Closed petition Introduce a new system to ensure that roads are maintained to a safe standard.

Closed on 19 October 2018

Despite a legal requirement for roads to be maintained to a safe standard, highway authorities have been allowed to put lives at risk by letting many roads become unsafe. Urgent action is needed now to remedy this and a new system needed to prevent this from happening in the future.

Legislation and guidance on road maintenance lie with the Highways Act 1980 and the Well-Maintained Highways: Code of Practice, respectively. Both these require that roads should be maintained in a safe condition but this is clearly not happening. Individuals can go through the process of suing for damage or injury but this has proved inadequate in preventing roads being allowed to deteriorate into a dangerous state. There is a clear lack of accountability and an absence of desire on behalf of the government to implement the requirements of existing legislation and guidance. A new system is therefore required to ensure that safe standards are set and that these standards are met.