Council claims 'trench-like' pothole that likely killed cyclist "closed and opened" on its own

[tom73]

I wonder if fixmystreet.com has more publicity so the council's make more effort to fix things.

That all depends on active users and not all council's act on the information anyway. Having like ours the default of only using direct reporting.

 

[Fastpedaller]

Live only a few miles away from where the gentleman sadly lost his life and know exactly where the accident happened. I actually used to race a TT along that stretch of road, unfortunately the course has been disbanded because of the terrible state of it. The main trouble is (and I’m not trying to make excuses for the council for their complete ineptitude in this case) is that the roads around there are built on moss and peat land so because of the weight of traffic it eventually sinks, causing the huge cracks running parallel along the road which unfortunately the gentleman’s front wheel fell into. The state of the roads around where I live are absolutely shocking (just like anywhere else in this country) The trouble is even though the potholes get reported most never get fixed. A cycling friend of mine was talking to a local parish councillor about this and she (unofficially) gave the answer. A lot of the money set aside for pothole repair work has been siphoned off to pay for a new bypass nearby that has gone massively over budget

It may well be a difficult job, however many people are employed to resolve the road issue, and it seems the situation is thus:-
1) They ignore repeated reports from members of the public.
2) They prioritise major roads and rarely examine minor and often rural roads used by cyclists
3) Even though they know there are repeated issues on some roads they don't examine them more regularly but stick to a "it's a rural road and only needs checking every 2 years" narrative.
4) They are not always honest if there is a claim directed their way.
5) The reporting systems the public are forced to use are often not easy to use or fit for purpose
6) There is (to the best of my knowledge) no ombudsman or higher authority available to direct complains to.

Others may be able to add to the above list.

 

[cougie uk]

I usually hear back from the councils I report road defects too.
A bloke goes out to see if there is an issue and reports back.

I think it'd look very bad on the council of someone is hurt after them being made aware of a road fault.

I genuinely thought I was going to crash a few weeks back after finding two huge holes in the road on a fast descent near Delamere Forest the other week. Luckily the bike was sturdy. Reported those straight away but not been back to check since.

 

[Arjimlad]

In South Glos I use https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/hazards/report because it provides a database of reported potholes which could be used to prove inaction by a local authority.

I'm pleased to say that my reports seem to get acted on pretty quick, with the pothole being marked with paint in a day or two and fixed a day or two later, most of the time.

 

[Pale Rider]

Reports I've made to Cambridge CC are regularly closed, example below:-
Description of fault: Lots of potholes It's like a slalom course if driving a car along this road. I hope the motorcyclists and cyclists are able to avoid these, otherwise they will end up in hospital. This road has been terrible since last Year.Do you not care? You have a legal duty to maintain the road, and you state it on your website.
And their response:-
Your report will be assessed within 10 working days and you will receive further updates as appropriate.

I've received no updates

And another.......
Here's the report I made recently
Subsidence of road outside Monsal works Somersham Road. I note this was first reported 9/9/2022 therefore OVER A YEAR AGO. Why has it not been fixed? Some motorists are (understandably) moving over the carriageway to avoid the hazard - Will it take a head-on fatal collision before you fix the road?
And their response
This area already has repair works planned. I am awaiting costs to be returened from our contractor and this will be programmed in for carriageway patching.
And my reply
Dear Joe,

Thanks for your reply. Does it usually take over a year to get work planned or have you been unusually lax on this repair? I suspect you will be claiming the Winter weather has given problems and you are unable to repair it until next year….. and so the problems are ongoing. Maybe some need to lose their jobs within your department? Why, when you state on your website that you welcome reports from members of the public, do you ignore them for over a year? If members of the public suffer loss due to your lack of action (ie. Not repairing the defects they have reported) do you then use the claim you inspect the roads and repair within a ‘reasonable time’. One day you and your staff will be in court on a Corporate Manslaughter charge! Will that focus your attention?

Your considered response will be appreciated.
And here's his response:-
Good Morning,

Thank you for your email.

All defects are managed in accordance with our highways operational standards (HOS). In this case the immidiate action was to make safe with warning signs advising highway users of an uneven road surface.

Further action is prioritised along with all other works within the county, taking into account the severity of the defect and the class of road it is on.

Works have now been ordered for this repair and will be completed within 3 months. This timescale is a maximum and is to allow for planning of the works, traffic management permits and the aqusition of utility stats that are required to complete the job safely.
it beggars belief that they consider this to be an acceptable service. I will be terrible saddened to hear of a tragic accident, but will be providing my evidence as loudly as possible if it happens.

Your hectoring tone will do nothing to get work done and is probably counter productive.

No doubt your frustration is genuine, but you need to ask yourself if you want to vent at the council or if you want them to fix the potholes.

Local authorities are famously touchy and keen to seize on any unpleasantness as an excuse to do nothing.

A better approach would be something more conciliatory such as: "I understand budgets and resources are stretched, but this pothole has been there for some time, and I believe it represents a genuine hazard to road users, particularly vulnerable ones, etc, etc."

 

[Drago]

I was on the phone to highways a few years ago having a polite moan about a pothole.

Highways in Poshshire, and indeed in many authority areas, are managed by Kier.

The woman on the blower gave me all the excuses about budgets etc and I politely made two salient points to her with words to the effect of...

"You have a duty, a lawful obligation, to make safe dangerous defects in an expeditious manner and there is no get out clause in the legislation because money is tight - they obligation is absolute. In any case, money can't be tight if there is enough left for Kier to make a profit from the contract."

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

[Fastpedaller]

Your hectoring tone will do nothing to get work done and is probably counter productive.

No doubt your frustration is genuine, but you need to ask yourself if you want to vent at the council or if you want them to fix the potholes.

Local authorities are famously touchy and keen to seize on any unpleasantness as an excuse to do nothing.

A better approach would be something more conciliatory such as: "I understand budgets and resources are stretched, but this pothole has been there for some time, and I believe it represents a genuine hazard to road users, particularly vulnerable ones, etc, etc."

I've tried that approach and it didn't work, so I've decided to tell it to them straight in the hope they understand I won't give up!

 

[Fastpedaller]

Looks like Drago is on the same page as me. maybe a few should follow and we'll get them to take notice and do their jobs!

 

[MontyVeda]

A while back some clever sod prompted their local council to deal with potholes by spraying penises around them.

 

[Drago]

Looks like Drago is on the same page as me. maybe a few should follow and we'll get them to take notice and do their jobs!

I think the problem is systemic and, without wishing to go down the political route, relates to privatisation. Simple fact is that if money is too tight to repair potholes then the money the management contractors take in profit would be better spent on repairing more potholes rather than boosting shareholder value. That's as far as I'll go on that one.

Suffice to say you can't fight City Hall and I doubt much will ever really change without a significant shift in ownership and business practice.

 

[Fastpedaller]

I think the problem is systemic and, without wishing to go down the political route, relates to privatisation. Simple fact is that if money is too tight to repair potholes then the money the management contractors take in profit would be better spent on repairing more potholes rather than boosting shareholder value. That's as far as I'll go on that one.

Suffice to say you can't fight City Hall and I doubt much will ever really change without a significant shift in ownership and business practice.

I agree with your observation....... but it won't prevent me trying

 

[Jameshow]

Devon has an interesting machine which looks like an oversized road sweeper but has a mini planer on a boom, a sweeper underneath, another boom to fill with hot tarmac before a roller came down and rolled it! All in one machine!!

 

[Jody]

Devon has an interesting machine which looks like an oversized road sweeper but has a mini planer on a boom, a sweeper underneath, another boom to fill with hot tarmac before a roller came down and rolled it! All in one machine!!

Quality bits of kit.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

OTOH Oxon has the dragon patcher. A dragon patcher will not fill these fissures, it may disguise them for a week or two. This is not a good thing.

 

[Drago]

One wonders how it is possible to miss such an extensive fault if one had genuinely made an inspection visit? The scenarios are...

They didn't actually visit.

They did visit, but they are criminally negligent in missing something so big.

They are Stevie Wonder.