Fairer petrol and diesel pricing (68%) and fewer potholes (66%) are the two areas where motorists most want to see action from 2024’s new government, according to the latest research.
Also, 45% would like to see moves made to reduce insurance premiums and 32% want to see traffic congestion tackled, shows March’s new monthly Used Car Tracker from Startline Motor Finance.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said, “Whoever wins power, it seems that motorists very much want to see practical solutions put in place that help to make motoring cheaper and driving easier.
“Increasing fuel and insurance prices are clearly very much on their minds. While the cost of living crisis continues, the impact of high prices at the pumps and rising premiums have a very real effect on ordinary people who own a car.
“Also, there is a sense that the areas where government could have a direct impact – the state of our roads and the way in which traffic is managed – is disappointing. People perhaps feel they are not getting much back for the amount of tax they pay for their motoring.”
Finally, 26% would like more support to buy an electric car and the same percentage want there to be more charging points for these vehicles.
Paul said, “While it has been widely reported that the electric car market has stalled, that’s not really what is happening. Sales of new electric cars remain relatively healthy but we do arguably need to see more help in the used market.
“Our research shows that there is a sizeable minority of people who want to electrify but need support. Other countries have initiatives such as grants and zero percentage loans, and perhaps we need to see something similar here from the new government.”
Everyone depends on the UK’s network of local highways; they are at the heart of our communities and these arteries of our country need to be invested in to ensure fitness to compete in the global economy, said Sue Percy CBE, Chief Executive, Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation commenting on the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey report this week.
“Despite the efforts of central and local government, the LHN is not in a good state and not up to the job of supporting the country’s ambitions for the future.
“Changing weather events are having a major impact on the effectiveness of transport networks. We must develop a more resilient network through future proofing projects and maintenance activities. This will increase reliability for people’s travel and goods deliveries particularly as we face more extreme and varying climate events including flooding, high temperatures, severe weather and storms.”
She added, “Maintenance of our existing highways and infrastructure assets is a key priority to ensure the efficient use of our transport network.
“Addressing this, of which fixing potholes is the tip of the iceberg, will require transport resilience assessments being made a statutory requirement for all transport asset owners to ensure the identification, prioritisation and ownership of vulnerable areas. CIHT believes that once identified, a dedicated fund should be established to support the mitigation of such vulnerable areas.”