Nearly 2000 Pothole Breakdowns In Final Quarter Of 2022

Potholes are a common problem on UK roads. But while they are common, they also cause significant damage to vehicles, including taxis. Some studies have estimated they cause over £1 billion in damage to vehicles in the UK each year. 

With taxi and private hire drivers on the roads for far longer than most people, they have a far greater chance of incurring damage from potholes.  

This damage can be costly to repair and ultimately results in lost revenue for both drivers and companies as cars are taken off the road. Even minor damage quickly adds up across a fleet.  

This is something no one needs after the dire years the industry has had. 

Is it worse this year? 

According to the RAC, the number of callouts for pothole related damage has rocketed over the last 3 months of 2022. They received an average of 20 call outs a day to breakdowns caused by potholes. A trend that seems to be continuing well into 2023. 

They explained that the cold, wet weather this winter has created the perfect conditions for a pothole epidemic.  

The RAC’s annual Report on Motoring, reveals that over 97% of UK drivers think the conditions of their local roads have deteriorated over the past 12 months. While the story for A-roads and motorways is slightly better, around 80% still felt the road surfaces was in poor condition.  

What is being done? 

Potholes are a serious problem for the taxi trade. Many industry groups have lobbied UK Government and their local authorities to commit to more road repairs.  

In the 2020 budget, the Government promised £2.5 billion pounds over the next 5 years for road surface repairs. This works out at £50 million each year, which, despite being a large amount of money, doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of what is needed to provide adequate repairs.  

In the Asphalt Industry Association’s (AIAs) annual report, they found a £12.64 billion backlog of surface repairs need to be carried out. There research estimates that each local authority in England would need a one-off payment of £99.1 million to clear the current backlog of repairs in their area.  

One piece of good news is that the government are looking to introduce new measures which would hold utility companies that damage road surfaces liable.  

A new inspection regime would mean utility companies must leave the road in a good condition when they have completed work. Failure to do so will mean strict fines. This enforcement regime is expected to prevent thousands of potholes across the country. 

JCB to the rescue?

With billions of pounds worth of repairs needed on the UK’s pothole ridden roads, JCB might have the answer. Last month, the iconic British construction firm launched the Pothole Pro, with the line “Cut, Crop and Clean with One Machine – just add tar”. 

The Pothole Pro is reported to only take 8 minutes to repair a pothole, at a cost of only £30! As we all know, traditional pothole repairs can take significantly longer than that, at a much higher cost.  

Stoke-on-Trent City Council were the first local authority to take the plunge on the £180,000 machine, as part of a trial. So far, it seems they have reaped the benefits. A spokesperson for JCB commented on the success of the trial: 

“Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which purchased a Pothole Pro 12 months ago, has seen an incredible transformation in its highways department. The council has now repaired a staggering 7.4 years’ worth of defects in just 12 months with the machine and has seen their cost-per-defect significantly reduce, all while focussing on permanent repairs.” 

It certainly seems to be the biggest advancement in road repair tools for many years. Feedback so far is that the 3-in-1 machine “has been a revolution within the highways sector.” Hopefully, if the Pothole Pro has a good take up across UK local authorities, we can all start seeing our local roads improve.  

Watch the video below to check out the machine in action.