HIGH-tech vehicles with AI vision will help the Government crush Britain’s pothole plague, the Transport Secretary has said.
Louise Haigh reaffirmed her election promise to fill an extra one million potholes every year, declaring: “Sun readers have had enough and so have I.”
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh[/caption]
Her comments come ahead of a visit to Blackpool today, where she will see the town’s cutting-edge AI-powered road scanners in action.
Blackpool Council has led the way with the technology, using high-definition cameras and artificial intelligence to spot road damage early.
As a result, the council slashed its pothole compensation costs from £1.5 million to just £719 last year.
Ms Haigh has promised to replicate this success across England, backing councils with millions in extra funding to tackle the pothole crisis.
She told The Sun: “This new Government made a simple promise: to help councils fix a million more potholes each year, and we’ll make good on that promise. We’ll provide the cash they need and support them with cutting-edge technologies to tackle problem roads quicker.
“This matters.
“Better roads mean smoother journeys and less congestion. It matters for commuters, small businesses and hauliers – who rely on our roads every day. And it matters for this Government’s first and foremost mission, to grow our economy.
“But that’s not all we’re doing to get Britain moving. We’ll support drivers with the soaring cost of car insurance, ramp up the electric charge point rollout, and tackle the driving test backlog.
“Britain is a nation of drivers and under this new Government, better journeys are ahead.”
Details about the extra funding will be set out in the upcoming Spending Review.
