RE: Billions for new roads. Maybe
Discussion
k-ink said:
Indeed our small island is massively over populated. Still, the borders are wide open and people continue to have loads of kids so it will continue to get far more crowded. In the future we will have to travel at night to get anywhere.
Already there. In-laws live in the midlands so never leave the house (on the south coast) before 8pm to travel there. Makes the A34/M40 almost bearable!As far as the topic's concerned: smoke and mirrors - it'll never happen.
In a lot of Western countries we like to complain about the roads. Fact is they're comparatively very good compared to the newly industrialized or developing countries. Around big North American cities the traffic is often pretty awful, and in Texas the driving standard is poor. Australian country roads are good but again cities are congested, often even if you use their very expensive toll roads.
When I'm back in the UK visiting every year, I always think how nice it is to drive there compared to elsewhere. Driving standards are good compared to other countries, and outside of peak hours traffic is acceptable. Urban road surfaces are generally not as good as they used to be, but much better than the states.
Stop whingeing so much. There's work to be done for sure, but it's not that bad.
When I'm back in the UK visiting every year, I always think how nice it is to drive there compared to elsewhere. Driving standards are good compared to other countries, and outside of peak hours traffic is acceptable. Urban road surfaces are generally not as good as they used to be, but much better than the states.
Stop whingeing so much. There's work to be done for sure, but it's not that bad.
Why not fix up the roads we already so that they're fit for purpose first? The first thing you notice about driving in mainland Europe is that the condition of the roads over there is far, far better. Even Spain has roads in better condition, and blaming it on harsh winters just doesn't cut it I'm afraid since having just returned from driving in Norway & Sweden and roads there are in fantastic condition.
Utility companies if they dig up the road should be made to repair things properly (i.e. by resurfacing the whole road). Residents in our area had been lobbying the council for ages to get a busy but terribly potholed road resurface properly (rather than the usual shove a bit of bitumen down in the holes, and return again to do the same in 6 months because its now even worse than it was before). Finally last year the road was fully resurfaced, lovely, smooth etc. Wonderful.
6 weeks later (yes 6 weeks!), the water company came and dug a sodding great trench down the new road to supply a new development. Poorly patched repair and now less than 12 months after it was fully resurfaced the road is uneven, lumpy and starting to break up again. We've all paid for that. Absolutely boils my p**s! Cretins!
Utility companies if they dig up the road should be made to repair things properly (i.e. by resurfacing the whole road). Residents in our area had been lobbying the council for ages to get a busy but terribly potholed road resurface properly (rather than the usual shove a bit of bitumen down in the holes, and return again to do the same in 6 months because its now even worse than it was before). Finally last year the road was fully resurfaced, lovely, smooth etc. Wonderful.
6 weeks later (yes 6 weeks!), the water company came and dug a sodding great trench down the new road to supply a new development. Poorly patched repair and now less than 12 months after it was fully resurfaced the road is uneven, lumpy and starting to break up again. We've all paid for that. Absolutely boils my p**s! Cretins!
MadDog1962 said:
In a lot of Western countries we like to complain about the roads. Fact is they're comparatively very good compared to the newly industrialized or developing countries. Around big North American cities the traffic is often pretty awful, and in Texas the driving standard is poor. Australian country roads are good but again cities are congested, often even if you use their very expensive toll roads.
When I'm back in the UK visiting every year, I always think how nice it is to drive there compared to elsewhere. Driving standards are good compared to other countries, and outside of peak hours traffic is acceptable. Urban road surfaces are generally not as good as they used to be, but much better than the states.
Stop whingeing so much. There's work to be done for sure, but it's not that bad.
UK roads are generally in a terrible condition compared to other European countries I have driven in e.g. France, Switzerland, Germany. UK motorway driving etiquette is also much worse.When I'm back in the UK visiting every year, I always think how nice it is to drive there compared to elsewhere. Driving standards are good compared to other countries, and outside of peak hours traffic is acceptable. Urban road surfaces are generally not as good as they used to be, but much better than the states.
Stop whingeing so much. There's work to be done for sure, but it's not that bad.
I agree that US roads are st. Lack of investment.
All spin just like the 80mph limit they championed at last GE.
They need to focus on the poor state of the existing road network first.
Guaranteed any new roads will also be toll roads - they can't justify this sort of capital expenditure in the current climate so it will be a long way off & most likley privately financed anyway = tolls.
They need to focus on the poor state of the existing road network first.
Guaranteed any new roads will also be toll roads - they can't justify this sort of capital expenditure in the current climate so it will be a long way off & most likley privately financed anyway = tolls.
Well I would think that most roads in the UK just need a new asphalt layer? Considering a modern asphalt machine can do 25 feet a minute, 50mm thick asphalt on the roads in the UK would make most people happy.
The money is there, as punters pedalled the myth that car road tax pays for the roads and the European Union don't give you the money when the reality is that it is more local funded than you think. In fact I don't think I have ever seen a professional repair of a whole street or regular road in the 10 years I lived there.
Lots of pot holes repairs and cones but no work.
It was odd seeing the speed of it done in a European country as it rolled through. There was a guy flatbedding the cars that were blocking the street. 4 guys spraying the drains or other items on the road not to be removed and measuring heights. Next there was a machine eating the road, with a steady flow of trucks taking the contents away which after lunch went on to the next road. A street cleaner cleaning it up. That afternoon 4 guys spraying the depths and other markings and it was open by 3pm.
The following morning a van was fitting new concrete drain rings and blokes adjusting the heights of things. Then 11am the asphalt was being laid and the roller working behind it, after lunch they sprayed on temporary markings and they just rolled on to the next streets in the village.
The money is there, as punters pedalled the myth that car road tax pays for the roads and the European Union don't give you the money when the reality is that it is more local funded than you think. In fact I don't think I have ever seen a professional repair of a whole street or regular road in the 10 years I lived there.
Lots of pot holes repairs and cones but no work.
It was odd seeing the speed of it done in a European country as it rolled through. There was a guy flatbedding the cars that were blocking the street. 4 guys spraying the drains or other items on the road not to be removed and measuring heights. Next there was a machine eating the road, with a steady flow of trucks taking the contents away which after lunch went on to the next road. A street cleaner cleaning it up. That afternoon 4 guys spraying the depths and other markings and it was open by 3pm.
The following morning a van was fitting new concrete drain rings and blokes adjusting the heights of things. Then 11am the asphalt was being laid and the roller working behind it, after lunch they sprayed on temporary markings and they just rolled on to the next streets in the village.
MadDog1962 said:
Stop whingeing so much. There's work to be done for sure, but it's not that bad.
Oh, I see. Have you taken a moment to consider the price we pay "for our roads". My car costs £500 per year to tax. Then there's my £9,000 annual fuel bill - I wonder how much of that goes to the Government.
On top of that, I pay around £1,800 a year for council tax - a slab of that is supposed to go towards infrastructure including roads.
Then there's the revenue the Government makes from fines, charges and existing toll roads.
Insurance Premium Tax is also slapped on our car insurance policies.
I'm sure we wouldn't mind all these costs if they could be justified but frankly, it all adds up to being pretty freakin' shit when we consider the cost the British Motorist must endure.
I'd like them to...
Upgrade A303 to at the very least DC all the way from the M3 to Exeter.
Upgrade A34/A43 to motorway the whole way from M3 to M1.
Add outer London orbital, maybe around J8/9 of M4 meeting M1 around Hemel Hempstead and M3 around Farnborough.
Upgrade A14 from Cambridge to M1 to motorway.
I don't have enough knowledge further north, maybe upgrade the A50 to motorway from Derby to Stoke for those who want to avoid Birmingham completely.
Upgrade A303 to at the very least DC all the way from the M3 to Exeter.
Upgrade A34/A43 to motorway the whole way from M3 to M1.
Add outer London orbital, maybe around J8/9 of M4 meeting M1 around Hemel Hempstead and M3 around Farnborough.
Upgrade A14 from Cambridge to M1 to motorway.
I don't have enough knowledge further north, maybe upgrade the A50 to motorway from Derby to Stoke for those who want to avoid Birmingham completely.
Andy20vt said:
Why not fix up the roads we already so that they're fit for purpose first? The first thing you notice about driving in mainland Europe is that the condition of the roads over there is far, far better. Even Spain has roads in better condition, and blaming it on harsh winters just doesn't cut it I'm afraid since having just returned from driving in Norway & Sweden and roads there are in fantastic condition.
Utility companies if they dig up the road should be made to repair things properly (i.e. by resurfacing the whole road). Residents in our area had been lobbying the council for ages to get a busy but terribly potholed road resurface properly (rather than the usual shove a bit of bitumen down in the holes, and return again to do the same in 6 months because its now even worse than it was before). Finally last year the road was fully resurfaced, lovely, smooth etc. Wonderful.
6 weeks later (yes 6 weeks!), the water company came and dug a sodding great trench down the new road to supply a new development. Poorly patched repair and now less than 12 months after it was fully resurfaced the road is uneven, lumpy and starting to break up again. We've all paid for that. Absolutely boils my p**s! Cretins!
Agree with this. Utility companies should get one chance to lay anything under the road before it gets resurfaced. Once its been resurfaced, thats it, no digging.Utility companies if they dig up the road should be made to repair things properly (i.e. by resurfacing the whole road). Residents in our area had been lobbying the council for ages to get a busy but terribly potholed road resurface properly (rather than the usual shove a bit of bitumen down in the holes, and return again to do the same in 6 months because its now even worse than it was before). Finally last year the road was fully resurfaced, lovely, smooth etc. Wonderful.
6 weeks later (yes 6 weeks!), the water company came and dug a sodding great trench down the new road to supply a new development. Poorly patched repair and now less than 12 months after it was fully resurfaced the road is uneven, lumpy and starting to break up again. We've all paid for that. Absolutely boils my p**s! Cretins!
Gassing Station | Roads | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff