I am one among many who have suffered financial losses due to poorly maintained roads. Over the past 12 months, I've had to spend £500 on repairing damages caused solely by road defects. This is a significant amount that could have been saved if our highway authorities were more accountable and transparent about their handling of reported road defects.

This petition calls for a law making it compulsory for all highway authorities to maintain public and accessible records of reported road defects. These records should include the location, date and time of initial report, number of reports, risk assessment results, details about appropriate signage and speed limit adjustments, dates of the last two inspections, and projected repair timescales.

According to a report from the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), one in five local roads in England and Wales is in poor condition due to underfunding (source: AIA Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey). The lack of transparency regarding how these issues are addressed only exacerbates this problem.

By mandating public record keeping for all reported road defects, we can ensure greater accountability from our highway authorities. It will also allow us as citizens to better understand how our concerns are being addressed and what measures are being taken towards safer roads.

The effects of this action would ensure that:-

1/ Actions result nationally, not just words and forgotten projects for some more than others.

2/ Reports are seen as acknowledged and recorded visibly for all.

3/ Repairs are graded and actioned in a timely manner.

4/ Where injury or damage are incurred by recorded issues this supports claims and legal action where necessary.

5/ Highway maintenance and costs will be more easily monitored and focussed, authorities will be more accountable for funding versus spend.

6/ Safer highways for all users.

Please sign this petition today if you believe in greater transparency from our highway authorities when it comes to managing reported road defects.