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Potholes.

(81 Posts)
Urmstongran Sun 17-Mar-24 08:25:23

With the current weather they are full of water and, in the dark are effectively invisible. It’s like a slalom course on some roads. Repairs? Who knows - but the local council have just notified us of a 5.1% council tax increase.

UK roads are absolutely shocking.

BlueBelle Sun 17-Mar-24 17:15:17

Someone’s been spray painting penises around our potholes at least it shows you where they are
They are awful, the potholes not the penises …. Well they might be awful as well I don’t know

foxie48 Sun 17-Mar-24 16:49:51

We have a huge problem with our country lanes that carry an increasing amount of farm traffic as well as cars, many are basically single track with few passing places and no pavements. The edges of the lanes crumble away and fill up with rainwater or run off from fields and can get dangerously deep. On a very wet Sunday afternoon, someone accidently drove off the edge of our lane at speed, lost control and took out 20 metres of our hedge, narrowly missing an oak tree, the car ploughed on through the wet grass and was buried completely in another thick hedge. The car was a write off but the driver was very lucky and escaped with a fright and we got a £2,500 pay out for the hedge to be repaired in order to make it stock proof from his insurance company.

TinSoldier Sun 17-Mar-24 16:45:36

There is a levy on foreign hauliers as there is on all HGV vehicles. It was introduced in April 2014.

www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-truck-firms-set-to-pay-to-use-uk-roads-for-first-time

MayBee70 Sun 17-Mar-24 16:36:04

Didn’t realise foreign vehicles were the problem? Maybe we should charge tariffs on our roads the way they do in Europe?

Cherrytree59 Sun 17-Mar-24 16:08:10

Just back from road trip to France.
Came across Zero pot holes!
Drove off the Chunnel and first thing we see a bloody great pot hole!

I don't remember until recently seeing potholes on our motorways
If we charged foreign vehicles to use our roads, especially lorries it would help with our road repairs.

We live between two motorways junctions and quite often if motorway has an accident, we have huge lorries diverted through our village.

MaizieD Sun 17-Mar-24 15:47:37

Casdon

MaizieD

Theexwife

nanna8

Wouldn’t it be good if the bills for car repairs could be sent to those responsible for the road upkeep? They should be ! Road traffic authority or local councils here.

You can submit the bills. It is important to report the potholes, those that are responsible for fixing them cannot if they dont know where they are.

Those who are responsible for fixing them don't have the money to do it. This is because of government state non spending policy. Why can't people make the connection?

I think many of can make the connection easily MaizieD, and still be heartily sick of potholes! If the next government were to prioritise this one issue and get it sorted out there would be a rise in the national mood I think, as well as a reduction in accidents.

The posters who back 'small state' parties don't seem to be able to make the connection, Casdon.

Gwyllt Sun 17-Mar-24 15:46:30

According to visitors this part of Wales has less potholes than England

MaizieD Sun 17-Mar-24 15:42:41

Callistemon21

When potholes are filled, councils choose the cheapest option and often the asphalt is poor quality and doesn't last anyway.

Pay cheap, pay twice.

When you're on a tight budget you sometimes have to choose between the cheap option or nothing at all.

We all know that the initially expensive option will save money over time, but the spending of 'public' money often doesn't allow for an initial 'big spend' that will lead to long term savings.

Casdon Sun 17-Mar-24 15:37:27

It’s worsened considerably in the last decade.
www.statista.com/statistics/298667/united-kingdom-uk-public-sector-expenditure-national-roads/
The amount spent on roads UK wide hasn’t risen in line with inflation. The cumulative inflation rate is about 50% higher than in 2010, so we should be spending 1.5 times as much now just to stand still.

Callistemon21 Sun 17-Mar-24 14:24:44

It's cheap asphalt and surfaces, rain followed by freezing conditions which causes expansion and breakdown, and the general volume of traffic.
As well as lack of maintenance.

30 years ago DH said that there was no planned maintenance carried out in the country any more and it hasn't improved.

Margiknot Sun 17-Mar-24 14:18:22

My husband hit a deep pot hole on a motorway slip road in heavy rain ( invisible in the wet) and hit the underside of the car. It’s still there and getting bigger.
I read somewhere that although equivalent EV models of cars are heavier than their petrol equivalents, ( batteries weigh mote than modern engines) many EVs are smaller model cars replacing mid size conventional family cars so the average weight of EV cars on the UK roads is similar to conventional fuel cars. If this really is the case perhaps weight of EV cars alone cannot be the only cause of the recent increase in potholes.

Callistemon21 Sun 17-Mar-24 12:24:54

When potholes are filled, councils choose the cheapest option and often the asphalt is poor quality and doesn't last anyway.

Pay cheap, pay twice.

Callistemon21 Sun 17-Mar-24 12:21:06

Whitewavemark2

Urmstongran

Heavy continental container lorries too on our roads. Whatever happened to freight trains as transportation? I notice so many on our motorways now.

Beeching. Another ridiculous and shortsighted Tory idea.

To be fair, Dr Beeching gets the flack but it was the decision of Ernest Marple, Minister for Transport who, coincidentally had interests in firms building motorways.
The railways were losing money at the time.

Perhaps neither envisaged the volume of traffic on the roads 60 years later.

The number and size of potholes, even on motorways now, has become really dangerous.

Purplepixie Sun 17-Mar-24 12:14:04

We live in Northamptonshire and our roads seem to be the worst in the country!!!!! Yesterday I felt seasick driving around these blooming potholes and I think it is a disgrace that they dare to put the council tax up!!! Angry!!!!!

Casdon Sun 17-Mar-24 12:11:48

MaizieD

Theexwife

nanna8

Wouldn’t it be good if the bills for car repairs could be sent to those responsible for the road upkeep? They should be ! Road traffic authority or local councils here.

You can submit the bills. It is important to report the potholes, those that are responsible for fixing them cannot if they dont know where they are.

Those who are responsible for fixing them don't have the money to do it. This is because of government state non spending policy. Why can't people make the connection?

I think many of can make the connection easily MaizieD, and still be heartily sick of potholes! If the next government were to prioritise this one issue and get it sorted out there would be a rise in the national mood I think, as well as a reduction in accidents.

nanna8 Sun 17-Mar-24 12:10:35

They do, though. It’s obvious.

MaizieD Sun 17-Mar-24 11:44:36

Theexwife

nanna8

Wouldn’t it be good if the bills for car repairs could be sent to those responsible for the road upkeep? They should be ! Road traffic authority or local councils here.

You can submit the bills. It is important to report the potholes, those that are responsible for fixing them cannot if they dont know where they are.

Those who are responsible for fixing them don't have the money to do it. This is because of government state non spending policy. Why can't people make the connection?

Theexwife Sun 17-Mar-24 11:25:16

nanna8

Wouldn’t it be good if the bills for car repairs could be sent to those responsible for the road upkeep? They should be ! Road traffic authority or local councils here.

You can submit the bills. It is important to report the potholes, those that are responsible for fixing them cannot if they dont know where they are.

nanna8 Sun 17-Mar-24 10:49:58

Wouldn’t it be good if the bills for car repairs could be sent to those responsible for the road upkeep? They should be ! Road traffic authority or local councils here.

Sago Sun 17-Mar-24 10:34:14

We are currently with our daughter in Cheshire East, the potholes are dreadful.
Just how the roads looked when we went to East Germany in the early nineties.

MaizieD Sun 17-Mar-24 10:16:25

Urmstongran

Heavy continental container lorries too on our roads. Whatever happened to freight trains as transportation? I notice so many on our motorways now.

Heavy freight has been using the roads for decades now, people have been bemoaning the decline of rail freight transport since at least the 1970s. There has been no noticeable deterioration in our roads until quite recently.

I'm afraid that the current decline is all down to the 'small state' ideology of the tories since at least 2010... Cutting government spending and cutting allocations to local government has had its inevitable result.

I'm afraid that it is highly ironic that you should be complaining about its results when you are a flag waver for 'small state'. We're getting what you wanted.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 17-Mar-24 10:02:15

Urmstongran

Heavy continental container lorries too on our roads. Whatever happened to freight trains as transportation? I notice so many on our motorways now.

Beeching. Another ridiculous and shortsighted Tory idea.

Urmstongran Sun 17-Mar-24 09:29:29

Heavy continental container lorries too on our roads. Whatever happened to freight trains as transportation? I notice so many on our motorways now.

Urmstongran Sun 17-Mar-24 09:27:26

Casdon 😊

It must be extra difficult for cyclists and motorcyclists as cars swerve to avoid potholes (understandably) at the last moment.

Aveline Sun 17-Mar-24 09:23:50

Roads diabolical round here. We slalom around.