According to the Road Union, French roads suffer from a lack of investment.

French roads are suffering from a growing lack of investment, especially in the rail sector, the Union of Roads (URF), which represents economic players in the road and automotive sectors, condemned on Tuesday.

According to URF calculations, in the operating and investment expenditures of public administrations in 2022, 57% was spent on the railway network and 15% on roads.

According to the SPS, 15.7 billion euros were spent on roads in 2022, which is 10.4% less than in 2012. in particular fuel or insurance, as well as vehicle registration documents).

According to Jean-Pierre Pacery, president of Routes de France, which represents road manufacturers, “the costs associated with road maintenance are reduced significantly, and even more if we add inflation.”

“Slow Degradation”

Nationally, the Road Observatory’s annual survey of administrations and manufacturers confirmed the “slow deterioration of road conditions seen in the past” continued in 2021, despite improvements in 2020 and “efforts made in 2021.” the roads are in worse condition.”

On the departmental network, the condition of departmental roads has “slowly” improved after deteriorating in 2019, according to the same study.

In terms of road safety, the number of deaths on the roads of mainland France in 2023 decreased by 3% compared to the previous year. Compared to 2019, the decrease is 2.3%.

“Highlight the investment”

“We must increase investment and make it more efficient. We will not be able to decarbonize transport if we do not take care of the roads,” said SPS President Thierry Archambault at a press conference. “We do not oppose modes of transport to each other; each has its own scope of application,” he emphasized.

“The amounts invested in the railway are compensation for past insufficient maintenance,” explained Jean-Pierre Pacerie for his part. “We have to put money to work, otherwise in a few years we will have the same lack of investment.”

According to the government data and statistical research service, road traffic accounted for 27.8% of CO2 emissions in France in 2019, while private cars accounted for 15.7%.