BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage

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Mon 14 Feb 2011 11:58
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - tobytoby

Hi there

I'm from BBC1's Inside Out London, and we're making a feature looking at the damage potholes can cause to vehicles. Have you sought compensation from your local council for damage caused?

Please do get in touch with me as soon as possible on toby.strutt@bbc.co.uk or 07951 223964

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Mon 14 Feb 2011 22:08
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - TedCrilly

A question that beats me. If a pothole is big enough to cause damge to your car and you dont see it....in the road.....directly in front of you....shouldnt you be asking yourself......I am fit to be in control of a motor vehicle?? You hit a toddler in the road in front of you and you could end up in jail, yet you hit a pothole in front of you and you could end up quids in. Hmmmmmmm???

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Mon 14 Feb 2011 22:41
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - silverback

OK I'll bite....

Toddlers tend to be above the road surface which does make them easier to spot than a hole in the road.

A hole in the road can be impossible to spot if its full of water, and very difficult to spot at other times especially at night, being almost the same colour as the road. As for being quids in if your car gets damaged by a pothole you'll be lucky to get compensation for being without the vehicle, let alone the cost of the repair. You would in any case need to prove that the council was aware of the hole AND had had a reasonable time to repair it. Potholes don't move either, just grow. A very small pothole can damage a car suspension or wheel.

There are groups of potholes in the roads near me that are even harder to spot as the road has so many patched potholes that the potholes are hard to distinguish from the patches.

Some holes are deep enough to lose a football in and, others only 2 inches deep

Some of the patches now have potholes in them. and some of the patches are patched! And some of the patterns of potholes impossible to avoid without crossing to the wrong side of the road. And some of the patches have come out completely leaving loose stones over the road.

Nearly got the car rear ended when I slowed down to try to avoid the holes. And of course theres the impatient driver in a car that he doesn't have to repair out of his own pocket and won't slow down and sprays the loose stones everywhere chipping paintwork.

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Tue 15 Feb 2011 10:26
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - turbo11

Well said silverback. We have the same on my local rural roads. There are still one or two potholes that are still awaiting filling from winter 2009. They have been remarked a number of times, as the paint has worn off. Many of the ones that were hastily patched last summer are now opening up again. One of the villages I travel through had so many potholes on one bend that drivers were swerving onto the wrong side of the road to avoid them. Fortunately when I did point this out to the council they did on this occasion re surface the whole 50 yard stretch of road within a couple of weeks.

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Tue 15 Feb 2011 20:22
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - TedCrilly

"Toddlers tend to be above the road surface"

......unless of course they, or anyone else of any particular age for that matter happens, for whatever reason, to be lying down. on the road surface.

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Wed 16 Feb 2011 08:55
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - OldSkoOL

What a rediculous point Ted.

As for potholes, I hope the BBC does a good piece on them because i'm fed up trying to dodge them. It's ok locally because i can memorize where they all are but venturing out on one occassion i hit literally a crater somewhere near wolverhampton. Luckily it was at about 20mph but the bang was incredible and eventually i can see this leading to some very expensive suspension repair bills. That's unless the tyre is damaged or the alloy cracks or buckles before hand.

Edited by OldSkoOL on 16/02/2011 at 08:55

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Wed 16 Feb 2011 11:59
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - TedCrilly

Old skoOL?

I am one of those who can easily spot potholes and poor surfaces in/on the road ahead and dont have a problem dealing with them. I just wonder what it is that sets us apart from certain others who it seems......cant.

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Wed 16 Feb 2011 12:43
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - ForumNeedsModerating

Old skoOL?

I am one of those who can easily spot potholes and poor surfaces in/on the road ahead and dont have a problem dealing with them. I just wonder what it is that sets us apart from certain others who it seems......cant.

At night? In the pouring rain? after snow? Following another vehicle or on an unknown road? You must have the eyesight of a hawk, the night vision capability of a cat, the reaction speed of a fly & the psychic powers of Mystic Meg! hahaha.

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Wed 16 Feb 2011 13:31
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - turbo11

Old skoOL?

I am one of those who can easily spot potholes and poor surfaces in/on the road ahead and dont have a problem dealing with them. I just wonder what it is that sets us apart from certain others who it seems......cant.

At night? In the pouring rain? after snow? Following another vehicle or on an unknown road? You must have the eyesight of a hawk, the night vision capability of a cat, the reaction speed of a fly & the psychic powers of Mystic Meg! hahaha.

Unlike where I live maybe there are some street lights where he lives. In the pitch black dark , on wet mud smeared roads( local quarry) on which I have to drive many of the potholes are only evident when you hit them. I am gradually learning where to drive around them in the dark. Its just annoying when new ones sometimes pop up.

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Wed 16 Feb 2011 13:05
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - silverback

"Toddlers tend to be above the road surface"

......unless of course they, or anyone else of any particular age for that matter happens, for whatever reason, to be lying down. on the road surface.

Whether lying down or standing up they are still ABOVE but touching the road surface. Unless they are hiding down in the pothole of course.

Size for size something sticking up above the road surface is likely to be easier to spot than a hollow in an otherwise flattish surface.

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Wed 16 Feb 2011 14:50
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - TedCrilly

So.... it would seem some people will chose to assume the road surface will always be sound and they dont drive in a manner that allows the them to faully assess what is ahead and act accordingly should it prove not to be...... Looks like I have answered my own question.

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Wed 16 Feb 2011 16:33
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - OldSkoOL

I will make sure I wave as i overtake you doing 10mph

Oh, wait, both hands on the wheel at all times

Edited by OldSkoOL on 16/02/2011 at 16:34

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Wed 16 Feb 2011 21:42
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - Nezza
You can not always react how you would like to, to avoid a pothole. There could be someone coming the other way, traffic islands, a line of pot holes across the road as there are around my local area. I would love to know what you do then. I suppose you have never touched a kerb when parking either, and we can all see them.
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Wed 16 Feb 2011 22:54
BBC Inside Out London - Pothole Damage - KB.
TedCrilly. I believe the reason you're not troubled by the potholes is the assistance you clearly receive from the wings on your back and the halo round your head. The wings are helping you rise above the earthly hazards that I and everyone I know are afflicted by. You're advanced abilities set you aside from mere earthbound mortals. There is absolutely no point in attempting sensible, constructive dialogue with someone as self righteous as your goodself, i.e. those points made above regarding standing water disguising six inch deep depressions - and the sheer impracticability of being unable to realistically drive a motor vehicle in such a manner and disposition, at all times, in all circumstances, and be able to detect and avoid every defect irrespective of every prevailing and constantly varying situation faced by, as I said earlier, mere simple humans.

By the way, I retain the aforementioned failings in my ability to avoid every pothole I encounter despite 43 years driving experience, and goodness knows how I passed my advanced driving tests (including passes at first grade in addition to IAM passes) plus respective refresher tests, and a Heavy Goods Licence and motorcycle licence and twenty something years of blue light driving emergency service experience. I really must try harder. I'll use you as my guiding light and saviour and example - you're clearly a very special guy

Incidentally, your spelling needs work.
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