127.  There has been a failure, over the lifetime of many Governments, to ensure enough money is spent on properly maintaining our road network. This is remarkable given that roads and pathways form a part of every single journey we make every day. It is the public service that is used most frequently and a service used by everyone. The problems that result from a history of insufficient funding at a central and local government level are now coming home to roost. A staggering 30 per cent of all money provided for maintenance goes on temporary patch and mend solutions. Yet more money is paid out in insurance and damage claims from people killed and injured as a result of poorly maintained roads, paths and street lights. Investment in road maintenance is neither a sexy policy nor a big vote winner and does not have the public profile of rail infrastructure, yet it is essential and should save money in the long-term. We therefore welcome the Government's policy to eliminate the backlog of local road maintenance by 2011.

  128.  The extra funding provided for local roads through the 10-Year Plan has halted the overall decline in the surface condition of local roads. However, the current programme concentrates on the quality of the road surface. If the funding is to deliver more than a 'makeover', the Government must widen its policy to ensure that the roads are safe, well lit and long lasting. Investment in better street lighting could enhance road safety and reduce street crime and the fear of crime. Equally importantly, improving the condition of footpaths and the edges of roads is essential if the Government is to encourage walking and cycling. None has received sufficient attention. The evidence suggests that current funding levels will not clear the backlog. The Department needs to determine the true extent of the requirements and the Treasury must then support it. Such a policy fits wholly within the Treasury's maxim of "invest to save".

  129.  The Government is providing more money to mend the crumbling local street infrastructure. Solving the maintenance backlog is not simply a matter of providing ever greater funds from the public purse. To match this, the Government rightly expects local authorities to improve their performance game. It must, therefore, be prepared to give local authorities extra powers to go with the extra money. Should they fail to deliver, it should have meaningful powers to ensure that the problem is tackled.

  130.   The condition of the road and footpath network has been further worsened by the increasing amount of work carried out by utility companies. The current legislation has yet to ensure that utilities and local authorities work together to minimise disruption. One does not have to travel far to experience this. This appears to be in part the result of a botched implementation of the IT systems needed to manage the legislation. The Department's current thinking is to replace or augment these with yet more systems. We strongly suggest that it concentrates on making the existing systems work before embarking on a further round of costly and disruptive legislation. However, some of the local authorities' existing powers should be strengthened to manage the work of the utilities.

  131.  The latest solution proposed by the Department to solve congestion problems in cities is the establishment of 'Congestion Tsars' or 'Traffic Managers'. The idea is to bring together all of the other elements that can combine to cause delays in a city including road maintenance, traffic signal control, accidents and parking. The potential complexity of such a role is staggering. We are not sure where the expertise exists to manage all of these and the Government has yet to demonstrate the practical benefits that would be achieved by combining all of these roles. The idea of tasking someone with the job of keeping traffic moving may sound politically appealing but it runs the risk of compromising safety and environmental objectives and ignoring the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and indeed, the needs of utility customers - every driver also falls into at least one of these categories.