Improve roads:
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OAD SURFACES should be strong enough to survive the pounding f heavier lorries, the Automobile Association has told the House of ommons transport committee.
In a written submission for the ommittee's inquiry into road laintenance, the AA said: There is no doubt that heavy )rries wear roads more than ghter vehicles. Within that genralisation, the extent to which a eavy vehicle could damage the Dad structure depends upon a umber of factors."
It said that vehicles changing lirection throw their weight on D different tyres and different xles, but when questioned by he committee last week, it vould not be drawn on whether t thought the problem could be ;ased by permitting nearside as veil as offside overtaking.
The written submission also ;aid that lorry-induced road lamage was affected by road vidth, the condition of the road Aructure, the vehicle's suspen;ion, and the number of times its ;peed varies.
"The greater the frequency tnd magnitude of changes in fehicle speed and direction, the 3reater the effects upon road
structure. If wheel tracks are confined to one channel and the road condition or construction standard is not sufficiently high, damage will be rapid," it said.
The AA submission went on to say that it is inevitable that heavy vehicles will damage roads, so a road network of adequate strength and capacity should be provided and maintained in good order. The AA has also produced figures showing substantial rises in the number of defects on 185 miles of road between 1977 and 1979.
Potholes rose from 106 to 452, patching from 98 to 304, carriageway markings from 111 to 137, wheel track rutting from 19 to 55.
It also gave figures for the MPs, claiming that there has been a marked deterioration in design standards for some roads.