Motoring groups are urging the next government to continue the freeze on fuel duty and to tackle the pothole problem.
The condition of roads and pavements is seen by the public as the most important transport priority for the new administration after May’s general election, according to an RAC Foundation survey.
Meanwhile, the AA has produced figures showing that UK drivers still pay more tax on their fuel than drivers in most European countries despite UK fuel duty having been frozen since March 2011.
The RAC Foundation poll, of 2,040 adults, showed that after tackling the roads, the Government’s next most important transport priority should be the cost of travelling by train, followed by the cost of petrol, the levels of congestion on the roads and overcrowding on trains.
The foundation said the condition of the roads was also the key priority in a similar poll conducted before the 2010 general election.
RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: “Five years on and the poor state of the roads remains the number one concern among voters.”
He went on: “It would be a mistake if politicians thought the cost of filling up has gone away as an issue. In the last few weeks oil prices have rebounded and this has a significant and immediate impact on motorists’ pockets.”
The foundation also asked 50 sitting MPs and 51 prospective candidates in winnable constituencies for their transport priorities. This separate survey showed the politicians were far more concerned than the public about overcrowding on trains and the cost of trains but far less worried about the cost of using a car.
Professor Glaister said: “On some big issues the politicians seem to be out of touch with the public.”
The AA figures showed that at nearly 69%, the proportion of tax UK drivers pay on their petrol was higher than a number of European countries.
The AA is calling not only for a continued fuel duty freeze but also for two thirds of fuel duty receipts being ring-fenced for road improvements.
AA president Edmund King said the high level of fuel tax paid by UK drivers “showed just how massively pumped up fuel duty was before the coalition froze it”.
He went on: “Drivers are sending out a strong message to all political parties that they could vote with their wheels unless there are clear commitments to fair taxation and expenditure .”