Star comment: Fuel taxes should go on roads
For councils, potholes are like a money pit. They can throw their money into them however much they like without solving the problem because, come the next hard winter, there are more potholes.
Saving money on the pothole budget simply transfers the cost to the poor motorists whose cars go over these gaping wounds in the road and suffer a thunderous crash leading to expensive repairs.
It is hardly surprising that a survey suggests that there has been a big rise in compensation claims against councils. It found that councils paid out more than £5 million in compensation for potholes or other road damage in the financial years of 2012-13 and 2013-14.
The fact that potholes are still going unrepaired will lead some to the conclusion that councils are making a cynical calculation that it is cheaper to pay compensation than to spend money on filling in all those holes.
In this they may well be right as there will be many motorists who suffer damage which is not immediately apparent or who do not claim.
The background is the squeeze on council budgets which forces them to make hard decisions on where tight resources should be spent. Councillors would love to have the cash to bring their highways up to scratch, but they simply do not.
While potholes are uncomfortable and potentially expensive for those with four wheels, for the two-wheeled brigade they present a serious threat to safety.
Cyclists can be pitched off their bike by a pothole. It is not over-dramatic to say poor road surfaces can be a threat to life and limb.
The compensation culture is much derided but here is one area in which punitive levels of compensation would force councils to rethink their economics.
At the same time, we have to be realistic. In Shropshire there are many miles of country lanes and, much as we would like them to be in tip-top condition, the cost would be high in relation to their usage. What motorists should have a right to expect though is that major roads are maintained to a high standard.
After all, they are paying massive amounts through fuel taxes and a whole host of other direct and indirect taxes.
It is not too much to ask that the money should be reinvested into the road network.
