Resources
APPG Reports
Working for better roads: A call for the re-instatement of targeted and accountable support for local road maintenance | September 2023 (revised November 2023)
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Better Roads has issued a report calling for central government to re-instate sustained and targeted local road maintenance funding. The report draws on a review of the Pothole Action Fund (2015/16-2020/21) demonstrating that it was a successful policy which contributed to marked improvements in the overall structural conditions on the local road network – but since its replacement gains made have been lost.
The report proposes that a ‘Better Roads Fund’ is introduced, with longer term funding commitments from central Government, direct budget allocation and full transparency. This would help deliver a sustained improvement in local road conditions and enhanced network resilience. It would also save money over the long term and ensure local roads are able to support the challenges ahead associated with the growth in Electric vehicles (EVs) and decarbonisation.
Warm Mix Asphalt: Reducing carbon emissions and improving efficiencies │ September 2019
All-Party Parliamentary Group report highlighting how the use of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) can reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiencies on highways projects.
APPG published report calling for urgent action to counteract the deterioration of local roads. The APPG considered that “…urgent action is needed to counteract the obvious deterioration of the local roads, that are vital to everyone’s daily existence and which account for more than 95 per cent of the country’s network.”
Industry Reports
Every year the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) commissions an independent survey of local authority highway departments in England (including London) and Wales. The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey provides detailed insight into the funding and conditions of the local road network, based on information provided directly by those responsible for its maintenance.
Now in its 28th year, ALARM 2023 reports that local authority highway teams in England and Wales only received around two-thirds of what they needed to stop our local roads from further deterioration. More than £14 billion is now needed to fix the backlog of carriageway repairs – the equivalent of £68,000 per mile of local road in England and Wales – and would take an average of 11 years to complete.
For previous years ALARM reports, go to: https://www.asphaltuk.org/alarm-survey-previous-reports
RoadFile (published biennially)
RoadFile provides a credible source of information for UK road-related statistics. It offers a useful hub of collated data to highlight the important role the road network plays in keeping communities connected and in supporting the economy.
YouGov reports: The economic impact of local road condition │ October 2010
Research commissioned by the AIA in 2010 which “…analyses the impact of poorly maintained roads on the public and on small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in England and Wales.”
News
Updated road statistics highlight importance of local roads May 15 2023
The latest data on Roadfile, the online hub of road-related statistics delivered by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), highlights that traffic on local roads is returning to pre-pandemic levels faster than on either the strategic road network (SRN) or railways.
RoadFile collates publicly available information for the UK and Europe from sources such as the Department for Transport (DfT) and Eurostat, covering a broad range of topics such as road network, usage, funding, environment and safety. The information is in an easy-to-use format with options to download data to facilitate further analysis. For more, see Roadfile at www.roadusers.org.uk/
No respite for local roads, reports ALARM survey March 21 2023
This year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, published by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) reports that local authority highway teams in England and Wales only received around two-thirds of what they needed to stop our local roads from further deterioration and that more than £14 billion is now needed to fix the backlog of carriageway repairs.
The ALARM survey highlights the scale of the worsening issue faced by highway engineers who have to make difficult choices about keeping local roads open and safe versus improving overall conditions. ALARM 2023 Executive Summary and infographics at a Glance can be viewed at: https://www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/Exec-summary-ALARM-2023.pdf
The full ALARM survey report is available to download at: www.asphaltuk.org
ALARM Survey reports local roads repair backlog tops £12 billion │ 22 March 2022
The backlog of carriageway repairs to fix local roads in England and Wales has reached £12.64 billion, compounded by increased costs caused by rising inflation, reports this year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey.
The ALARM survey, published by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), highlights the scale of the worsening issue faced by highway engineers who have to make difficult choices about keeping local roads open and safe versus improving overall conditions. The Executive Summary and infographics at a Glance can be viewed at: https://www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/ALARM-survey-2022-executive-summary-pages.pdf
The full ALARM survey report is available to download at: www.asphaltuk.org
Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) partners – MPA Asphalt (Mineral Products Association) and Eurobitume UK – in conjunction with National Highways – secured a nomination for a prestigious sustainability award.
More information on the benefits of WMAs can be viewed here.
A short video on WMAs can also be viewed at: https://youtu.be/8K7rG87z8t4
Paving the way for lower carbon roadworks │ 18 August 2021
The Government’s low carbon agenda has moved another step forward with today’s announcement by Highways England to encourage the use of Warm Mix Asphalts (WMAs) as standard on our key routes.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which represents the asphalt industry, welcomes the move which could help cut the CO2 emissions associated with asphalt production by up to 15%*.
* Using WMAs can reduce CO2 emissions associated with asphalt production by around 15% depending on specific product and plant.
Road statistics provide food for thought │ 5 February 2021
Updated road-related statistics are now available to view on RoadFile at: www.roadusers.org.uk.
Covering topics from road network lengths and funding to traffic volume and regional trends, RoadFile is a hub for publicly available data and is delivered by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).
AIA Chair, Rick Green said: “RoadFile is a one-stop resource for some of the latest data from sources such as the DfT and Eurostat. Being able to analyse the data sets alongside allows users to review trends and will provide a great deal of food for thought for those across the highway sector.”
Report highlights benefits of adopting Warm Mix solutions │ 3 September 2019
New skills survey to make highways sector fit for the future │ 30 March 2017
UK Roads Liaison Group publishes updated Code of Practice │ 28 October 2016
Rees Jeffreys Road Fund publishes report on A Major Road Network for England │ 12 October 2016
Links to further resources
For further sources of news from the Group’s supporting organisations go to: