Road Conditions A Worry For Scots

The sorry state of Britain’s local roads has been found to be the number one gripe among drivers in the RAC Report on Motoring 2015.

One in 10 motorists (10%) said the condition of local roads was their top concern, while a further 20% listed the issue as one of their top four concerns. Half (50%) of the 1,555 motorists surveyed for the report believe the condition of roads in their area has deteriorated in the past 12 months with just 10% claiming it has improved; the remainder reporting no change.

Road conditions are a particularly big worry in Scotland and the South West of England, where one in five (19%) motorists say this is their top concern. Londoners, however, are more positive: only 30% of motorists in the capital say their roads have deteriorated since 2014. This is half the rate (59%) reported among drivers who live in villages or rural areas.

Given the level of concern about the condition of local roads, it comes as little surprise that there is widespread support among drivers for government investment in their repair and upkeep. This year’s RAC Report on Motoring found maintenance of local roads to be the number one priority for transport spending with three in every 10 motorists (30%) saying that’s where money needs to be used, while a further 48% cite this as a top five priority. Targeted improvements to local roads, such as those designed to improve safety or reduce bottlenecks, are the number two spending priority (12% of drivers) with a further 54% saying this is one of their top five priorities.

The survey also showed the idea of adopting Scotland's updated drink driving laws is popular in the rest of the UK with 56% of those asked supporting it.