Suffolk Highways raises doubts over Government’s new highways rating system

Responding to the publication of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) traffic light system for highways maintenance, a spokesperson for Suffolk Highways said:

“This new traffic light assessment system rates Suffolk as amber on road condition and following best practice, but red on spending money - resulting in an overall red rating.

“However, councils weren’t told about the new system until Friday and we believe there are unfortunate inaccuracies in the data so will be raising this with the DFT on Monday.

“All highways maintenance funding received from Government is fully invested in Suffolk’s highways network, including fixing potholes and resurfacing roads. This is why Suffolk has continued to receive all of the funding it expected this year, including incentive fund elements linked to performance.”

You can read about the Department for Transport's new traffic light system rating how local highway authorities are maintaining their highways networks on the Government's website. 

Road network maintenance performance in Suffolk
Suffolk Highways continues to perform strongly against national road‑condition benchmarks. Data published on the Department for Transport (DfT) website shows only 3% of Suffolk’s A‑road network is in poor condition, better than the England average, with the proportion in good condition broadly aligned to the national figure.

Suffolk’s B and C roads also outperform national averages, with a high share in good condition and significantly fewer in poor condition. The DfT‑reported data further shows that the overall condition of Suffolk’s entire road network has consistently improved since 2011 across all road categories.

This progress reflects Suffolk’s asset‑management, preventative maintenance approach, which is embedding best practice, treating the right road, at the right time, with the right treatment, to maximise value for money and extend asset life.