Is Edinburgh the "pothole Capital of Europe"?
Where are the worst potholes in Edinburgh?
Last updated 17th Jan 2023
If you've been travelling around Edinburgh recently - or anywhere in the country - you've likely come across your fair share of potholes.
Be it in a car, on a bus, riding a bike or anything else - deteriorating road surfaces are becoming a nightmare right now.
It's not unusual at this time of year, but many residents in the city feel the problem is as bad as it's ever been.
That includes Lothian MPS Miles Briggs, the Conservative tweeted on Tuesday (January 17) to say Edinburgh was "rapidly becoming the pothole capital of Europe".
Speaking to Forth News, Mr Briggs told us: "The state of Edinburgh roads is something which any resident, motorist or cyclist within the city will be acutely aware has deteriorated in the last few months.
"We are now seeing a record number of compensation claims being presented to Council for damage to vehicles and bikes - and something needs to be done about that.
"It is clear that the Council are not maintaining our roads to the levels they should be.
"The Council will very quickly complain that they are not receiving the level of funding they need from the SNP/Green Scottish Government - I think both need to look at this.
"We need to see the Scottish Government provide the resources to the local authorities to maintain our roads properly.
"But we also need to look at the the maintenance programme which the council are operating - the roads in Edinburgh are a total disgrace."
Radio Forth News has been speaking with Edinburgh's Transport Convener to get an update on what's being done to solve the current issues with potholes.
Cllr Scott Arthur admitted the state of surfaces isn't good enough, saying:
"I've been honest since I took up the job as transport Convener last May, the road condition in Edinburgh isn't what we want it to be, certainly not what I want it to be.
"And one of the first things I learned is actually that road maintenance is underfunded in the capital to the tune of about ÂŁ8 million per year. So that means we need ÂŁ8 Million just to halt the decline."
Mr Arthur says it is important for residents to report any potholes - especially those which are dangerous - so they can be tackled as a prioirty.
He continued to outline what's happening to get round to filling all of those holes - or in some cases, craters.
"We've actually found it possible to allocate extra staff to this just now just to try to meet the demand coming from residents.
"And the Council also sets it's budget next month and we are faced with 60 or ÂŁ70 million worth of cuts.
"Nonetheless, I think this is such a pressing issue dealing with road maintenance in Edinburg, I'm trying to work with other parties just now to see if we can find extra funding to try to halt the decline.
"So that's looking at perhaps as much as ÂŁ10 million extra per year, just to play some catch up and get us back to where we need to be."
The City could also look to invest in innovative technology to help solve the problems.
"We're looking at getting a device called a pothole pro, which is basically a cross between a JCB and a Swiss army knife, and it's got lots of attachments on it.
"What this enables us to do is tackle potholes much quicker and to a much higher standard. So this is something we'll get on trial in the first instance instance for a year.
"And if that works out well, actually start buying perhaps more of them into following year."
Which roads are worst effected by potholes in your area? Let us know on social media.