Citroen Urges AI Adoption to Address Britain's Pothole Crisis

French carmaker Citroen has called for the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence to combat Britain's escalating pothole problem, estimating potential savings of £5.5 billion.

The company's "Better Roads Manifesto" outlines six key recommendations aimed at improving road conditions. Central to these proposals is the deployment of AI-powered technology for nationwide monitoring and reporting of road defects. Citroen suggests that utility companies should also face increased oversight to ensure roads are properly reinstated after excavation work.

According to data from the Department for Transport, road defects contribute to 6% of fatal or serious collisions, with accidents costing society an estimated £54.7 billion annually. Eliminating pothole-related accidents could therefore yield savings of around £3.3 billion. The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation also suggests that longer-term funding programs could save local highways authorities an additional £2.2 billion.

Citroen's recommendations, developed with input from highways engineer Dave Gaster, include using AI to enhance road inspections, reduce costs, generate better data, and enable more targeted repairs. The manifesto also advocates for stronger powers for local authorities to hold utility firms accountable for road repairs and the introduction of a rolling five-year government funding settlement. A national standard for road repairs to ensure consistency and provide common benchmarks is also proposed.

Additional suggestions include greater use of volunteers in identifying road defects and a more comprehensive road-cleaning strategy to remove debris. "Simply calling for more funding isn't realistic, so we are suggesting practical, cost-effective and logical steps that national government, local highways authorities and the public can support to improve the quality of roads across Britain," said Greg Taylor, managing director of Citroen UK.

Citroen's research indicates that over a quarter of drivers (28%) have experienced a loss of vehicle control due to potholes or debris from them. The report also suggests public willingness to fund improvements, with 56% of drivers willing to pay higher council tax and 49% supporting an increase in Vehicle Excise Duty if funds were earmarked for road maintenance.

An investigation into how local highways authorities identify, assess, and repair potholes revealed significant inconsistencies. There is no national definition of a pothole, with depth requirements varying from 40mm to 80mm, and definitions by width ranging from 75mm to 300mm. Only about a quarter of authorities sweep roads at least every three months, and some do not conduct routine sweeping at all.

Repair response times also varied considerably, from a few hours to as long as three months in some cases. Stoke-on-Trent City Council, for example, reported potential wait times of up to 357 days for certain repairs. The use of technology also showed inconsistencies, with only about half of local authorities geo-locating potholes during inspections, and nearly half of those not sharing this data with repair teams. Kingston upon Thames was noted as an authority that does not conduct in-person inspections.

Citroen is also promoting its AI-powered road monitoring tool, STAN. This free smartphone app scans roads during drives, capturing images of defects and uploading the data to a central database accessible to local highway authorities for a fee. This data can help authorities prioritize maintenance and improve repair efficiency. Citroen encourages motorists to download the STAN app to contribute to a clearer understanding of the problem and provide better data for authorities.