Save £5.5 bn by solving the pothole plague with more AI and tighter utility company controls, Citroën says

• Citroën calls for local highways authorities to make greater use of AI for monitoring road surface quality and targeting repairs
• New Better Roads Manifesto from Citroën appeals for tighter controls on utility company repairs
• Cutting the number of fatal or serious collisions by just 6% would save society £3.3 bn; a new funding approach would cut costs by £2.2 bn
• Citroën’s Better Roads Manifesto includes new six-point plan to improve the long-term health of Britain’s local road network
• FOI data from local highways authorities reveals postcode lottery in defining potholes and wide variations in how quickly they’re fixed
• Citroën is encouraging drivers to use the free STAN pothole reporting app to help councils gather data on our roads
• Exclusive research found that 56% of Britons would accept an increase in Council Tax if the proceeds were spent solely on improving local roads
• Read the full Better Roads Manifesto at citroen.co.uk

Citroën is calling for a greater use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in monitoring and reporting of potholes and tighter controls on utility companies as part of a package of improvements detailed in its new Better Roads Manifesto, launched today.

The comprehensive report by Citroën sets out six key points for Local Highways Authorities and councils to address, to improve the quality of the British Local Road Network (LRN). They include a call for utility companies to be held to greater account to ensure roads are repaired properly after groundworks have taken place.

Citroën believes fixing Britain’s pothole plagued roads could unlock savings of at least £5.5 bn by reducing accidents and improving efficiency.

Road defects are currently responsible for 6% of Britain’s fatal or serious collisions. Crashes cost society £54.7 bn a year; 6% of that is £3.3 bn. And the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) believes reforming funding to introduce a five-year strategy would save local highways authorities £2.2 bn.

The astonishing cost to society of Britain’s broken local roads network is revealed in Citroën’s Better Roads Manifesto, along with calls for changing to funding strategy, legislation around road defects and attitudes.

Citroën’s Better Roads Manifesto has been compiled in conjunction with Dave Gaster, a qualified highways engineer with more than 25 years’ experience working with local government. Citroën conducted exclusive research into British drivers’ attitudes to road defects and used Freedom of Information requests to reveal how the country’s 154 local highways authorities are responding to the pothole crisis.

The report reveals more than a quarter of drivers (28%) have lost control of their car either avoiding a pothole, because of debris from a pothole or a combination of both. The research also shows that British drivers are willing to pay more for improved roads – 56% would pay more council tax, and 49% support an increase in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), if all of the proceeds were spent on roads.

Low-cost or cost-neutral changes suggested by Citroën’s Better Roads Manifesto to improve road data collection, management, reporting and repairs include:

1. Reforming how local highways authorities inspect roads, using AI to cut costs, improve data quality and speed up targeted repairs
2. Giving local highways authorities greater powers to ensure utility companies properly repair the trenches they dig
3. Introducing a five-year plan for road funding by government – this would save local highways authorities money in the long term
4. Creating a national standard for road repairs, ensuring consistency of road quality and enabling local authorities to be measured accurately against one another
5. Using volunteers to increase manpower at no extra cost
6. Developing a road cleaning strategy to remove dangerous surface debris

Greg Taylor, Managing Director, Citroën UK, said “Our roads are a constant source of concern for drivers, which is why there is so much discussion around them for car manufacturers. For decades, Citroën has been making some of the most innovative and comfortable cars on the road – constantly adapting our technology to tackle the challenges of today’s roads and ensure our famous magic carpet ride for every passenger.

“Our latest C5 Aircross features the best of our Advanced Comfort® innovations and offers best in class comfort. However, there is only so much that Citroën can do – that is why we have worked to pull together this manifesto. Simply calling for more funding isn’t realistic, so we are suggesting some simple, cost effective and logical steps that national government, local highways authorities and the general public can get behind to give this country the quality of roads that we all deserve.”

A Freedom of Information request (FOI) submitted by Citroën explored how local highways authorities (LHAs) deal with the potholes they face, from initial reporting to inspections, the time it takes to fix them and the street sweeping that keeps the roads clear of debris. Only a quarter of local authorities sweep all their roads at least once every three months while some don’t sweep their roads at all.

The FOI requests found a variation in the time it takes local authorities to respond to reports of road defects. Some attend and fix potholes within hours. Around one in seven LHAs say it might take up to three months to fix a hole. One local authority, Stoke-On-Trent, said the longest its residents might have to wait to have a hole fixed was 357 days.

Only half (49%) of local authorities geo-locate potholes when inspectors scan the roads for defects. However, 47% do not use geo-location, meaning they have no accurate data about where potholes really form and may be sending teams to repair road defects without pinpointing where the real problems lie. Kingston Upon Thames does not carry out in-person inspections.

Citroën is working with AI-powered road monitoring tool STAN. The app is free to download and simple to use. It scans the road while driving, taking multiple images of defects and problem areas that are then uploaded to a central database that LHAs can purchase access to. This data can then be used to do preventative maintenance, as well as help LHAs understand better where defects are and how to resolve them.

The research also found that there is no consistent definition between LHAs of what constitutes a pothole. Some consider a pothole to be 40mm deep; some think a defect must be 80mm deep; others define a pothole as 75 mm wide, while some believe a hole in the road isn’t a defect that needs repair until it’s 300mm wide.

Citroën Highways Consultant, Dave Gaster, said “British roads are in a historically poor state. Unless we do something now, we continue to store up a raft of issues that will need to be dealt with. The findings of this report are deeply concerning, but the suggested remedies are practical logical and, if implemented, will make a profound difference to the roads in this country.”

The quality of the roads affects everyone, and Citroën is calling on the public to get involved with this campaign. You can do so by reading and sharing the report, or by simply downloading and using the STAN app.

Visit citroen.co.uk to find out more.

You can find out more and download the STAN app here. 

ENDS

Contact:

STEVE FAHEY

Head of Public relations

steven.fahey@stellantis.com

TEL +44(0)7748 704219

About Citroën

Since 1919, Citroën has been creating automobiles, technologies, and mobility solutions to respond to changes in society. A brand of boldness and innovation, Citroën places peace of mind and well-being at the heart of its customer experience, and offers a wide range of models, from the distinctive Ami, an electric mobility object designed for the city, to saloons, SUVs, and commercial vehicles, most of which are available in electric or rechargeable hybrid versions. A pioneer brand in the services and attention paid to its private and professional customers, Citroën is present in 101 countries and has a network of 6,200 points of sale and service throughout the world.