ALARM25: the local roads crisis

Potholes, potholes, potholes. Are we stuck in a never-ending cycle of road repairs? Or is a more fundamental solution required?
As the 30th Annual ALARM Survey reveals, the state of local roads across England and Wales is worse than ever—with a staggering £16.81 billion backlog and over 34,600 miles in poor condition.
Some shocking stats – so I spoke to
David Giles, chair of the
Asphalt Industry Alliance and director of
Continental Bitumen to dig into the key findings of this year’s report and find out what’s stopping progress? Have a listen to the episode
here.
Once again, the ALARM survey begs the question - after 30 years what needs to change if we are to transform the condition of our vital local roads? Despite government pledges to fix millions of potholes each year, the reality is that short-term cash injections aren’t enough to halt the decline.
But with local roads forming 97% of the UK’s network, isn’t it surely time for a long-term, sustainable investment strategy? A strategy that might help shift us from reactive patchwork fixes to a resilient, future-proofed road network.









