. We have also embraced newer technologies like the Pothole Pro and Thermal Road Repairs, and use AI to assess the condition of our roads. Thanks to AI, a complete assessment of our 4,000 miles of roads has been reduced from four years to just one.
What is needed from government isn’t money spent on more assessments; we need proper funding for our highways and structures. This is the only way we can improve their condition and really make a difference to Staffordshire people.”