A plan to improve the way the Council carries out road repairs is set to go before councillors this week. A report on the Roads Services Improvement Plan, which will be considered by the Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday, states that: “the Council needs to maintain a high-quality road network to ensure the safety of road users, to ensure road users can freely travel around our network and to protect the overall appearance of Edinburgh as a city”.
While many Edinburgh motorists will doubtless disagree, the standard of the city’s roads is actually improving. According to the Road Condition Index (RCI), the percentage of roads that should be considered for investment has continued to improve on previous years and is now at 34.8% – but that figure is unlikely to be of much consolation to drivers who have had to meet the ever-increasing repair costs of vehicle suspension damaged by broken road surfaces.
The Council recognises that the Roads Service could and should be performing better, however, and among the measures proposed in the Plan are to create a single road repairs service which will “be responsible for owning the full ‘journey’ from inspection, through design to carrying out the repair/treatment”, rather than various elements being carried out by different section, as is the case currently.
This combined operational arm of Roads Service will look after all elements of the design and maintenance of everything from pothole repairs to a major surface enhancement, allowing “more effective asset investment decisions to be made”.
Another key measure in the proposed plan is to procure a prime contractor to carry out major works on the Council’s behalf, helping reduce delays to projects and securing competitive pricing.
Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “Keeping Edinburgh moving by investing in our roads and pavements is a major priority for the Council. But we need to ensure our Roads Service is properly equipped and structured so that it can successfully perform all its functions, including road repairs and maintenance and winter weather treatment. The draft Roads Services Improvement Plan will go a long way towards helping improve the standards of roads and footways across the Capital.”
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