Government pledges £200m to fix England's roads

Motorists are set to benefit from a £200m cash injection from the government after it vowed to spend money on repairing almost one million potholes and improve general road maintenance.

Ministers say the multi-million pound investment improve the condition of local roads up and down the country and develop new technologies to improve highways resilience and high quality cycle parks. Ahead of the announcement, Transport minister Jesse Norman visited York to see the progress of the innovative pothole spotter trial and a new e-bike, which will be 11th vehicle to have cameras fitted to it as part of the pilot, which is also running in Thurrock and Wiltshire.

Commenting on the funding, Norman said: “People need great roads to get about, do business and see friends and family. We’re investing record amounts at present to improve the condition of our roads, so drivers and cyclists don’t have to dodge potholes to travel safely. We’re also looking at how new innovations can help councils keep their roads in the best condition, saving money and planning their maintenance better.

The £200m announced includes:

• £46m to help repair potholes
• £151m for the local highways maintenance incentive fund
• £500,000 competition for connected technologies 
• £4m for the Cycle Rail scheme 
• An extension to three cycle and walk to work pilot projects

Potholes around the country will be repaired by highway authorities in England, outside London, thanks to £46 million of additional funding, which is on top of the £75m Pothole Action Fund already given to councils this year. The Department for Transport says a new £500,000 competition will also challenge councils to develop pilot projects of new connected technologies for the collection of road condition and pothole data. A further £4m will enable the Cycle Rail Programme to continue to be funded next year. The project pays for cycle parking at stations. The pilot Cycling and Walking to Work Fund will also be extended by six months, with Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Liverpool benefiting from a share of £1.6m.