TfL Pothole Compensation Claims Surpass £2 Million in Three Years
Transport for London has paid over £2 million in pothole claims, highlighting ongoing road maintenance issues in the capital.
London, UK, Potholes, TfL, Compensation
London: So, it turns out that Transport for London has shelled out more than £2 million in compensation for pothole claims over the last three years. That’s a pretty hefty sum, right?
They’ve dealt with 35 successful claims from 2021 to 2024. Just last year, they paid out £1.68 million for 12 claims, which is a big jump from the £305,000 for 13 claims the year before. But in 2023/24, it dropped to just £85,000 for 10 claims.
According to some new stats, TfL received 229 pothole claims in 2023/24, up from 161 the previous year. It seems like potholes are becoming a real headache for drivers.
They also reported an increase in potholes on their roads, going from 804 in 2021/22 to 945 in 2022/23. Unfortunately, they can’t provide the latest figures for 2023/24 because of a cyber-attack last year.
Rod Dennis from the RAC pointed out that these rising claims are a clear sign that local road conditions are really affecting budgets for both councils and drivers.
Interestingly, TfL only manages about 5% of London’s roads. The rest are taken care of by borough councils. But the roads they do manage are some of the busiest, like the North and South Circular roads.
A TfL spokesperson mentioned that they have a solid safety record when it comes to injuries from bad road surfaces. They have a thorough inspection and repair program that helps prevent injuries.
They also try to stop potholes from forming in the first place with their road renewal efforts. However, when it comes to the biggest pothole recorded, they didn’t have that info available.