Potholes pot holes fekking pot holes

[stiffknees]

hello all.
I realise there is lots on here about potholes.
I am about to start stirring the waste product on local social media, some sections of the local cycle way, section 4 of the wiltshire cycleway, are in such a state they have reverted to farm tracks, yes that bad.
Lots of local complainers have little idea who to moan at,but I have had successful past experience with local councils.
Council elections are due in May and I feel a good time to kick some of the lazy gits up the backside.
My problem is it was so long ago I have deleted all my references.
So, can anyone give me a link to legal chapter an verse on pothole repair guidelines? There is some guide to the min /max repair times for potholes that should be legally adhered to,and which is binding on councils.
Also useful would be the legal requirements to clean mud off the highway, which I know is an offence to leave mud on the road,;building contracters here have road sweeper trucks on the go all day, but multi millionaire farmers seem exempt.

Any input welcomed
thanks chaps

 

[Globalti]

Report them on Streetrepairs.co.uk It works pretty well.

 

[vickster]

And fill that hole http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/
http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/faq etc

 

[stiffknees]

Thanks chaps I think I can extract the necessary bullets from those links

 

[vickster]

Thanks chaps I think I can extract the necessary bullets from those links

And chapesses

 

[stiffknees]

@vickster, a chap my age is always grateful to a chappessif only we can remember what for.......

 

[User42542]

I am a claims handler for local authorities, and deal with pothole damage to bikes/cars.

Firstly you will need to get hold of the local authorities Highway Maintenance Plan, which will outline defect intervention levels, this is where you will be able to see whether you have a claim or not. Tie this in with ensuring inspections are completed in a timely manner according to the plan, and that any complaints are handled, and acted upon.

If your gripe is mud, then you may be banging your head up a wall, as mud is considered a transient defect, and there are bucket loads of case law to support local authorities.

 

[stiffknees]

Thanks Scott, good to have input from an inside source; I was unaware of that plan;Wilts council tend to be very evasive on these things.

But, If mud is a transient defect, why are farmers exempt from cleaning up their muck, when building sites are required to? I am talking serious deep mud here,washed out of fields as well as off tractors.

Round here along this cycle way the mud in the centre of the 6ft wide roads is so thick, it is levelled out by cars sumps; add to that the stuff washed down hill in the rain we have at a left hand junction by my house, a 4 inch deep compacted heap of gravel and mud, which is not seen until its too late, I know for a fact it has brought down several riders and given a fright to a few more; I have given up reporting it,its been there 18 months at least, and that's since I cleared it myself.

Wiltshire likes to promote itself as cycle friendly, until that is they need to sweep the cycle routes,which are badly needed due to near lethal main roads.
I live on the cycle route and have noticed a sharp decline in bikes using it this last year.

 

[classic33]

Rather than report indivual defects, one at a time. Try what I did when I got fed up of doing it that way.

Map showing where the defects are, and a seperate list detailing those defects. Numbered, on both the sheet and the map. My list ran to four sheets of A4(map excluded), making it harder ignore.

Doing the same route twice a day each way, made it easier for me.

 

[User42542]

"But, If mud is a transient defect, why are farmers exempt from cleaning up their muck, when building sites are required to? I am talking serious deep mud here,washed out of fields as well as off tractors."

The point of a transient defect is that it comes and goes, ie. Ice, Moss, litter etc, but if this mud is so thick that it doesnt dissappear, and could be considered to be hazardous, and then you would have a case to argue.


"Rather than report indivual defects, one at a time. Try what I did when I got fed up of doing it that way.

Map showing where the defects are, and a seperate list detailing those defects. Numbered, on both the sheet and the map. My list ran to four sheets of A4(map excluded), making it harder ignore.

Doing the same route twice a day each way, made it easier for me."

This is a good idea if your interests are merely to report the mess/defects to the council, and have them clean it up. This would not be helpful if you were looking to claim, as you are required to pinpoint the specific defect causing your incident, as each defect is registered and managed (ie. Some fall below intervention levels, some are new to the council etc) ie, James v Preseli Pembrokeshire.

 

[User482]

Prepare for it to get much worse: local authorities have had their funding slashed and are consequently cutting back further on road maintenance.

 

[stiffknees]

Thanks all, not looking to make a claim, just to get the wretched road sorted.
I realise money is short, but in wiltshire recently the spent 24 million re furbing a town hall, we have 98 councillors claiming nearly 2 millon in expenses, some on nearly 40k a year expenses. the leader is one of the highest paid council leaders in the country, and this county has a hard core of resident billionaires who do not pay their full whack, The money is there, its how its spent.