Something positive we can do to make cycling safer.

[All uphill]

I have just bought a cheapo camera for the commuter, so I might stick that on so I've got footage of the worst parts, it's honestly so bad that it's difficult to remember where all the potholes are.

Good.

I've started in my street and plan to work outwards from there.

 

[Jenkins]

Frequently report potholes and other problems using the Suffolk Council's system. Quite often fobbed of with the "added to inspection programme" or "doesn't meet the criteria" excuses, but I always keep the email confirmation just in case something does go wrong later.

 

[Drago]

Just explored "fixmystreet" and was told that Kent County Council does not accept reports from third parties.

That won't save them when someone dies. If a carrier pigeon drops a brick through their window with a note wrapped around it they should act if it contains a credible report.

 

[presta]

There's a lane near here that used to have a huge muddy pothole on the inside of a tight bend where lorry wheels dropped off the edge of the tarmac. It was perpetually full of water, so that whenever a truck came by, the wheels would drop into it and heave several gallons of liquid mud out all over the road, turning the bend into a skid pan. It was like that, getting bigger and bigger, for donkeys years before they filled it in.

There's another road in town that's used by the public, but was privately owned by a company that didn't have the funds to maintain it, and that had huge potholes in it for decades until it was eventually adopted as a public road, and rebuilt. Fortunately there was room for cars to pick their way between them.

 

[steveindenmark]

Near my home in Denmark, I reported 3 potholes on a nearby country lane. They were not dangerous, but far away from town, they would probably not be reported.

The following week the council came out and laid 1.5km of lovely black tarmac. 3 years later, it is still perfect.

Not oddly at all, I am not in the least suprised. Its how it works here

 

[mjr]

Exactly. They can't know about everything on their patch. And people whinging about stuff on social media might make them feel better but it'll never get fixed if no-one tells the council.

They can, but it's cheaper not to. There used to be area officers that knew their areas. But they've been gone a long time, replaced by pointing at maximum legally permitted routine inspection times, Transport Asset Management Plans and other ways to cut costs that endanger active travellers.

Report everything. In public. Don't trust council websites not to "lose" reports if there is a serious crash.

 

[Drago]

Report everything. In public. Don't trust council websites not to "lose" reports if there is a serious crash.

Absolutely!

That's why I use FixMyStreet, so theres a public record.

And thets probably why some LA's dislike FixMyStreet.

 

[SteveH80]

They can, but it's cheaper not to. There used to be area officers that knew their areas. But they've been gone a long time, replaced by pointing at maximum legally permitted routine inspection times, Transport Asset Management Plans and other ways to cut costs that endanger active travellers.

Report everything. In public. Don't trust council websites not to "lose" reports if there is a serious crash.

A few years back there was a lot of twittering about how "they" should should do it, and it's "their" duty to know about potholes.
We did some calculations and reckoned it would require a team of 5 people permanently driving round, plus back office support, to be able to inspect all the roads in our district on an annual basis.
I can imaging the uproar about wasted taxpayers money if a council did that.

 

[Drago]

A few years back there was a lot of twittering about how "they" should should do it, and it's "their" duty to know about potholes.
We did some calculations and reckoned it would require a team of 5 people permanently driving round, plus back office support, to be able to inspect all the roads in our district on an annual basis.
I can imaging the uproar about wasted taxpayers money if a council did that.

Yes, that exactly the sort of thjng they have a duty to do.

It can be viewed from any angle or perspective - there is simply no escaping the fact that they have a lawful duty, regardless of excuses about cost, manpower, business convenience, etc.

There is no valid excuse they can bring to bear for failing to discharge that duty - the duty is absolute, with no defence in law for failure. If they cant do the job for the budget provided they a) should not be allowed to pay their shareholders dividend, and b) be excluded from bidding for the contract ever again. The government are slowly starting to get tough with water companies over this, so perhaps they should start getting tough with companies that bid to take on the responsibility of the Highways authories who then failed to deliver while still taking their profit out of the budget.

I doubt anyone would moan about the Highways authority actually priorising their job over the shareholders dividend for a change, and the few that might complain would soon be silence when they receive damage to their vehicle or a loved one loses their life.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

A few years back there was a lot of twittering about how "they" should should do it, and it's "their" duty to know about potholes.
We did some calculations and reckoned it would require a team of 5 people permanently driving round, plus back office support, to be able to inspect all the roads in our district on an annual basis.
I can imaging the uproar about wasted taxpayers money if a council did that.

Councils already have a fair number of people driving all over their areas on a very frequent basis covering most roads. Don't need a dedicated team.

 

[All uphill]

We can moan, or we can act.

My respect and gratitude to those who act.

 

[Binky]

Whilst as a road user both in a car and on a bike I'd absolutely love every pothole repaired if anyone thinks that is feasible then you are sadly mistaken. There was a BBC program on a few weeks about this and to fix every pothole in Eng and Wales would cost something like £17 billion and take years.
It could be done but then all our council tax be increased by a huge amount. Repairs are done but in meantime more potholes are "made".
Not sure what the answer is though. Less traffic would be one but can't see that happening.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002nc89

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I generally report things if I see them

I find that taking and photo on my phone and including that helps

it is normally fly tipping that I find - the council here seen to be pretty good at keeping the road OK
they do not really need signs to show the boundary between Halton and Liverpool - you can just tell by the road surface!

I do see things on things like the local paper and the Nextdoor site/app where people are moaning
but when you ask if they have reported it they either go quiet or moan that they is no point

which is why the council don;t fix it - it hasn't been reported

I generally use the council site if I can
but some areas it is a bit undefined who does it all so I use FixMy STreet
In particular an area at the back of the airport has a long road running to the control tower and a couple of farms

but it only has access from Halton - so exactly who and how fixes it depends of what you read!

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Include a photo with something broken to chivvy them along

I don't quite go that far but I have, in the past, reported a road hazard and asked for a personal injury/damage claim form.

Fair speeds things up!

 

[matticus]

Sustrans routes (ours is just footpath status with permission for bikes, but it IS was proper paved with tarmac) seem to be pathetically low on the priorities lists.

Current battle is over some sherious damage - as in hazardous even for pedestrians - that was caused 18months ago by contractors 😡🤬