A body representing the transport industry has angrily rebuffed claims by politicians that Heavy Goods Vehicles – and not Government cuts – are to blame for the record levels of pothole repairs required on the UK’s road network.
It is estimated that there is currently a 14-year backlog of repairs, something that the Local Government Association has claimed is the fault of HGV traffic, a claim which has angered the industry body the Freight Transport Association who have labelled it a “cheap attempt” by politicians to dodge responsibility for the issue.
“Freight levels on our roads are still not back to the pre-recession totals of 2006, so the LGA’s assertion that HGVs are solely responsible for the increased number of potholes on Britain’s roads is incorrect.” said Christopher Snelling, the Freight Transport Association’s Head of Policy.
He went further, saying, “It also indicates a clear lack of understanding of the impact of freight vehicles. Larger lorries do not cause increased damage to the road surface – in fact, they have more axles which spread payloads more evenly. When combined with road-friendly twin tyres and road-friendly suspension, this reduces the impact of road usage by lorries. Moving to a greater number of smaller vehicles would not ease the problem, but would simply compound the impact on an already weakened infrastructure”.
“For the LGA to make this sort of statement, instead of discussing the issue with the freight industry, is simply a cheap attempt to make headlines and pass over responsibility for an issue which sits in their remit. The real issue is the need for increased funding from central government to address the potholes problem nationwide. The transportation of essential goods on our roads is crucial to the continued health of the economy, and to claim that lorries are the cause of the potholes across the country is simply not true. We call on government to make a significant investment to ensure that British business can keep moving smoothly, without potholes.”
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