£7.5B in traffic delays? Smarter road maintenance starts here

Imagine a world with fewer traffic jams—where your morning commute isn’t delayed by endless roadworks, and your schedule isn’t disrupted by unexpected closures. 

For road users, delays don’t just test patience—they come with a hefty price tag. In 2023, traffic congestion cost the UK economy £7.5 billion, highlighting the urgent need for smarter, faster road maintenance.

Local roads comprise 98% of the UK’s road network, playing a vital role in connecting communities, supporting rural areas, and linking residential zones. Despite their importance, these roads face issues like limited budgets, ageing infrastructure, and an overwhelming maintenance backlog, sparking demands for innovative solutions in local road maintenance.

With the financial strain to clear maintenance backlogs now reaching £14 billion—a record high and an 11% increase over last year—contractors and local authorities are under mounting pressure to balance quality and efficiency with budgetary and safety demands. 

This backlog represents £68,000 per mile of local road in England and Wales and would require an average of 11 years to address

This complexity is further heightened by self-delivered maintenance initiatives within councils, challenging existing resource allocation and project timelines.

FYLD’s AI-powered platform is reshaping how local road maintenance is managed, helping local highways authorities achieve safer, more efficient, and more collaborative maintenance workflows. 

This blog explores how FYLD tackles pressing challenges in road maintenance, reducing disruptions, supporting compliance, and providing real-time visibility to contractors and stakeholders alike.

1. Tackling budget constraints and boosting efficiency

Local authorities face limited budgets, leaving many essential road maintenance projects delayed. The growing backlog also translates into costly rework and public dissatisfaction. 

The challenge for contractors and local authorities lies in maximising their limited resources, especially as the availability of skilled workers decreases with an ageing workforce.

FYLD offers solutions that boost operational efficiency through AI-driven planning tools and remote visibility. 

Contractors save an estimated 80% of planning time by streamlining workflows, shifting from 1.5 days to just a few hours per job. This reduction in planning time results in fewer site visits, better allocation of resources, and projects completed within tight budgetary constraints.

With FYLD, contractors can complete projects faster, avoid costly penalties, and better allocate resources to fulfil contractual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). 

For example, FYLD’s platform has demonstrated 8% productivity increases and an estimated value of £240,000 per 100 direct operatives through reduced downtime.

2. Improving safety and reducing incidents

Maintaining local roads is not without risk. Workers face traffic-related hazards, and the public is often exposed to poorly managed sites, leading to safety incidents. 

Traditional safety processes may rely on outdated inspection techniques, manual workflows, and limited visibility across teams, which increases the likelihood of incidents like service strikes or roadside accidents.

FYLD’s platform leverages real-time video risk assessments (VRAs) and AI-powered predictive maintenance features to identify and mitigate risks.

For instance, dynamic evidence capture and AI-driven site assessments help teams monitor safety compliance and respond to hazards in real-time. This proactive approach not only ensures public and worker safety but also minimises incidents, enabling local authorities to reduce costly safety-related claims.

Through predictive maintenance and enhanced site assessments, FYLD has enabled an 85% reduction in service strikes, which dramatically reduces the risk to both workers and the public. 

Additionally, each reduction of five fewer service strikes can save contractors £37,500, showcasing FYLD’s impact on safety, cost-effectiveness, and compliance.

This substantial safety improvement also aids local councils in their commitment to community well-being and regulatory compliance.

3. Boosting right-first-time job completion

Poor communication, inconsistent data-sharing, and disjointed workflows can cause delays, rework, and public inconvenience. 

These issues affect job completion rates, with contractors often needing multiple attempts to complete projects, leading to increased costs and extended traffic disruptions. The stakes are high in ensuring tasks are completed accurately and efficiently.

FYLD ensures right-first-time job completion with real-time visibility and robust planning. 

Contractors can leverage accurate, data-rich site inspections and seamless remote planning to cut down rework by 10%. 

This approach is particularly effective for reducing incomplete or rescheduled jobs.

4. Streamlined collaboration and communication

In the fast-paced world of road maintenance, coordination among contractors, local authorities, and stakeholders is paramount.

 Fragmented communication can lead to costly project delays, misalignment between teams, and poor public perception due to traffic disruptions. The need for real-time collaboration tools has never been greater.

FYLD’s collaborative solution

FYLD’s in-app messaging and real-time data-sharing capabilities promote instant, seamless collaboration across planning, inspection, and dig teams. 

By connecting all relevant parties on a single, intuitive platform, FYLD helps contractors ensure that critical decisions are made promptly and that project timelines remain on track. This transparency improves project outcomes, reduces bottlenecks, and enhances public satisfaction by minimising road disruptions.

Key benefit

FYLD’s communication tools enhance collaboration by streamlining workflows and enabling quicker decision-making. By reducing administrative burdens, FYLD empowers supervisors to focus on higher-value activities, such as improving safety, optimising resource allocation, and driving project efficiency.

5. Real results: FYLD’s proven impact on local road maintenance

Data-Driven Success Stories

FYLD’s platform consistently delivers measurable results across local road projects. By reducing paperwork by up to 40% , FYLD streamlines project workflows and improves resource allocation, all while ensuring full safety compliance. 

The platform’s real-time insights have generated significant productivity gains, solidifying FYLD as a cost-effective solution that boosts both operational efficiency and job site safety.

Collaborations with industry leaders like Colas, Ringway, and Balfour Beatty highlight FYLD’s impact. 

These partnerships have not only reduced road disruptions but also significantly improved public satisfaction, showcasing FYLD’s ability to strike the perfect balance between productivity, quality, and safety.

Why FYLD is the future of local road maintenance

FYLD’s AI-driven platform is transforming local road maintenance, empowering teams to deliver projects safely, efficiently, and on budget. With real-time communication tools, predictive insights, and streamlined workflows, FYLD helps contractors and local authorities cut costs, boost productivity, and reduce public inconvenience. 

Ready to bring these benefits to your road maintenance projects? 

Contact us for a demo and see how FYLD can meet today’s challenges and prepare you for tomorrow’s demands.