Edinburgh roads: Utility companies blamed as main cause of potholes

And he called for new requirements on companies to co-ordinate their roadworks and relay whole roads rather than just patching them.

Speaking in a debate in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Macpherson, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Northern & Leith, said that although urban roads were primarily the responsibility of local councils, the challenge over the quality, maintenance and integrity of these roads was a nationwide one.

Roadworks by utility companies are the main cause of potholes on urban roads, according to Ben Mcpherson. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire | Jane Barlow/PA Wire

He said: "Lower Granton Road, which goes along Wardie bay in my constituency, handles more traffic in a year than the A9 does.

"The reason that potholes occur is partly to do with the weather, but a lot of the time it is because the integrity of the road has been weakened by utility companies doing the various works that they need to do.

"After the financial crisis, the Conservative Cameron Government considered whether to create a duty on energy and other utility companies across the UK to better co-ordinate their works.

"The then UK Government backed away from that idea because utility companies opposed it and said that they would simply pass on the cost to consumers. Of course, during the financial crisis, people were impacted by the recession, as they are now with the cost of living crisis.

"The carrying out of utility works is the main reason why we get potholes in urban Scotland. My constituents regularly write to me because they are sick of seeing roads, including roads near this Parliament, dug up one month by one company, dug up the next month by another and then dug up a few months later by another company. That causes inconvenience for drivers and it weakens the road."

Mr Macpherson said there was a general duty to co-ordinate road works, as set out in the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. And the Scottish road works commissioner had been given powers to issue a compliance notice if they thought there was a breach of that duty.

"However - and I say this to be constructive for the Government, as the issue is UK-wide, particularly because many utility companies are regulated by reserved legislation - until we get on top of the co-ordination issue, we will really struggle and will always be patching our roads.

"We want to get to a position where, as in other countries, utility companies that want to do works must do those together and where there is a duty on them to relay the whole road, so that its integrity is maintained."

And he pointed out there was a Scottish software company, ProceMX, which managed the co-ordination of utility works in New York City.

"That company already has the software, but we need politics, leadership, permits and penalties, because utility companies do not want to co-ordinate as that is inconvenient for them. If we can pull together some engagement with that Scottish company and some collective determination, perhaps we can get to a better position with fewer potholes to repair in future."

Replying to the debate, Jim Fairlie, the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, said Mr Macpherson was right about utility companies. He said: "In my constituency, gas, electricity and telephone communications works were being done at different times, all of which reduced the integrity of the road. There needs to be a conversation about what can be done to ensure that such works do not damage the integrity of the road and that there is a responsibility to repair those roads to the standard that they should be in."

And Mr Fairlie said he looked forward to hearing more about ProceMX and what it did. "I am more than happy to engage on that matter."