The east of England’s road network grew by 106 miles in 2020, the most in Great Britain, according to new figures from the Department for Transport (DfT).
This was followed by the south east at 101 miles, and south west with 83 miles. Scotland, on the other hand, had its road network shrink by 49 miles. London, the only other area to have a drop, with 5 fewer miles over the same time period.
Great Britain now has 247,500 miles of road, a 5,000-mile increase since 2000. However, the pace of new road construction has slowed down from the 80s and 90s when nearly 1,600 miles of road was laid annually.
The majority of England’s road length is rural – 57% of ‘minor’ roads – and this was specially reflected in the east of England region, which was recorded as having the most rural ‘minor’ road network barring the south west.
Just before the pandemic, in early March 2020, Rishi Sunak said Britain will spend an extra 2.5 billion pounds repairing 50 million potholes in roads over the next five years – as part of a plan to boost living standards outside of London.
Responding to the DfT’s findings, Quotezone.co.uk’s founder Greg Wilson comments: “Increased infrastructure is an integral part in our economy. It’s positive to see that it’s been business as usual for road maintenance and construction teams across the country throughout 2020.
“This will be welcome news for both drivers and cyclists alike once lockdown restrictions are lifted and traffic volumes return to normal as damage from potholes accounts for 90% of motor insurance claims*.
“If a vehicle is damaged by a pothole and the driver needs to make a claim, it’s important they gather as much detailed evidence as possible such as date, time and location of the pothole, ideally with a photograph and a written assessment of the damage by a qualified mechanic.”
Recommended by 97% of reviewers, Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products including niche items such as breakdown cover, motorbike insuranceand road bicycle insurance