Damned roads

beyond the blue

beyond the blue

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Neil
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It's got to the stage where I am now paying more attention to avoiding pot-holes than I am to driving with care. Our local motorways are getting just as bad! It's going to be a massive undertaking to get them sorted if we ever get the money to do it.
 
got to agree its a national disgrace the roads in egypt are in better condition than ours
 
Come to Manchester. Were they are very efficient at repairing the same pot-holes every 8 to 10 weeks.
 
Went into one filled with water the other day,I now have a gouged alloy all four were immaculate until this!. Severely p*55*d off.
 
It's pretty bad on the lanes round Oxfordshire, though it's been like this for years - we've had burst tyres and dented rims occasionally. Worst roads I've seen in western countries were actually in Evanston, Chicago during springtime - lots of frost damage and huge, sharp-edged potholes all over ordinary city streets.
 
You'll be happy to know the official definition of a pot hole has just been adjusted.... Meaning they now have to be wider, longer and deeper to qualify.
 
A couple of years ago someone put a "No fishing" sign up by a local pothole and someone else planted some daffodils in one :)

As Neil says, the councils are struggling with finances as things like children's care and mental health issues are much more important than the roads and the country has a massive deficit that has to be cleared.

It's a question of priorities at the end of the day. And not an easy choice either. Pros and cons all over the shop.
 
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neil_g said:
Get used to it what with local councils getting squeezed financially.
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They need to make better decisions. I noticed in Vauxhall an anti government poster by Lambeth council about their financial situation. Weird how they have money to print and publish those on private billboards. Likewise the money waisted on paying off claims by motorists. Or where just a bit of loose gravel gets put on the top.

Or as was on the news the millions wasted in double payments being brushed under the carpet.

So much material and so little time.
 
Bearing in mind a couple of cyclists have died due to hitting potholes there is no excuse for not keeping roads in decent condition.
 
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the black fox said:
What frost ,only had one night of frost this year and I live in north wales ?
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Presumably roads in north wales have relatively little traffic (ok the a55 might be the exception) so less budget resources are aimed at repairs.

Certainly when I venture into some of the more rural parts of somerset the roads can be pretty dire - the road i use to get to lyme regis has a bit we jokingly call the "grand canyon" which has a huge trench that has been like it for years.
 
Seems our local councils can't spend enough money, over the past year they have replaced the perfectly good crash barriers on a dual carriageway as well as installing crash barriers where there weren't any before, they have cleared all the shrubs etc. that were overgrowing the cycle paths on the dual carriageway and they are currently resurfacing the dual carriageway at night, even though the road surface is fine, pot hole and crack free.
 
Has there ever been one of those government e-petitions "demanding" that roads are repaired?

How much money needs to get claimed for vehicle damage and how many deaths directly attributable to potholes will it take before there is a more proactive solution?
 
Well, rather ironically in the context of this thread, I was running down the lane near us to collect our takeaway on Saturday night (important stuff) and went into an unexpected pothole. Completely turned my ankle and haven't been able to walk properly since then!

At least in a car I'm just knackering my suspension - which is expensive but replaceable :mad:
 
pjm1 said:
Well, rather ironically in the context of this thread, I was running down the lane near us to collect our takeaway on Saturday night (important stuff) and went into an unexpected pothole. Completely turned my ankle and haven't been able to walk properly since then!

At least in a car I'm just knackering my suspension - which is expensive but replaceable :mad:
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Next time better have it delivered. Much better for your health to sit on the couch and remain there :P

Seriously hope it gets better and best to get it checked out....
 
dejongj said:
Next time better have it delivered. Much better for your health to sit on the couch and remain there :p

Seriously hope it gets better and best to get it checked out....
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That was the argument I played back to mrs pjm1 when I came back :) Thanks... it's definitely better than it was but it's put some mountaineering I have planned at the end of the month at risk :mad:

It's embarrassing when an elderly couple you strolled past 50 yards earlier feel compelled to stop and ask if you need any help walking down the road :oops: :$
 
What happens when you report them?

I've grumbled about loads of potholes. I've reported 2, one of which had been right across the carriageway for 4 months. They were both fixed within a week.

Do your bit ;) https://www.fixmystreet.com/
 
boliston said:
Presumably roads in north wales have relatively little traffic (ok the a55 might be the exception) so less budget resources are aimed at repairs.

Certainly when I venture into some of the more rural parts of somerset the roads can be pretty dire - the road i use to get to lyme regis has a bit we jokingly call the "grand canyon" which has a huge trench that has been like it for years.
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Trouble is they're built for small amounts of light traffic, and when they're actually used by HGVs and millions of tourists each year they suffer badly. Our A roads are far better than A roads in Cheshire though, but we don't have many. The bread and butter routes here are all unclassified roads, which don't get any maintenance and are in a very poor state. Right now the council are finally fixing a bust culvert under the road that has been an issue for the past 5 years causing floods on a dangerous bend every time it rains.

JonathanRyan said:
What happens when you report them?

I've grumbled about loads of potholes. I've reported 2, one of which had been right across the carriageway for 4 months. They were both fixed within a week.

Do your bit ;) https://www.fixmystreet.com/
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I've reported loads (others have also reported the same ones), a couple appear to have had bodge repairs done on them since but most are still un touched. The bodged ones are now in need of repair again too.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
I've reported loads (others have also reported the same ones), a couple appear to have had bodge repairs done on them since but most are still un touched. The bodged ones are now in need of repair again too.
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I remember reading an article on the Beeb about temporary repairs. Councils like them because they are 30 mins with 2 blokes and a bucket of tarmac. They are supposed to replace them later but often don't as it means closing the road which involves a full crew and temporary lights.

But since I often drive a Smart car, a bucket of tarmac makes a lot of difference ;)
 
Well they've admitted near us, when they resurfaced lots of the roads nearby last year with the tar and chiopings - they used the wrong tar - all the chiopings have come away in places, the roads are worse than before, your car gets flicked with loose stones and covered in tar spots.

And, they've announced they're going to do it all again in Spring / Summer.

Happy days !!!!
 
viv1969 said:
Meaning they now have to be wider, longer and deeper to qualify.
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Half the road width and 2 feet deep?

EdwardL said:
A couple of years ago someone put a "No fishing" sign up by a local pothole and someone else planted some daffodils in one :)
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Excellent :thumbs:

Its not too bad around these parts TBH, we have our fair share but they tend to be from the crap job they did of laying the roads, and the surface has come off in places,
so they are quite shallow.
 
donetello said:
Went into one filled with water the other day,I now have a gouged alloy all four were immaculate until this!. Severely p*55*d off.
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That's the real killer - narrow country roads here, large puddles and a bloody huge pothole hidden in it :(
 
It depends where you drive. Warwickshire and Worcestershire are pretty decent apart from an odd mine pit, but go to Glasgow or worse - Sheffield and you may as well be driving a LandCruiser or full on tank. It's that bad. Some councils perhaps think they can keep the road repair money and spend it how they like.
 
We're into Spring here now and that mean roadworks season. Currently can't move for the buggers.
 
Funny, I was just saying to my wife the other day how nice it is to see our roads are kept in good condition.
We live not far from Carmarthen and they always seem to be resurfacing some road or another.

There is the odd pothole here and there, but nothing bad.
 
ecoleman said:
Funny, I was just saying to my wife the other day how nice it is to see our roads are kept in good condition.
We live not far from Carmarthen and they always seem to be resurfacing some road or another.

There is the odd pothole here and there, but nothing bad.
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I love the Welsh roads - I think Wales benefits from EU money and Powys is one area in particular than receives much money from Europe.
 
EdwardL said:
I love the Welsh roads - I think Wales benefits from EU money and Powys is one area in particular than receives much money from Europe.
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Yes, but it doesn't pay for upkeep of roads. New roads and major realignment projects etc can and do get such funding, but the general maintenance is purely down to the county council. Do not get me started on Powys County Council however, they make the chuckle brothers look professional.
 
srichards said:
Bearing in mind a couple of cyclists have died due to hitting potholes there is no excuse for not keeping roads in decent condition.
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Bad for motorcyclists also. I report them time after time - nothing happens.
 
JonathanRyan said:
What happens when you report them?

I've grumbled about loads of potholes. I've reported 2, one of which had been right across the carriageway for 4 months. They were both fixed within a week.

Do your bit ;) https://www.fixmystreet.com/
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That's ok as a website but your local council usually have a way to complain also. I've found that things logged on websites get ignored or put to the back of the list. Actually ringing the local highways department, asking what date the repair will take place, and contacting the local councillor moves things along better.
 
Byker28i said:
That's ok as a website but your local council usually have a way to complain also. I've found that things logged on websites get ignored or put to the back of the list. Actually ringing the local highways department, asking what date the repair will take place, and contacting the local councillor moves things along better.
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You're right that different councils will react in different ways. Mine's actually pretty good.

This website generates an email from your email address so you could instead just email them and it would be the same but on the website it captures all the data they need.
 
we have a report a pothole page on the council website:
http://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20040/road_safety_maintenance_and_repairs/339/report_a_pothole

Note their requirements

No action is taken if the pothole is less than 31mm deep on a road, or less than 26mm deep on a footpath or cycleway

Response times
Potholes in excess of 40mm are repaired within 24 hours of identification.

All other potholes are assessed and are repaired within 6 weeks of identification.
 
beyond the blue said:
I always thought that the Welsh roads were funded by speeding fines from English motorists. :D
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I don't care who funds them as long as they are kept in good order.
I reported a lot of litter on our road between our village and Carmarthen town and 10 days later it's all been cleared up and they've resurfaced part of the road and painted all new road markings.
 
I believe Kent County Council say that a pothole has to be reported by three separate people before any action is taken.

There's one on my way to work that by now must qualify as a lido. :(
 
I remember a story from last year where someone was drawing penisis(hope that's spelt right) on pothholes in Bury, which lead to lots of people reporting them and the potholes being repaired faster than usual.

Penis potholes

hopefully i've not broken any rules with this post.
 
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