THE Echo article on BCP road repairs (1st March) tells us eleven miles of BCP road was resurfaced in the year to March 2022. On its own, this isn't very informative.
There are 780 miles of BCP road which suggests they are expected to survive 70 years between resurfacings at that rate of repair. That is a very very long time without resurfacing.
The data available from the Department of Transport shows the levels of resurfacing across the country stayed roughly constant before 2016 with perhaps 8,000 miles resurfaced per year. Since 2016, annual resurfacing has dropped year-on-year with just 4,100 miles resurfaced in the latest annual figures, an all-time low.
The Echo article did mention the reallocation of HS2 funding now being made available. Apparently this is the biggest-ever boost to road repair funding and we are told enough for 5,000 miles of resurfacing.
What the government spokesperson failed to mention was that this funding is spread out over 10 years. Simple arithmetic shows this 'generosity' will not begin to reverse the rising number of potholed roads awaiting resurfacing.
Dr Martin Rodger
Bloxworth Road,
Parkstone
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