Rigid rules on pothole funding threatens cyclists’ lives and the green recovery
06/01/2021
Cycling has exploded in popularity during the pandemic as heightened anxiety over public transport, and an increased focus on exercise has seen millions of Brits take to two wheels.
In the UK, sales of bikes, including components and servicing, grew by 45%i in 2020, compared with the year before, according to the Bicycle Association. This has been closely followed by the rise in e-scooters, with trials running in 40 towns and cities across England.
The challenge now confronting the government is how to avoid a rise in related injuries as an unintended consequence of the biking boom when large parts of the road network are unfit for cyclists and current road funding policies favour motorists.
While poor road surfaces affect every road user, cyclists and e-scooter riders face disproportionate risks. For motorists, potholes might result in an expensive trip to the garage, but for those on two wheels, they can end in a life changing injury or even death. Accidents also have a knock-on impact on local government budgets – through injury claims or a need for ongoing social care - while posing a threat to vital sustainable initiatives.
Analysis of Department for Transport figures by Cycling UK showed that 368ii cyclists were badly injured in crashes caused by poor road surfaces between 2007 and 2016. More recently, the organisation found pothole compensation claims are costing councils 25iii times more in pay outs for cyclists than for motorists. In 2020, Local Government insurer, Zurich Municipal, alone received more than 2,800iv highway claims for injuries sustained on roads and pavements. Despite seeing claims drop off early in 2020, the insurer saw a worrying reversal through summer and into the end of the year, which it suggests could be down to changing road usage.
Potholes and pothole repairs are, of course, the symptoms of an underfunded network. In 2020/21, there was a 15%v increase in highway maintenance budgets – partly due to the Government's £2.5billion Pothole Fund. This money is welcome; however, road usage has changed dramatically since, with the pandemic accelerating local authorities’ sustainable transport strategies.
In this new world, hard-pressed councils are hindered by the way the government allocates pothole funding with Whitehall using a formula to assign their share of the pothole fund based on their roads and other infrastructure. Whilst 82.41% weighting is given to roads, 15.4% to bridges and 2% to lighting columns, there is no such weighting for cycleways and footways[i].
Consequently, cash-strapped town halls are forced to pay out of their own pocket for the upkeep of the country’s vital network of cycleways.
This approach not only puts cyclists at risk but is distinctly at odds with the government’s ambitions for a green recovery. Encouraging the use of environmentally friendly transport – from bikes to e-scooters - is critical to reducing harmful carbon emissions and slashing pollution.
With approaches to urban travel changing - as people search out alternative options and local authorities seek to make transformative improvements to local infrastructure - the government must reassess its allocation of transport spending to give councils more autonomy over where to allocate repair funding, and enable them to prioritise active travel routes.
By fixing Britain’s pothole problem, and reforming where the funding goes, the government can seize the opportunity to deliver safer roads and a more sustainable future.
If Ministers are serious about a green recovery, and protecting lives, local councils must be given the discretion to allocate repair cash where it is needed most.
Sources:
ii https://www.cyclinguk.org/press-release/390-cyclists-killed-or-seriously-injured-2007-due-potholes
iv Zurich Municipal received 2,863 local authority Highway claims for injuries sustained on pavements and roadways
v https://www.asphaltuk.org/press_releases/
