Certainly the weight and speed of traffic affects structures that were built for lighter loads. That’s why the speed limit gets lowered on flyovers like the Westway.

April 11, 2026 - 06:34 UTC

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Wider vehicles also can't steer round potholes, and feel the bump less so don't try to. In a small car you have more incentive and ability to avoid them. And every car that bumps over erodes the edge.
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I'm missing something no doubt, but what has speed got to do with loading? Surely the maximum load occurs during a zero mph traffic jam.
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Two effects: first, the power applied to overcome drag + friction is dissipated as load in the road surface. Second is wheels bounce a little, varying the force and resulting in higher peak forces.
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I hadn’t thought about the speed aspect!
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