SCOTLAND’S potholed roads are impossible to fix at current levels of council funding, it has been warned.
Local authority traffic experts say the current backlog for repairs alone is now more than £1.6billion and would cost billions more to repair them/ According to the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) the majority of authorities do not have sufficient funds to maintain roads even at their current state.
It comes as Scotland’s roads were revealed to be pockmarked with the highest number of potholes in the UK and have a combined depth of nearly four miles.
Research has revealed that a total of 154,310 potholes were reported to Scottish councils last year - around 16,000 more than the next worst-hit area, the south west of England.
Now roads bosses are warning the problem will only get worse as budgets face further cuts in the future.
The Society warns: “At current (decreasing) levels of funding it is simply not possible to ‘fix’ all of Scotland’s roads that need maintenance.
“Most Roads Authorities have budgets which are lower than that required to maintain roads at the current state - which includes roads which are in need of maintenance.
“The Society has not calculated what resources/time would be required to carry out the work to remove the headline backlog”.
Scottish motorists are currently reporting around 423 cavities each day, three times more than counterparts in London.
The figures, collected by insurance firm Confused.com, come as estimates suggest it will cost £2.25 billion to bring Scotland’s roads up to scratch and with councils continuing to tighten their belts, that repair bill may rise further.
East Renfrewshire Council has already announced plans to cut its road budget by 10 per cent over the next three years to reduce costs by £26 million.
But councils are facing a financial black hole of more than £500m in only two years’ time unless they make major cuts, according to an analysis by the Accounts Commission.
Scottish Labour’s Transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: “Many motorists are already frustrated at the state of Scotland’s roads but they will be absolutely stunned to learn that transport experts have deemed it simply impossible to repair all of the country’s roads at current funding levels. “Scotland’s roads already require £1.6billion worth of works – and with massive funding cuts that figure will only get worse.
“The SNP must stop cutting council budgets and properly fund local authorities so that they can invest effectively in repairing our roads. Further cuts will only make matters worse.”
A Convention of Scottish Local Authorities spokesman said maintaining the roads was “not a simple task” and had to compete with “several other demands on council budgets”.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The local road network is the responsibility of local authorities and it is up to them to allocate resources based on local priorities.
“However, we are working with local government to help to improve the condition of all roads, including supporting them to form regional partnerships to share resources and better manage their road networks. “
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