THE vast majority of Scots believe money should be spent on repairing roads instead of building new ones, research has suggested.
Transform Scotland, which commissioned the survey, said 84% agreed when asked: "Do you think the Scottish Government should give priority to fixing the existing road network before building new roads?"
The group, which counts local authorities and operators across the transport sector as members, said the cost of getting Scotland's existing road network into good repair had been estimated at about £2.25 billion, one-quarter of the £9bn it says the Scottish Government has committed to spend on new roads.
Phil Matthews, chairman of Transform Scotland, said: "Over the last five years, while the Scottish Government has increased the roads budget by 40 per cent, there has been an ongoing failure to tackle the road maintenance backlog. It's time the Government stepped in to fund these repairs and maintenance."
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