Roads and Highways Remain The Public's Top Priority For More İnvestment

The Institution of Civil Engineers' quarterly survey monitors attitudes to key public services in the UK such as roads, public transport, water and waste facilities and energy supply to homes. Roads and highways have again topped the list of areas that need investment with over half the UK (55 percent) rating it as their first or second priority, according the latest public service satisfaction survey, published by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

Roads and highways have remained the public’s first or second priority for more investment throughout 2010, following the severe weather of the 2009/10 winter which exacerbated existing road defects and led to a 40 percent increase in the number of pot holes. This caused satisfaction on the state of UK roads and highways to plummet from 60 percent down to 46 percent.

The survey, carried out in December amid the heavy snows which brought transport networks to a standstill, again showed the impact of the severe weather on our roads and highways with public satisfaction falling significantly, from 59 percent in Q3 to 50 percent in Q4, and those who place it as first or second priority for investment rising 6 percent (from 49 percent in Q3 to 55 percent in Q4).

The results follow a 15 percent cut to the Department for Transport’s budget in the October spending review and the subsequent announcement late last year of further cuts to highway maintenance funding, up to 19 percent on average across councils.