£15m fund to improve local roads across England
£15 million funding package for councils has been announced to tackle traffic signals issues across England.
This new funding announcement builds on the £1.125bn that has already been made available to local authorities for local road maintenance.
The package sees councils across England receive a share of the funding to improve their traffic light systems.
This all comes as part of the Government’s Transport Decarbonisation scheme, with the focus going on:
- cutting congestion
- boosting safety
- reducing journey times and emissions
Comment
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said:
“This vital funding and work will cut journey times for millions of people, reduce emissions and keep the UK at the forefront of technological developments in roads maintenance”.
Research
A study by IAM RoadSmart in February this year found that 90% drivers said they were affected by potholes last year.
Out of those 2000 surveyed, 31% said they have changed their route to work to avoid pothole-ridden roads.
Meanwhile, a study from Go-Compare found it takes Councils an average of almost 3 weeks to repair a standard pothole.
New Technology
The Government has also stated they are exploring new technology to find and fix potholes.
This includes technology such as drones and 3D printing to map areas that need improving.
A new initiative called the Digital Intelligence Brokerage (DIB) launched in tandem.
It aims to encourage more work with small and medium enterprises outside of the transport sector to use their expertise in finding innovative ways to improve traffic conditions.
This includes the use of bio-bitumen materials to create environmentally friendly road surfaces.
Councils will use the extra funding to:
- repair and improve existing traffic signals
- preparing for future technological advances
TfL (Transport for London) has already announced its RoadLab, which looks at using AI and Simulation technology to help monitor congestion in the capital.
How can we help?
If potholes are an issue for your fleet, you can offset some of the costs with the financial benefits gained from using our fuel cards.
To find out how they could benefit your fleet go to https://www.cambriancards.com/fuel-cards/
£15m fund to improve local roads across England
