Labour will fix ‘Pothole Britain’ by creating a £300 million fund to mend six million more potholes -; plus give extra funding for cycling and walking.

Labour today (Tues) pledged to fix the dire state of local roads through a fully costed Pothole Fund, which will see 24 million potholes mended in the next five years.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have neglected local roads since 2010 to such an extent that there is now a massive pothole backlog, with a third of local roads in urgent need of repair.  Unlike the plans from the Tories and Liberal Democrats, Labour’s extra investment will ensure that spending on local roads will increase over the course of the next Parliament and bring an end to the growing pothole crisis.

Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, Michael Dugher, said:

“Under David Cameron, our local roads have been totally neglected and have been allowed to deteriorate to a desperate state of disrepair.  This is costing motorists and is a danger to all road users, including cyclists.

“Hard-pressed road users have quite rightly had enough of having their vehicles and bikes damaged because of Britain’s pothole crisis.

“The Tories and Lib Dems have set out plans that will see spending on our local roads fall over the next Parliament.  Labour has a better plan to fix Pothole Britain -; we will boost spending on local roads over the next five years.  The extra investment, which is fully funded, will mean we’ll be able to fill in six million extra potholes.”?

In addition, Labour will create a new £89 million active travel fund to support new local investment in cycling and walking projects and infrastructure.  

This extra investment will be funded by switching spending within the existing transport budget.

Labour’s Daniel Zeichner said:

“Potholed roads are a nightmare for Cambridge cyclists either who have to swerve to avoid them or risk coming off or damaging their bike if they ride over them, this is an issue regularly raised with me, so I welcome Labour’s commitment to fix Pothole Britain.”

On extra funding for cycling and walking, Michael Dugher said:

“David Cameron and Nick Clegg have failed to deliver on their promises on cycling and walking.

“Labour has a better long-term plan and will go further than the Tories and the Lib Dems by investing an additional £89 million in local active travel projects and infrastructure schemes.  This extra spending, which is fully funded, will help enable more people to cycle and move cycling and walking from the margins to the mainstream -; where it belongs.”?