Local Road Conditions Top Concern For Drivers
The state of Britain's local roads is the number one gripe among drivers, according to a survey.
One in 10 motorists said the condition of local roads was their top concern, while a further 20% listed it as one of their four main issues.
The RAC said the figures show that councils should be under the same legal obligation to maintain roads as they are to provide minimum standards for education and social services.
The Local Government Association (LGA) insisted that current funding levels mean councils cannot afford to carry out long-term improvements on roads.
Half of the 1,500 motorists polled believe the quality of roads in their area has deteriorated in the past 12 months with just 10% claiming it has improved.
The remainder reported no change.
The study was commissioned for the RAC's 2015 Report on Motoring.
Among the 50% who believe the roads in their area are getting worse, the vast majority (99%) attribute this to potholes and general damage to the road surface.
Litter is a source of annoyance for a quarter of people (24%), while poor maintenance of verges annoys one in five (21%).
RAC chief engineer David Bizley urged councils to spend more of their funds on repairing and replacing road surfaces.
"They are under specific legal obligation to provide minimum standards in education and social services whereas their obligations to maintain roads are far less prescriptive,'' he said.
"It is therefore inevitable that expenditure is biased against investment in the likes of road maintenance where prescriptive legal obligations do not exist and councillors therefore do not face legal sanctions.''
Mr Bizley warned there is a "damaging disconnection'' between what a "large proportion'' of council tax payers want local government to spend their money on and where it actually goes.
But councillor Peter Box, transport spokesman for the LGA, said councils have to prioritise their expenditure.
"While councils share the frustration of motorists at the state of our roads, it is impossible to compare repairing potholes with keeping children safe and caring for our elderly,'' he said.
"With demand on these life and death services continuing to rise and funding from central government continuing to reduce, councils have little choice but to squeeze budgets for other services, such as maintaining our roads.''
He added: "Current funding levels mean councils are only able to keep pace with patching up our roads and filling potholes rather than carrying out more cost-effective and long-term improvements.''
Michael Dugher, Labour's shadow transport secretary, said: "Ministers are just not listening to motorists' concerns. They promised they would fix our local roads and the pothole crisis, but it was just all talk.
"Road users have understandably had enough of their failure and broken promises.''