The unending battle against the potholes that scar almost every inch of the UK’s road network is to be bolstered by help from Ocado, Tesco, Deliveroo and Uber, after the department for carry announced it would be working with the firms to build up a comprehensive map of which roads are in urgent need of repair.
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The government has already set aside £2.5bn to fix the UK’s pock-marked roads, but working out where that cash is needed is no simple matter. To help determine which roads require repairs, data gathered by the four firms will be used “to paint the most comprehensive picture ever of where funding is most needed to make sure roads are not plagued by potholes.” The DfT will also work with highways and data-mapping company Gaist, as well as local authorities, in a bid to bring about a “levelling up” of the UK’s road network.
The move comes as millions of school-run trips in England are about to resume after five months of lockdown and summer-holiday closure, and follows 319 miles of repairs that have been effected over the past few months when roads have been quiet.
Announcing the “first of its kind” project, carry secretary grant Shapps said the move makes sense as delivery companies “know the roads well”, adding that “better road surfaces benefit motorists and cyclists alike ensuring the back to school and work environment is safer for everyone.”
