Pot Holeing
Reporting potholes through Street Repairs
John Newman
Did you realise that Monday 16th was National Pothole Day? I didn't until a news release from Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) dropped into my inbox.
The parlous condition of many roads is a major safety issue for motorcyclists and cyclists too. So MAG, understandably, was urging its members to become involved, by reporting potholes and other road damage to
Steet Repairs, a web-based organisation which informs councils and initiates repairs where needed. MAG's 'thunderclap' campaign has seen 2,169,878 people sign up.
In 2015, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced a fund of £250 million over five years. Money to help local authorities keep on top of repairs to the minor road infrastructure they are responsible for. Sounds like a good wodge. Unless you consider that the government's own estimates for the backlog of repairs for these roads is £8.6bn.
MAG asked members to report on National Pothole Day to boost the effectiveness of the campaign. But it's easy to report at any time using the Street Repairs website and app facility. The instant picture-grab with a mobile camera means that bikers and other road users can ratchet up pressure on local and central government to take the issue more seriously.
Even if you're out enjoying your ride, swinging the bike through bends, or commuting to work and reluctant to stop. If you do see a particular piece of road in a dangerous condition, make a few minutes to take a picture and report it later. It could save damage to a bike, injury or worse.
Comments
23/01/17 - councis should stop using cowboys to do the repaires. Every winter its the same holes that are being fixed year after year. In Germany there are road repaires ive seen for years and years fixed correctly once! hoe come we carnt make a repaire 10 or more years.
25/01/17 - Because we pour tar and chippings into a hole and consider that suitable rather than properly excavating and filling it properly
25/01/17 - quit agree, but do the job right first time and seal the edges with none slip tar as laiddown by law.
24/01/17 - That would mean today riders looking.
something that the Visa card toy doesn't teach.
Building your own for far less than most spend on Shampoo each year teaches a broken front wheel is more than just a lazy visa card payments but Alot of Hassle & pain . Teaching us TRUE BIKERS to look 5times as far with noticeing most if not All dangers that will take our hard Grafted over Steeds off the road
24/01/17 - fill them with yellow line spray shames them into filling them in and makes them visible
24/01/17 - Hmmm - highway inspection frequencies have been extended over the years - London roads that were inspected every month are now a only once a year......and if you arrange a temp repair badly done so you know it will be dangerous within a month or so that's now deemed ok....the perm repair will not be done on cost grounds.....and if you want to claim for injury or damage you have to show negligence but the Highway Authority will defend by showing they do inspect and will respond with a further temp repair if notified again by the public ........you have to show the Authority was negligent by instigating a temp repair knowing that this repair would be expected to fail before the next programmed inspection......it's rather like saying we found the plane wing had fallen of so we sellotaped it back on.....and it's ok cos if we find it falls off again we will tape it back on.....they are deliberately maintainning highways knowing that this will be hazardous to road users....but stating they're not negligent.....they clearly are....but you need to show this is negligence and most folk lack the info to challenge lol.....but now you do - pissed off after 25 yrs doing their dirty work and distgusted at the callous indifference to what safety really means......
24/01/17 - Speed bumps thirty grand a piece, but no money to repair the roads ?
24/01/17 - That's not a pot hole...to an estate agent that's a waterside location. ..close to local amenities
24/01/17 - As Stuart Osborne says plus, every time they relay tar-mac because of the speed humps it cost over twice as much as just doing a flat road.
Do away with speed humps and use the saved money on decent roads.
25/01/17 - Yes l did find some more.
25/01/17 - Reporting all the ones I know could keep me busy for some time......
25/01/17 - Wot do we pay road tax for lol
25/01/17 - ROAD TAX GOES UP POT HOLES GET BIGGER
26/01/17 - One caused me to crash my Triumph st on blind bend in March 2014 still fighting for compensation