Farewell potholes?

[Salted_Peanut]

For a change, here’s some hope for a Monday morning: Farewell potholes? UK team invents self-healing road surface

The Guardian said:

UK team invents self-healing road surface

The international team devised a self-healing bitumen that mends cracks as they form by fusing the asphalt back together. In laboratory tests, pieces of the material repaired small fractures within an hour of them first appearing.

[phil4]

The cynic in me says that it'll extend lifetime of the road by 30%, and cost 30% more.

I think there's only two viable ways to solve the issue... either pump a lot more money into solving the issue... or reduce the cost significantly so we can do much more for the same expenditure.

[MesoForm]

Meh, we get these breakthroughs every few years it seems but nothing changes
January 2024
https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/uk-...
May 2017
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/self...

I'm sure someone with more time can find more examples

[mac96]

Salted_Peanut said:

For a change, here’s some hope for a Monday morning: Farewell potholes? UK team invents self-healing road surface

The Guardian said:

UK team invents self-healing road surface

The international team devised a self-healing bitumen that mends cracks as they form by fusing the asphalt back together. In laboratory tests, pieces of the material repaired small fractures within an hour of them first appearing.

I wonder how relevant this really is? In the real world, once a pothole appears it is often not given an hour to self heal, it is pounded over by vehicles which immediately enlarge it until it is no longer a crack but a hole a foot across, exactly as shown in the photo illustrating the linked article.

[Megaflow]

Brilliant. We can't afford to fix the existing potholes, but now we have a new material that if we could afford to resurface all the roads in the UK means we won't have any potholes.

I can't see a problem here at all.

[anonymous-user]

I went for a decent drive for the first time in a few months over the weekend and I could not believe how bad the potholes have got again. Some serious large ones about that look like they would do a lot of damage if you hit them.

I hate owning a car with firm suspension, I can see why every other person has an SUV

[Geoffcapes]

Having just shelled out 500 quid for a new suspension part caused by a pot hole this is a great idea.

However, it will never happen as it will just too expensive and therefore be unaffordable.

We have to make sure our cars are roadworthy, surely someone should make sure the roads are worthy of our cars.

[MDMA .]

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

I went for a decent drive for the first time in a few months over the weekend and I could not believe how bad the potholes have got again. Some serious large ones about that look like they would do a lot of damage if you hit them.

I hate owning a car with firm suspension, I can see why every other person has an SUV

A few us went out on Sunday and this was the talking point. Even previously good roads are terrible now. The answer between us was an older SUV/4x4 with a big tyre for todays 3rd world conditions.

[TA14]

MDMA . said:

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

I went for a decent drive for the first time in a few months over the weekend and I could not believe how bad the potholes have got again. Some serious large ones about that look like they would do a lot of damage if you hit them.

I hate owning a car with firm suspension, I can see why every other person has an SUV

A few us went out on Sunday and this was the talking point. Even previously good roads are terrible now. The answer between us was an older SUV/4x4 with a big tyre for todays 3rd world conditions.

but the extra weight of SUVs accelerates pot hole creation...

[Huzzah]

MDMA . said:

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

I went for a decent drive for the first time in a few months over the weekend and I could not believe how bad the potholes have got again. Some serious large ones about that look like they would do a lot of damage if you hit them.

I hate owning a car with firm suspension, I can see why every other person has an SUV

A few us went out on Sunday and this was the talking point. Even previously good roads are terrible now. The answer between us was an older SUV/4x4 with a big tyre for todays 3rd world conditions.

Hardly 3rd world conditions.

An ordinary car with sensible tyres copes fine.

[cliffords]

TA14 said:

MDMA . said:

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

I went for a decent drive for the first time in a few months over the weekend and I could not believe how bad the potholes have got again. Some serious large ones about that look like they would do a lot of damage if you hit them.

I hate owning a car with firm suspension, I can see why every other person has an SUV

A few us went out on Sunday and this was the talking point. Even previously good roads are terrible now. The answer between us was an older SUV/4x4 with a big tyre for todays 3rd world conditions.

but the extra weight of SUVs accelerates pot hole creation...

The heavier cars are the EV's. Since they are on the increase, roads do seem to have got worse.

[silentbrown]

cliffords said:

The heavier cars are the EV's. Since they are on the increase, roads do seem to have got worse.

Here in Herefordshire it's a triple whammy

• Heavier vehicles
• Extreme weather
• Hopeless council

Daughter's mini had a broken rear spring last month, and has just ejected all the oil from a front strut. We're spending more time watching the road surface than other hazerds.

[Robertb]

Huzzah said:

Hardly 3rd world conditions.

An ordinary car with sensible tyres copes fine.

People are killed or seriously injured in the UK due to the state of some road surfaces. It’s unacceptable.

[MDMA .]

TA14 said:

MDMA . said:

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

I went for a decent drive for the first time in a few months over the weekend and I could not believe how bad the potholes have got again. Some serious large ones about that look like they would do a lot of damage if you hit them.

I hate owning a car with firm suspension, I can see why every other person has an SUV

A few us went out on Sunday and this was the talking point. Even previously good roads are terrible now. The answer between us was an older SUV/4x4 with a big tyre for todays 3rd world conditions.

but the extra weight of SUVs accelerates pot hole creation...

Not really. The problem is the switch the SMA tarmac. It was a bad decision to use on the roads over here. It’s a bit quieter, but the results are now evident.

[Salted_Peanut]

Huzzah said:

An ordinary car with sensible tyres copes fine.

IME, an ordinary motorbike (or bicycle) with sensible tyres, can find many roads in such a poor state that it’s dangerous.

[POIDH]

Robertb said:

Huzzah said:

Hardly 3rd world conditions.

An ordinary car with sensible tyres copes fine.

People are killed or seriously injured in the UK due to the state of some road surfaces. It’s unacceptable.

Have you a source for that claim?

[outnumbered]

The only way to say farewell to potholes is to move to Switzerland.

[Huzzah]

Salted_Peanut said:

Huzzah said:

An ordinary car with sensible tyres copes fine.

IME, an ordinary motorbike (or bicycle) with sensible tyres, can find many roads in such a poor state that it’s dangerous.

Cyclists and low powered motorcycles really do get the stty end of the stick.

[Robertb]

POIDH said:

Robertb said:

Huzzah said:

Hardly 3rd world conditions.

An ordinary car with sensible tyres copes fine.

People are killed or seriously injured in the UK due to the state of some road surfaces. It’s unacceptable.

Have you a source for that claim?

Just a few examples, there's plenty more...

https://www.wsfp.co.uk/news/motorcyclist-gary-thor...

https://road.cc/content/news/council-missed-fatal-...

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surre...

[Olivergt]

cliffords said:

The heavier cars are the EV's. Since they are on the increase, roads do seem to have got worse.

Given that EVs are not that much heavier and are significantly lighter than every transit, lgv and hgv out there.

Can you please explain how EVs are the cause of more potholes please.

P.S. the weight difference has been discussed a million times already on PH.

There is also the fact that EVs are much smoother at putting their power down compared to ICE, and particularly diesel ICE.