Here in Denmark, there is a backlog of 4 billion kroner among the municipalities. But in England, it is now acknowledged that the roads have deteriorated.
Here in Denmark, it will cost municipalities 4 billion kroner to fix the roads because their maintenance has been a low priority for several years.
And it's not just a disaster for road safety. It also means cars get damaged. In fact, the number of reports to the Danish Road Directorate about this kind of thing is currently at a record high.
In England, however, they go a step further. According to AutoExpress, the authorities simply acknowledge that the roads have deteriorated.
The National Highways authority, together with the country's municipalities, is responsible for the roads in England, and the latest data shows that the number of roads that now require maintenance has increased significantly.
Specifically, the number of roads that are in such poor condition that they need to be patched together has increased from 24 percent in 2020 to 27 percent in 2024.
At the same time, the roads that the authorities classify as being in good condition have fallen from 72 percent in 2020 to now four years later being down to 68 percent.
– We desperately need to stop the decay of our local roads.
"So we hope that the government's new approach to motorway funding will enable councils to plan for long-term road maintenance," said Simon Williams, policy manager at the Road Assistance Council (RAC).
Here at home, things are not much better. Quite the opposite. Figures from the Danish Association of Local Authorities show that the municipalities' construction budgets – that is, the amount that is spent on building and maintaining roads, among other things – are at record lows. In fact, only 3,118 kroner per Dane has been set aside for this kind of thing.
However, the municipalities may end up being liable for damages if nothing is done about the abandonment of the roads. Many of the 71,000 kilometers of roads in Denmark are the responsibility of the municipalities. And if someone is injured or their car is damaged due to bad roads, only the municipalities will pay.
