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RAC responds to Government announcement on extra £100m for the pothole fund
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “The announcement of extra funding is welcome and will provide a boost to local highways authorities so they can fix some of our crumbling roads following the cold end to winter. Data suggests RAC patrols were attending over 200 pothole related breakdowns a day in the week following the early March cold snap. Some of the problems our patrols encountered included broken suspension springs, damaged shock absorbers and distorted wheels.
“Whilst extra money is welcome, recent independent analysis suggests there is a backlog of repairs totalling £9bn, so this is still a drop in the ocean when looking at the scale of what is required to fix our local roads. Poor quality road surfaces are not just a nuisance, they result in expensive repairs for drivers and can be fatal to cyclists.”
“The Government should look at producing a long term local roads strategy and a mechanism that can secure direct funding to help clear the backlog and bring local roads up to an adequate state. If the Government were to ring-fence 5p per litre from fuel duty, this would raise sufficient amounts over 5 years to help make our roads fit for purpose.”
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About the RAC
The RAC provides complete peace of mind to 12m UK private and business drivers, whatever their motoring needs. Its services include:
- Breakdown assistance. Its highly-skilled, 1,600-strong branded patrol workforce attends more than two million breakdowns every year, fixing on average four out of five vehicles at the roadside. The RAC’s patrol fleet is one of the most advanced in the UK, and was the first to roll out both an All-Wheels-Up recovery system, allowing the vast majority of vehicles to be recovered from a single patrol van, and EV Boost mobile electric vehicle charging units
- Insurance. The RAC is a top-five car insurance broker having surpassed the 500,000 policies-in-force milestone in 2018. It also offers ‘black box’ telematics policies, as well as home and travel insurance
- Other motoring services. The RAC leads in the development of new solutions for business, fleets, electric vehicles and future car technology. Its additional products and services include a personal loans offering, a used car buying website, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services or up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information. It also has a network of Approved Dealers and Approved Garages which combine the trust of RAC brand with local service and convenience
The RAC also works to support the interests of its members and UK drivers on the most important motoring issues which it identifies via the annual RAC Report on Motoring and the RAC Opinion Panel. The Report on Motoring is the longest running analysis of driver opinion in the UK having been published every year since 1989.
For more information about the RAC, visit the RAC website.
