Official Statistics

Road conditions in England to March 2024

Published 17 December 2024

Applies to England

About this release

This annual release presents information on the condition of roads in England, covering surface condition, skidding resistance and highway maintenance treatments and expenditure.

Automated survey machines and visual surveys are used by local authorities and National Highways (NH) to monitor the condition of the road surface.

In 2024, 151 of the 152 eligible local authorities in England returned data to DfT on the condition of their roads, 145 of these returns included headline data for ‘A’ road and 129 for ‘B’ and ‘C’ road. This is an increase from 2023, when 119 local authorities had provided valid data for ‘A’ road and 111 for ‘B’ and ‘C’ road. Response rates from 2023 have since increased with local authorities providing retrospective data which has been included in this publication.

These are official statistics. For more information, see the About these statistics section.

Interpretation

When referring to the percentage of road this is as a percentage of total road network length rather than on an individual road by road basis. Road condition monitoring data is measured in 10 metre sections, so for example, a proportion of 5% red indicates that 5% of the 10 metre sections should have been considered for maintenance, rather than 5% of the number of roads.

Data coverage

Data is collected over different time periods (2 to 4 financial years) for different parts of the road network. For improved readability, this publication cites the year at the end of the data collection cycle (for example, ‘2024’) when referring to that period. Further detail of collection periods is covered in the road type sections of this release.

Revision of previous data

The data presented for 2024 in this release is provisional, and data from 2023 is revised. Each year local authorities provide information for the current year and have the opportunity to revise the previous year’s data. Therefore, the latest data is provisional, and the previous year’s data will include revisions and new submissions. In 2024, 11 local authorities revised the percentage of red ‘A’ road for 2023, and 29 local authorities provided the percentage of red ‘A’ road for 2023 for the first time. 20 of the local authorities providing 2023 data for the first time were London boroughs, related to the resumed TfL funding for London ‘A’ road surveys.  

Headline figures

In 2024, the proportion of road that should have been considered for maintenance is largely unchanged from the previous year, although increases have been seen in the last 5 years for both ‘A’ roads and ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads. Local authorities reported the proportion of:

• local ‘A’ road that should have been considered for maintenance to be 4%, unchanged since 2020 when it increased from 3%

• ‘B’ and ‘C’ road that should have been considered for maintenance to be 7%, unchanged from a revised 2023 figure of 7% and an increase from the 6% recorded in 2016 to 2022

• unclassified road that should have been considered for maintenance to be 17%, unchanged from the previous year. Data for unclassified roads is less robust than for classified roads and can show greater yearly fluctuations than other roads

Chart 1: Line chart showing the trend in the percentage of local road that should have been considered  for maintenance (red), in England, by road type, for the years 2008 to 2024 (RDC0120)

While the percentage of ‘red’ road has remained at 4% since 2020 for local ‘A’ roads, the percentage of ‘amber’ road has increased. Since 2020, the percentage of ‘amber’ road has increased from 24% to 27% and the percentage of ‘green’ road has decreased from 73% to 68%.

In 2024, 4.7% of the local ‘A’ road network and 2.5% of the minor road network (‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘U’ roads) received maintenance treatment. The proportion of the network receiving maintenance treatment has been falling over the last 10 years .

User perception

This statistical measure of road condition is designed for road maintenance purposes and may not align precisely with user perception of roads. Whilst road condition surveys are used as a tool to identify road sections that require maintenance treatments, the maintenance of roads is not solely determined by the result of these surveys. Other factors, based on local needs and priorities, will determine where maintenance is carried out to ensure the safety and longevity of the entire road network through a risk-based, highway asset management approach.

Additionally, user perception may be heavily influenced by the condition of the unclassified road network, which makes up the majority of the local road network in England. Due to the size and relatively lower priority (lighter traffic flow and fewer key arterial routes compared to classified roads) of the unclassified road network, a smaller proportion of the network is surveyed annually (recommended coverage at 90% of the network over 4 years) compared to the classified network (required coverage at over 80% of the network over 2 years), and the data is from less comparable data sources. This lower annual coverage and longer survey period, as well as the varied nature of the unclassified network, results in trends in road condition that fluctuate more over time. The data may also not be fully representative of the current condition of the entire unclassified road network, as it could include some older information, and there is likely to have been some changes to road condition between surveying and reporting.

Categorisation of road condition

Definition of road surface condition categories:

Red

Should have been considered for maintenance. Treatment may or may not be required, but the road should be investigated fully.

Amber

Maintenance may be required soon.

Green

No further investigation or work is needed.

Figure 1: Examples of roads categorised as red, amber, and green

Important information about comparing the road condition data across different types of roads

Road surface condition categories are based on multiple parameters collected by Surface Condition Assessment for the National Network of Roads (SCANNER) machines and scored against different definitions for different types of roads. This is so that maintenance is prioritised for roads that have heavier traffic flows and act as key arterial routes. This means that the proportion of red road is not comparable across road classes (‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘U’). For example, an ‘A’ road categorised as red could be in identical condition to a ‘B’ road categorised as amber.

Amber and green percentages for ‘A’ road and ‘B’ and ‘C’ road are provided to us on a voluntary basis. This meant that some local authorities previously provided data on the percentage of red road, but not the proportions of amber and green. Therefore, trends seen in the percentages of amber road and green road could be influenced by the subset of local authorities included each year, and the percentage of red road reported together with amber and green (presented in table RDC0122) may be slightly different from the percentage of red road alone (presented in table RDC0120). For example, in 2022, we received data from  119 local authorities for the percentage of red ‘A’ road alone, compared to data from 104 local authorities for the percentages of red, amber, and green ‘A’ road together. However, in 2024, all local authorities that provided us with valid ‘A’ road data provided the complete set of red, amber and green data.

Road condition surveys used by local authorities

Data on the condition of local roads are collected by local authorities. This is mandated by Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Single Data List requirements, but in recent years fewer local authorities have complied with the full conditions of this mandate which specifies the use of SCANNER surveys

In 2024, 81% of local authorities who submitted valid data used SCANNER surveys on their ‘A’ road network and 68% used it on their ‘B’ and ‘C’ networks. This is a fall from 99% on ‘A’ roads and 98% on ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads in 2018.

Although requirements during the 2024 survey period specified that SCANNER surveys should be carried out by local authorities on their classified road network (Motorways, ‘A’ roads, ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads), other technologies have been used by local authorities. The data in this publication is based on responses from both those local authorities using SCANNER and those who have supplied data from alternative technologies; this means there are some inconsistencies when comparing data from different local authorities.

The new road condition data standard PAS 2161: Road condition monitoring (RCM) data Specification, published in September 2024, will give local authorities the flexibility to choose from a wider range of road condition monitoring technologies, while ensuring that the data remains consistent and robust. More information is available at the end of this document.

Condition of local ‘A’ roads

Local ‘A’ roads and locally managed motorways account for around 10% of the Local Authority managed road network in England and carry approximately 31% of all traffic , as of the 2023 calendar year.

Timing and coverage: Local authorities are required to carry out SCANNER surveys on 90% of their ‘A’ road and motorway over a 2-year period, therefore the data presented for 2024 was collected between April 2022 and March 2024.

Chart 2: A bar chart showing the percentage of local ‘A’ road categorised as red, amber, or green, for the years 2020 to 2024 (RDC0122,  RDC0123)

In 2024, 4% of local ‘A’ road was categorised as red, 27% was categorised as amber, and 68% was categorised as green. Note that, due to rounding, these percentages do not sum to 100. These figures are based on 145 local authorities.

The percentage of local ‘A’ road categorised as red has remained at 4% since 2020. Despite a slight increase from 3% in 2019, the proportion of ‘A’ road categorised as red is still below levels seen in 2008 to 2013.

While the percentage of red ‘A’ road remained at 4%, the percentage of green ‘A’ road has fallen in both of the past two years, and the percentage of amber ‘A’ road has increased. Since 2022, the proportion of green road decreased by 4 percentage points from 72% to 68% in 2024, while amber road increased by 3 percentage points from 24% to 27% in 2024.

Chart 3: A line chart showing the percentage of local ‘A’ road categorised as red, in 2008 to 2024 (RDC0120,  RDC0121)

The proportion of road categorised as red varies across the country, as demonstrated in Chart 4.

Chart 4: A map showing the difference in the percentage of red local ‘A’ road across local authorities in England, for the years 2013 to 2024 (RDC0120, RDC0121, Interactive Map)

Of the 145 local authorities that provided valid data for 2024, 42 local authorities reported their percentage of red ‘A’ road to be no more than 2%, while 7 local authorities reported greater than 9%.

When looking at the proportion of ‘A’ road categorised as red over time:

• 75% of local authorities reported an improvement or no change when comparing 2014 and 2024, where data was available for both time periods

• in the shorter term, 68% of local authorities reported an improvement or no change when comparing 2021 and 2024

Condition of ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads

‘B’ and ‘C’ roads together account for around 29% of all local authority managed roads in England.

Timing and coverage: Local authorities are required to carry out SCANNER surveys on 85% of their ‘B’ road and 80% of their ‘C’ road networks over a 2-year period. The data presented for 2024 will have been collected between April 2022 and March 2024.

Chart 5: A bar chart showing the percentage of local ‘B’ and ‘C’ road that was categorised as red, amber or green, in 2020 to 2024 (RDC0122, RDC0123)

In 2024:

• for ‘B’ and ‘C’ road, 7% was categorised as red

• 31% was amber

• the majority of the road network was green, at 63%

Over the past 3 years, the proportion of road categorised as green has decreased by 3 percentage points from 66% in 2022 to 63% in 2024. The proportion of road categorised as amber and red has increased over the same period. The percentage of amber road increased 3 percentage points from 28% in 2022 to 31% in 2024, whilst the percentage of red road has increased one percentage point from 6% in 2022 to 7% in 2024. Although an increase of one percentage point would be considered a small percentage change, it is equivalent to approximately 500 miles of the ‘B’ and ‘C’ road network.

In addition, as local authority data is often provided to zero decimal places, the national figures are reported  to the same level of accuracy, which can hide small changes in the percentages. For example, to two decimal places, the percentage of red ‘B’ and ‘C’ road was 5.91% in 2022, 6.58% in 2023 and 6.83% in 2024. This shows that there has been a gradual increase in the percentage of red road over time, but it is worth noting that 0.1% of ‘B’ and ‘C’ road accounts for around 50 miles of road.

Chart 6:  A line chart showing the percentage of local ‘B’ and ‘C’ road that was categorised as red, in 2008 to 2024 (RDC0120, RDC0121)

After reaching a peak in 2011 and 2012, where 10% of ‘B’ and ‘C’ road was categorised as red, the proportion fell to 6% in 2016 but has since increased to 7% in 2023 and 2024.

Chart 7: A map showing the difference in the percentage of red local ‘B’ and ‘C’ road across local authorities in England, for the years 2013 to 2024 (RDC0120, RDC0121, Interactive Map)

In 2024, of the 129 local authorities that provided valid data, 21 local authorities reported a percentage of red ‘B’ and ‘C’ road of 2% or less, while 25 local authorities reported greater than 9%.

When looking at the proportion of ‘B’ and ‘C’ road categorised as red over time:

• where data was available for both time periods, 75% of local authorities reported an improvement or no change in the proportion of ‘B’ and ‘C’ road categorised as red when comparing the years 2014 and 2024

• more recently, comparing 2021 to 2024, 48% of local authorities reported an improvement or no change in the proportion of red ‘B’ and ‘C’ road, with just over half of authorities reporting worse condition since 2021

Condition of unclassified roads

‘U’ roads account for around 62% of the Local Authority managed road network.

Timing and coverage:

Local authorities are expected to survey 90% of their unclassified road over a 4-year period, with the data presented for 2024 being collected between April 2020 and March 2024.

Unclassified roads are more likely to see larger changes year on year, likely caused by less comparable data sources, lower expected annual data coverage and less frequent surveys due to the size of the unclassified road network, the variation in road surfaces, and the greater mix of survey types used.

Chart 8: A line chart showing the percentage of unclassified road categorised as red, in 2008 to 2024 (RDC0130, RDC0131)

The proportion of the unclassified road network categorised as red has fluctuated between 15% and 18% since current reporting started in 2008, and currently stands at 17%, unchanged from 2023.

Strategic Road Network

The Strategic Road Network (SRN) is made up of the motorways and major trunk roads in England that are managed by National Highways. These roads account for around 2% of the road network in England but carry approximately 34% of all traffic.

Timing and coverage:

TRAffic-speed Condition Surveys (TRACS) are carried out on the SRN each year; the data presented for 2024 was collected between April 2022 and March 2024.

For roads that make up the SRN in 2024:

• 4% of motorway should have been considered for maintenance

• 7% of ‘A’ road should have been considered for maintenance

The percentage for ‘A’ road remains unchanged since 2019, whereas the percentage for motorway has decreased from 5% to 4% since 2023, returning to levels seen between 2018 and 2022.

Chart 9: A line chart showing the percentage of National Highways managed road that should have been considered for maintenance, by road type, in 2008 to 2024 (RDC0201)

National Highways’ management of the SRN is also monitored by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), who produced a report covering April 2023 to March 2024 on this, which includes a road condition metric and target. For this period, National Highways set a target of 96.2% of the SRN pavement requiring no further investigation; their target for each year has been met for the past 7 years.

The methods used by National Highways to calculate this target level of condition vary from those used to present information on surface condition and skidding resistance in this report, therefore are not directly comparable. See the technical note for further information on these differences.

Skidding resistance

Skidding resistance surveys are undertaken by local authorities and National Highways. They provide a measure of the road surface contribution to the frictional forces developed between a vehicle’s tyres and the road when accelerating, braking, or cornering. This publication presents the figures for National Highways on the SRN only. Based on feedback from local authorities, the department is currently reviewing how skidding resistance data is reported by local authorities to ensure the quality and accuracy of this information. This means that Table RDC0140 has been excluded from this publication in 2024.

In 2024, the following conclusions were drawn relating to skidding resistance:

• of the motorway that makes up part of the SRN, 5% required further investigation, unchanged from the previous year

• for ‘A’ roads on the SRN, this increased by 3 percentage points since the previous year, to 18%

Chart 10: A line chart showing the percentage of National Highways managed road requiring further investigation for skidding resistance, by road type, for the years 2008 to 2024 (RDC0210)

Maintenance treatments on local roads

Different types of treatment are applied to sections of road to preserve, repair, or improve the condition of the road. These are influenced by factors such as weather, funding, and nature of the defect requiring treatment. The roads selected for treatment by a local authority is likely to include a broader group of roads than just those categorised as red, according to local priorities.

The maintenance treatment information presented here is based on the length of the carriageway treated. Maintenance treatments range from patching the road surface to a complete reconstruction of the road. Although measurements account for if only one or both sides of a carriageway have been treated, it does not fully account for the width of the carriageway, nor does it account for depth of treatment or the use of multiple treatments on the same length of road. The amount of maintenance does not necessarily determine the condition of road, local highway authorities will consider efficiency of planned maintenance schemes, for example by prioritising preservative treatment to increase the lifespan of the road surface. 

The categorisation of maintenance treatments was changed in 2023 to include more up-to-date definitions and allow greater consistency across local authority reporting of this information. From 2023 onwards, work done is reported as follows:

• Strengthening, consisting of reconstruction excluding in-situ recycling, and in-situ recycling

• Resurfacing, consisting of resurfacing, overlay, and thin surfacing

• Preservation, consisting of surface dressing, micro surfacing, and preservation and rejuvenation

This change in reporting should better reflect current maintenance treatments. The data presented for the categories of maintenance treatments on local roads for previous years up to 2022 will still reflect the previous maintenance treatment categories and is therefore not directly comparable. The totalled figures prior to 2023 are comparable with the ongoing time series, as these are figures for all maintenance treatments; it is the classification of maintenance treatments that make up this total that were different prior to 2023.

In 2024:

• for the local ‘A’ road network (excluding locally managed motorways), 4.7% received maintenance treatment; for the minor road network (‘B’, ‘C’ and unclassified roads), this was 2.5%

• preservation remains the most frequent maintenance type on both ‘A’ and minor roads – consistent with previous years. This reflects the guidance for local authorities to use treatments that will improve the longevity of the road surface. However, a larger proportion of ‘A’ roads than minor roads receive resurfacing maintenance treatments, reflecting the fact that ‘A’ roads are held to a higher standard of condition as key arterial routes

Chart 11: A stacked bar chart showing separately the percentage of local ’A’ road and minor road receiving  maintenance treatments in 2024, split by treatment type (RDC0320)

The percentage of road receiving maintenance treatment fell again in 2024 compared to the previous year. For the local ‘A’ road network, the percentage of road receiving maintenance has gradually decreased over the past 10 years, falling from 8.1% in 2014 to 4.7% in 2024. The percentage of the minor road network (‘B’, ‘C’ and unclassified roads) receiving maintenance treatment has seen a similar trend, with the percentage falling year on year since 2017, decreasing from 4.3% in 2017 to 2.5% in 2024.

Chart 12: A line bar chart showing separately the percentage of local ’A’ road and minor road receiving maintenance treatments, for the years 2014 to 2024 (RDC0320)

About these statistics

These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. More information about these statistics can be found in the guidance, notes and definitions, and technical note.

Data source

For local roads, local authorities are required to report the proportion of road surface that should be considered for maintenance (such as, categorised as red) under the Single Data List. They are also asked to provide information on the proportion of road surface categorised as amber or green, as well as information about skidding resistance and highway maintenance treatments.

While are currently required to undertake SCANNER surveys on their classified roads, surveys on unclassified roads are not limited to SCANNER and other methods can be used. The condition of the Strategic Road Network is measured using TRACS.

Some local authorities use alternative road condition surveys to SCANNER and convert the data to an equivalent score.

Comparisons of road condition across different road types should be made with caution due to the differing methods used.

Further information about road condition data and surveys can be found in the Road Condition Statistics guide, notes and definitions and technical note.

The new standard for road condition monitoring

In September 2024, DfT published PAS 2161: Road condition monitoring (RCM) data Specification. DfT has worked with the British Standards Institute, Transport Research Laboratory, local authorities, and a wide variety of industry experts to develop a new approach for road condition monitoring data. This new standard will increase innovation by removing the single technology mandate and instead allow the use of multiple technologies, including existing SCANNER technology, to report local road conditions to DfT.

To ensure data quality, accuracy, and comparability, prospective RCM technologies will be required to undergo an approvals process to demonstrate that they can meet the PAS requirements, which will benchmark the results of surveys from RCM technologies alongside highway engineers.

The new standard will move away from the current red, amber and green categorisation of condition, to 5 more detailed categories. These new categories were designed in collaboration with local authorities and technology companies and are based on the amount of potential treatment required to return the carriageway to a satisfactory condition. This new categorisation of condition will not directly map to the percentage of red, amber and green roads, so there will be a break in the time series of this statistical series. To mitigate the impact of this change, DfT are planning to dual run the standards in 2025 and 2026, with a move to the new reporting specified in PAS 2161 in 2027. 

Strengths and weaknesses

Figures in this publication come from a wide range of sources. Consequently, the accuracy of figures will vary between tables. Users are recommended to refer to separately published road conditions statistics guidance for more detail on how information for each table was collected.

SCANNER data are collected using automated road condition survey machines. Although each machine is accredited for accuracy and readings fall within the accepted boundaries of the SCANNER specification for road condition, there is still variability between the results that each machine delivers. It can lead to small changes in the figures over time that are for reasons beyond the condition of the road, and above the expected range of variability that already exists within the data. Caution should therefore be taken when comparing the figures over time, particularly for the Local authorities and regions flagged in the publication tables.

SCANNER has been the recommended survey method since 2008 for local ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ roads. Due to the increase in the use of other technologies besides SCANNER on the classified road network, it is important to note that the technology used can affect the percentage of road categorised as red. As explained above, DfT is implementing a data standard for local road condition monitoring which will improve the consistency of data from different road condition technologies.

More information

Other measures of condition also exist. The Asphalt Industry Alliance carry out the Alarm Survey and report on a measure of structural condition alongside other measures. The RAC also produce a pothole index and Report on Motoring using their members’ breakdown data.

The next update, Road conditions in England, year ending March 2025, and accompanying tables are due to be published in Autumn 2025. In the meantime, continued engagement with stakeholders will be undertaken to improve the usability and relevance of the statistics.

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Contact details​

Road condition statistics

Email roadmaintenance.stats@dft.gov.uk

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