or in excess of Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Judging by the disturbing number of potholes which seem to be breeding at an alarming rate, i was wondering if it is now standard practice for councils to ignore them. Where i live there are huge craters, which have been there for a couple of years. A few years ago, you would never see potholes, as they were repaired immediately. Now there is no attempt whatsoever to do anything about them. They seem happy to just blame the winter weather and sit on their backsides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Do you report them? http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ Manchester nicely repaired one of the least bad roads near me. Then some utility company came and dug it up within a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninstockport Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 It's the CUTS innit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 It's the CUTS innit. Oldham has a instant service. Worked really well when I've used it on side roads. The main roads they have to close to do though so that's trickier. http://www.oldham.gov.uk/cs-potholes.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone baby gone Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 It's the CUTS innit. It would be funny, if it wasn't true. Posters on this very website have been crying out for cuts in public spending for years, and when the effects of the cuts become visible, they get all upset! It's a bit unfortunate that the cuts have coincided with the coldest winter for 30 years or so, but hey ho. Up here in Scotland many of the roads are literally disintegrating - night time temps of -15c for weeks on end can have that effect. I've travelled extensively on roads all over Europe and the US, and the UK roads are pretty well maintained by comparison. In fact I would say that the UK has the most consistently maintained roads I've ever seen - that is, the road rating (A road, B road, motorway) gives you an accurate impression of the road surface quality. Due to the massive damage done to the road network this winter - and the fact that this hasn't happened on such a scale for so long - it's going to take months if not years to get things patched up. Even when we did have extremely cold winters in the past, the road surfaces were different - grippy top coatings like shellgrip, etc were not in widespread use 30 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 It would be funny, if it wasn't true. Posters on this very website have been crying out for cuts in public spending for years, and when the effects of the cuts become visible, they get all upset! Cut the excessive management. Manchester have/are merging 3 departments that deal with highways! That's 3X the number of managers there needs to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 I've noticed this as well in the West Midlands the side roads are littered with potholes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PbroAgent Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Do you report them? http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ Manchester nicely repaired one of the least bad roads near me. Then some utility company came and dug it up within a week. I used that service a couple of years ago and a nasty pot hole near where I live was filled in within the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellow Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 I've noticed this as well in the West Midlands the side roads are littered with potholes. You should try driving in Blackpool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the shaping machine Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 An obvious solution is to have a set proportion of motoring taxes go to road repairs. As to why politicians dislike hypothecated taxes, that is a separate debate. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone baby gone Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Cut the excessive management. I think you might be deluding yourself that Highways departments are blowing all their money on management. UK motorways cost £23 million per mile to construct, obviously resurfacing old ones is significantly cheaper, and working on A and B roads cheaper still, but the cost of road surfacing (which is almost exclusively outsourced) is very high. Councils have less income, but they now have even greater requirements for expenditure. Especially since many will have to make huge redundancy payouts this year, at precisely the moment the roads have deteriorated due to the weather. Get used to bumpy roads, you're going to be enjoying them for years to come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Get used to bumpy roads, you're going to be enjoying them for years to come Can't complain, you should see the roads in Siberia in some of the smaller towns, the pot holes ARE the road, it was enough to drive me spare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Get used to bumpy roads, you're going to be enjoying them for years to come Or fill them in yourself.....no joke I've seen it happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone baby gone Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Or fill them in yourself.....no joke I've seen it happening. On the motorway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone baby gone Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Can't complain, you should see the roads in Siberia in some of the smaller towns, the pot holes ARE the road, it was enough to drive me spare. I was out for a drink with Austin Vince this week. He said that Siberia was a piece of piss and the road of bones was nowt much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 It would be funny, if it wasn't true. Posters on this very website have been crying out for cuts in public spending for years, and when the effects of the cuts become visible, they get all upset! It's a bit unfortunate that the cuts have coincided with the coldest winter for 30 years or so, but hey ho. Up here in Scotland many of the roads are literally disintegrating - night time temps of -15c for weeks on end can have that effect. I've travelled extensively on roads all over Europe and the US, and the UK roads are pretty well maintained by comparison. In fact I would say that the UK has the most consistently maintained roads I've ever seen - that is, the road rating (A road, B road, motorway) gives you an accurate impression of the road surface quality. Due to the massive damage done to the road network this winter - and the fact that this hasn't happened on such a scale for so long - it's going to take months if not years to get things patched up. Even when we did have extremely cold winters in the past, the road surfaces were different - grippy top coatings like shellgrip, etc were not in widespread use 30 years ago. ********. Cold makes BAD roads worse. It does not make good roads bad. You have fallen for the usual nonsense peddled by the local Government. If a road is in good nick and there is a mega cold winter ? It will be in good nick come March. End of story. Fact. End off. This +1 This ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 The roads in Wales are noticeably better than those in England. Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone baby gone Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 ********. Cold makes BAD roads worse. It does not make good roads bad. You have fallen for the usual nonsense peddled by the local Government. So, if a country had perfect roads with no tiny imperceptible cracks - for water or snow to sink into and free then expand - they would not have to deal with pot holes and crumbling roads in Spring? Unfortunately, no such country exists, which is why if you travel anywhere with cold winters and warm summers you'll see potholes in Spring and lots of evidence of road repair (overbanding, patches, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 It would be funny, if it wasn't true. Due to the massive damage done to the road network this winter - and the fact that this hasn't happened on such a scale for so long - it's going to take months if not years to get things patched up. Even when we did have extremely cold winters in the past, the road surfaces were different - grippy top coatings like shellgrip, etc were not in widespread use 30 years ago. I am amused by some of the shoddy repairs that are going on. Some of the roads around me have potholes that are repaired then within a week the patched sections are disintegrating and seem to be worse than if they had just left them in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ayatollah Buggeri Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Can't complain, you should see the roads in Siberia in some of the smaller towns, the pot holes ARE the road, it was enough to drive me spare. But the ones in Alaska are as smooth as a pancake. You could put a cup of coffee, filled to the brim, on the dashboard of your car and then drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks without spilling a drop. And the weather there isn't exactly temperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 So, if a country had perfect roads with no tiny imperceptible cracks - for water or snow to sink into and free then expand - they would not have to deal with pot holes and crumbling roads in Spring? Unfortunately, no such country exists, which is why if you travel anywhere with cold winters and warm summers you'll see potholes in Spring and lots of evidence of road repair (overbanding, patches, etc). Of course roads need basic maintenance. However tiny cracks only appear very gradually over a number of years. If the roads are looked after and in good nick there is not an issue. End of story. See below. There is a road near me that was done properly 2 years ago. Had 2 years of cold, snowploughs, ice, freezing and everything else. Result ? Perfect condition. The 'cold weather makes the roads bad' chat is just made up by Local councils as an excuse. This is a fact and there is no debate on the matter. But the ones in Alaska are as smooth as a pancake. You could put a cup of coffee, filled to the brim, on the dashboard of your car and then drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks without spilling a drop. And the weather there isn't exactly temperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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