To the forum,
I moved back to Cheshire from London a couple of months back after being away for 2 years. As I drive round more and more, rediscovering roads I used to frequent, I can't help but notice the appalling state the roads have deteriorated into.
Loads of country lanes I used to really enjoy driving on I now wouldn't dare take my new car onto. Big holes missing in the road, chunks of tarmac missing leaving gaping (and tyre/wheel destroying) holes, road markings worn away etc etc. But this also doesn't just apply to "back lanes" - Several roads I used to drive on into and out of uni near Manchester 5 years ago are now riddled with holes and damage and you genuinely have to be careful what path you take to use down the road. Same down in Stafford too.
I don't for one moment think that this is limited to this area as my last trip to Devon for a few years showed up loads of previously good roads now in a similar state.
What the hell is the government/councils playing at? At this rate we'll all have now choice but to be driving round in Landrovers! If they continue to leave the roads just how bad are they going to let things get before something is done?
Discuss!
Dan J
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It's a ploy to slow you down...
Some time soon THEY will resurface a nice clear stretch with new markings and catseyes and stuff (a camera in "bright" battleship gray) to earn some more for, Errrrr, what was all this money for any way?
Mr. P. Aranoid
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We have just had part of the A55 re-surfaced with "quiet" tarmac.
I see "they"" took the opportunity to bury inductive loops along two miles of dual carriageway. Can't think why.
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Yep, went up to Worcestershire this weekend. I noticed there was money for large new signs on the way onto the village that seed totally out of place. Yet there were large cracks and pothols all the way in.
Last night I returned a differnt way to my usual route on a long roman road (a new route for me), now a 'B' road.
The irony hit me that two and a half thousand years ago the road I was on would have been smooth and well drained and quite suitable for swift driving. I felt I was taking my life into my hands at fairly modest speeds. Potholes and puddles abounding.
I'm all for cutting costs on our road network. But it strikes me that where there's cash for speed bumps and, even worse useless signs in out of the way Hamlets someone could divert some to road maintainance.
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into, seemed, potholes, different.
To think I regularly argue we don't need an edit button.
And in a second bit of irony, I got flashed from the front by a speed camera!
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One stretch of rural road which I use daily is becoming dangerous in the dark because the white lines down the centre and edges have worn out and the catseyes are almost non-existent.
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DanJ - I live in north Cheshire on the east side of Manchester. The roads around here are a mess, with sunken drains and manhole covers all over the place, many of them large and deep enough to cause wheel damage if hit at a reasonable speed.
Nothing is done unless you complain. In the back of our local authority's propaganda booklet is a complaint form, which I filled in with gripes about specific roads. Guess what? A week later, someone phoned me to confirm the details, and a few weeks after that the holes were sorted!
Not very well, but at least *something* was done.
Get complaining!
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Macclesfield Council by any chance?
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In the south of England many of the roads suffered because of last winter's excessive rainfall and they haven't been properly repaired. Also, I get the feeling that resurfacing quality is often poor.
As a motorcyclist, I find that many country roads are just too badly maintained to be safe.
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Was it not years ago that Local Highways Authorities used to employ what I called 'Milestone Inspectors'? They used to patrol the roads looking for problems, report them and attention given where possible. Councils are now strapped for cash, particularly Highways, despite ever increases in Council Tax and no extra help from HMG from the massive funds they collect from motorists.
So Milestone Inspectors were blown away to save costs.
No good moaning on this site. Andy above shows how to get action. Bombard your Highways with letters of complaint in civil terms please.
DVD
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When I had a "real" job I was involved in excavating the highway to do this and that, causing just the sort of aggro drivers hate.
When we reinstated the surface it had to be to the Highways Authority standards. They had plenty of inspectors then (over ten years ago) and they were very particular, we respected their power.
Often they would call the depot at about 3pm on Friday with a sunken hole in an obscure location. Whatever the cost a team was moved to sort this or they would send in their own men and charge a whacking rate for the job.
Now it would be hard to tell the dodgy reinstated hole from the highway.
And that is of course why we all need Citroens!
David
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A real dangerous one:
"Give Way" lines worn and invisibile (esp. when wet)
White lines in centre of "main" road (to be joined) more visibile than "Give Way" lines.
Partially-distracted driver treats white lines as stop line (esp. if hedges on all sides)
Crunch. T-boned by car on main road.
Been there. Almost done that..
rg
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Interested to see Andy's reply - might take that route with a couple of ditches that pass for roads around here. The A629 from Ingbirchworth towards Huddersfield is a particular mess.
I mentioned in an earlier thread that I swapped the tyres on my Xantia over Christmas, a direct result of hitting some gaping hole in the road down the side of Derwentwater at about 25mph, causing the sidewall of a rear to give way and protude like an 'egg'. No chance of a fix, so had to cough up for a new pair of tyres.
Also, the new stretch of the M1 around Leeds has a huge drop in it some 5/6 miles before the M62 as you head south. That road can't be more than 4 years old.
In agreement with David though, things would be much worse in anything other than the doom-blue magic carpet.
Lee.
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Dan,
Have you been to Chester lately?
Jeepers, wot a mess.
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Dan,
Have you been to Chester lately?
Jeepers, wot a mess.
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Andy's reply is interesting - I think if you complain about specific faults in road surfaces they have to do something about it in a "reasonable time". Otherwise if you sustain damage from said surface I believe they are liable. Not sure what reasonable constitutes but someone will probably know.
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The big problem is that, at best, a pothole allows water and ice into the structure of the road to destroy it down to the foundations, at worst, it's surface evidence of that already happening.
If you don't act quickly, instead of the repair and disruption costs of a pot-hole repair: you have to completely rip up the road and rebuild it from the foundations up.
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Hey, fellers! Spare a thought for some of us who ride bicyles. I bought a new bike last June and have suffered 2 broken spokes on so called "smooth" roads.
Ian
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Good idea there; when you complain, complain AS A CYCLIST.
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You'll have to forgive me, I must be a bit thicker than I thought Tomo. Ian is a cyclist and is complaining (and presumably as a cyclist). You'll have to spell it out for me. Sorry to put my spoke in if it's not wanted.
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Road repair in the UK used to be the envy of the western world... you could drive across a section of repaired road (cross trenched straight trenched etc. etc.) and if not for the colour difference you would not even know it was there
RANT# 12
Over the last 5 years the state of repair has descended almost to the level of road repairs in the North East of the USA., (New England) It does seem to be a conspiracy to force us all into SUVs but when I start feeling the pot holes in a Range Rover I start to understand the declining numbers of normal cars... some springtime pot holes could swallow a focus and provide a level ride for the car behind... and what passes for cross road trench repair or utility repair today is a joke! does no one check this private contract work anymore? any even (or perhaps especially) council repairs are frequently somewhat less than sub par... I put it down to the replacement of the giant Steam roller with these tiny machines the size of Bobcats with rollers that at best can not weigh more than 3 or 4 hundredweight
RANT # 13
Why is it that no mater where in the world you all if you see a crew repairing a pot hole it will have say 5 to 8 chaps standing around... one or 2 pretending to direct traffic, 2 or 3 leaning on their idiot sticks one making desultory moves at shifting some fill or hot patch and rest reading the racing form.... this is universal... I have NEVER passed roadwork's where everyone was actually WORKING!
RANT OFF
Best
~Randolph
Nantucket Island, USA 10 months of the year
On the roads of the UK about 2 months of the year
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Randolph
You may think you're hard done by, but in a couple of visits to New England (Mass. and Vermont) I've always been impressed that the road works there actually have work going on, with some apparent sense of urgency, and there are no more cones than necessary.
The usual UK scenario is a motorway lane coned off with no apparent work going on anywhere. Sometimes the cone squad try to fool us with 'lane coned off for safety reasons' notices. But, whatever, the cones always seem to extend well beyond what seems to be a limited working area.
I'm sure that the greater use of underground services in the UK compared to the US is another contributing factor to increased levels of road works.
I also note that every road works in New England seems to have a Policeman in attendance. I believe from a friend working in Mass. that this is a legal requirement, and paid for by the contractor. It would be ideal here (if we had enough police) to stop those irritating drivers who drive right up the outside of the queue and push in at the front. I sure wouldn't argue with the average armed American cop!
As for the state of the roads, well I reckon you do a pretty good job given the road mileage and population density. Maybe you see a decline, but we didn't perceive a great problem. No pothole problems in a Neon and a Grand Am. In many ways I envy my friend working out there!
However, I do feel sorry for Bostonians with the 'Big Dig'! I'm sure it will be great when it's complete, but right now it's not much fun.
regards
John
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You may not have seen the signs which now precede lane closures which encourage people to queue using both lanes ?
Then, right at the start of the closure there's one that says "merge in turn".
I assume that this is to stop people queing in one lane from miles back & it seems to work OK.
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Matt
Crikey - a sensible traffic policy at last!
I've always believed that was the logical way to do it, as it minimises queue length, but it needs cooperation, and so few drivers seem to like letting the outside lane in. Perhaps with a sign reminding them it might work!
Excellent.
You can't beat 16 stone of armed officer for bringing about good manners though!
Regards
John
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I phoned round today and eventually located the council responsible for the bit of road with worn-out lines mentioned above.
They apparently know about it and have it on their list to do, but have no budget left for 2001-2002, so it will have to wait until after April fool's day.
I tried to point out that it was needed now, in the dark evenings, not in the summer, but no go.
So much for safety priority.
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