Investing in Better Roads – West Sussex County Council leader's update

In July this year I announced that your county council had launched a “Better Roads” campaign - a £14.5 million investment into repairs and flood prevention work across the 4,000km of highways we maintain in West Sussex. I’d like to update you now on the progress we’ve made this summer and the returns we’re starting to see from this investment.

I continue to share your frustrations about potholes, so I’m pleased to be able to say that we’ve repaired more than 16,700 since April, the vast majority of which have been filled in using the “cut/sawn” method to create a neater, more durable seal that ensures the repair work lasts longer.

We’ve secured access to more machinery too and now have three specialist Velocity patcher machines in operation across the county. They’re perfect for repairing larger stretches of road and are quicker and more agile, meaning our roads don’t have to remain closed for as long. We’ve used them to complete more than 15,500 safety repairs so far since April, compared with 9,000 for the whole of last year.

But we haven’t just been working on repairing potholes. We’re also on target to clear vegetation from more than 5,000 road signs across West Sussex this year, having cleared more than 2,800 so far to make junctions and highways more visible and safer for all road users.

Of course, there’s more to be done and we’re now preparing for the winter and the likely impact of colder, wetter weather on our roads and pavements.

Agility in our workforce continues to be key, ensuring we’re making best use of our resources. As well as increasing the number of gangs working on repairs, we’re keeping close watch on trends and hotspots so we can prioritise repairs and move our teams to where they need to be quickly and effectively.

We will continue to focus on delivering high-quality repairs that last longer and keep our ditches and gullies clear to help reduce flooding.

You can keep up to date with our progress on our website, where you’ll find details of the scale of the challenge, how we prioritise repairs, what we’ve fixed and what’s next.

While good roads are of course vital to our economy, and while we continue to invest in them, they are just half the story.

In Our Council Plan we set out our ambitions and priorities for a sustainable economy, a protected environment, cohesive communities and opportunities for people to fulfil their potential, all of which rely on a range of travel options.

And there is plenty we’re doing to provide that choice.

Whether it’s our trial at three schools to encourage families to leave the car at home on the school run, or the £420,000 worth of works to improve pedestrian links, bus access and signage completed this summer at a further 13 schools, we’re working hard to promote sustainable and active forms of travel and help people feel more confident to walk and cycle.

If you’d like a say on how we develop sustainable travel options across the county, take part in our Active Travel survey, which runs until 15 November. Your views will help shape our plans for the next decade.

Public transport continues to play a vital role too, and our Bus Service Improvement Plan is helping the county’s bus network flourish. A great example of our support is our “Book-A-Bus” scheme which launched earlier this summer. It is helping to connect communities around Chichester and Petworth with a new, flexible, on-demand service that you can book when you need it via an app or a phone call.

I often say how lucky we are here in West Sussex to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, with so much choice in terms of places to visit right on our doorstep.

Ultimately, whether you’re heading to school, to work, the shops, the cinema, theatre or restaurant, or to a park, the countryside or the seafront, we want you to be able to get there in a way that’s safe, convenient, affordable, effective and that limits the impact on the environment.

Your county council will continue to invest in our highways infrastructure and maintenance alongside schemes that reduce congestion, reduce journey times, improve safety, enhance the environment and create options for more active, sustainable travel.

But we can’t solve the problem alone and we will continue to lobby for additional funding from government to continue the investment, meet our ambitions in Our Council Plan and deliver benefits for West Sussex communities.

In the meantime, whether you’re driving, walking, cycling, busing or scooting, I hope you are starting to see for yourself the results of our investments and are able to take advantage of the many ways in which we’re working to improve travel and transport throughout West Sussex.