Potholes

[GlynMo]

timhum said:

Its a shame Glynmo has to be rude, I guess the roads in France are all perfect.

No, they aren't, but the situation whereby British roads were much better than the French has been reversed over the last few years. I've just driven 750 miles up through France into England, and the contrast is noticeable. What causes me to be 'rude' is the blank acceptance of the deterioration, as evidenced by your comments. Is it any wonder that the roads aren't fixed when there are people voicing the opinion that it's 'normal' that a slightly hard winter can produce roads as bad as we have now.

[Ubernoober]

Try the motorway between Brussels and Maastricht - really, really bad in places, I mean, even the taxi driver had to slow down!

[timhum]

Come on Glyn, keep calm, put down your Daily Mail or you will have a seizure. Nowhere did I refer this situation as 'normal' or that there is any 'blank acceptance' of the situation; just that a very hard winter leads to pot holes - fact. The general state of the roads is a very diferent subject to that of me voicing an opinion as to why we have a serious problem with potholes at the present time.

[Steve*B]

To be fair though Tim, the roads were in an awful state prior to the winter although it seems to be the standard excuse as to why they're in the state that they are.

Have a go at driving through Coventry; some of the worst roads I've ever experienced anywhere.

[Mermaid]

If every motorist complained about the roads to the Highways Authority & to their MP, the potholes would have a higher priority.

So we have the potholes we deserve because we have not shouted loudly enough at the aholes in charge.

Edited by Mermaid on Wednesday 7th April 15:14

[GlynMo]

timhum said:

....its just a fact the roads will be potholed, no surprise.

= acceptance of the position as being normal, in my book.

timhum said:

Try being a bit more observant and drive a little more slowly.

So, we buy expensive, fast cars and drive them slowly because the fts who are paid by us to maintain the roads, don't? Great attitude, and exactly why this country suffers the politicians it deserves.

And I don't read the Daily Mail, I read Viz (and JC)!

[RichB]

timhum said:

...just that a very hard winter leads to pot holes - fact..

I love it when someone writes 'fact' in their comment, it kind of the chat-forum equivalent of kids banging their fists and saying I'm right, simply because I know I'm right, no argument. Well I'm equally certain you are wrong because I say that the reason the roads are in such an appalling state is because the have not been maintained to a good enough standard over the preceding years.

Seriously, though the reason the water gets into the road surface, freezes and cracks it open is because the repairs have not been sealed properly with bitumen jointing between the old and newly repaired tarmac, the reason so many pot holes opened up is because the roads were already cracking open, the reason there are so many troughs is because the utility companies have been allowed to get away with cheap, bodged and shoddy temporary trench reinstatement works and the reason they crumble is because councils for years have been ignoring these problems. So you see, I would argue that if the roads are well maintained in the first place then a bit of frost, ice and snow will not destroy them. And do you know what? That's a fact. See I can do it too

[timhum]

Too many facts for me to disagree with Richard , your argument around the reason for the deterioration of our roads is very sound.

[RichB]

Right, now d'ya want yezza drive tarmacin' loik?

[toofastforme]

Does anyone remember "Boys from the Black Stuff"? Go on, gis' a job. Go on, gis' un.

OK, having started this topic, I've come to the conclusion that all the roads in the UK are f*cked. So I won't bother starting another topic on the best driving road in the UK. As far as I'm concerned it would be the very well-maintained 1/4 mile section of my driveway from the house to the junction with the local B road ... which is f*cked.

[hartley]

Councils claim they have no control over utility companies who have a statutory right to dig up roads wherever and whenever they fancy . In Edinburgh they even dig up the cobbles and patch them with tarmac right in he middle of a so called ' world heritage site '.
Truth is they could not organise a 'piss up in a brewery', even if they were motivated to look after the people who pay their salaries rather than compete with each other ( spending our money )to be more politically correct in public whilst fiddling their expenses in private.

[GTDB7]

There are roads near here which have been down for a decade or so and they are perfect.. obviously the job was done properly the first time round.

So many roads crumbling away and some are clearly visible to only have had an inch if not less of tarmac over the old surface.

Even the pikey's who knock on your door on a Sunday afternoon lay a thicker covering than that!!


And guess what!.. Many pot holes HAVE been filled here too, and it is the usual wheel barrow full of tarmac, splodged in, not smothed, sealed or anything..

The bumps from these once dips are as bad but in reverse,,, so the roads remain a disgrace!

Now if these holes were dug out properly, shaped, filled, rolled and then sealed, they'd probably last a good few years without banging your suspension.

As for driving slower and avoiding them, sometimes this is impossible!!

One example, the council dug up one side of the road near here, directly opposite the works where we were forced to drive were the worst pot holes and troughs on that road.... they dug up one side did what they had to do then left leaving the pot holes behind!!!

So not only did they block half the road off, force everyone through the worst of the holes, they then left without even trying to fill them in, even though they were 5ft away with all the equipment needed.

Absolute stupidity.

I think it must be a requirement that once elected you have to submit to a lobotomy.


For what we pay in tax, tax and then more tax,, and then insurance premiums which are a joke, just to be on the road to start with I think we all have the basic right to damage free driving.

Look at that soldier a few weeks ago, a captain in the army, who was killed avoiding a 30ft long pothole.. the council had that correctly repaired in under 36 hours after the accident.. hmmm say's it all.

As others have stated above.. years of neglect and half a$$ed repair work has led to their state of disrepair now.

Why is it most of Britain's motorway network is actually in good condition after the same weather and hundreds if not thousands of extra vehicles running over it at higher speeds and more weight???


Anyway, Rant over.. Britain is Bankrupt so nothing will ever be done about it

Edited by GTDB7 on Thursday 8th April 20:28