The state of our roads these days!

[PhilDawson8270]

Three fatalities this year due to potholes.

Avoidable if the people were travelling slower?

After all, roads aren't inherently dangerous, just the users that go too fast for the conditions, and are unable to stop in what they can see is safe.

At least, that's what we hear when the topic is cars not bicycles

 

[OskarTennisChampion]

Three fatalities this year due to potholes.

I liked this because it's a scary thought.

 

[winjim]

There's currently a big project to resurface every road in the notoriously potholed city of Sheffield. You'd think this would be a good thing, but they're doing such a half-assed job that the bits they've done are already falling apart. Some roads I honestly can't remember whether they've done or not.

So there's no point reporting it, because you'd need to report the entire city, even the bits that have already been done. Waste of time and money.

 

[MontyVeda]

How long is Tarmac supposed to last?

The road was relaid outside my flat about 8-10 years ago and it's been in need of resurfacing for a couple of years now... the old cobblestones are now visible at the bottom of some potholes.

 

[Sea of vapours]

What you need is a major bike race finishing along the horribly potholed roads. Settle and the approaches to it are being extensively repaired ready for the Tour of Yorkshire stage one finish later this month - very useful :-)

 

[classic33]

What you need is a major bike race finishing along the horribly potholed roads. Settle and the approaches to it are being extensively repaired ready for the Tour of Yorkshire stage one finish later this month - very useful :-)

And the utililty companies are waiting whilst it's gone through before they dig it up.

 

[mjr]

How long is Tarmac supposed to last?

The road was relaid outside my flat about 8-10 years ago and it's been in need of resurfacing for a couple of years now... the old cobblestones are now visible at the bottom of some potholes.

According to what a highways officer told North Somerset Cycle Forum in a presentation a few years ago: at least 9 years if done properly. Surface dressing can extend the life for another 4 years if done properly before the surface starts to fail - the last two years of surface dressing in Norfolk seems to have consisted of dumping a half-inch depth of chippings, failing to sweep them up and then leaving the loose chippings to scrub away the ones that did stick as vehicles turn and leave it bald, worse than before.

Report potholes where you can see stones with the magic words "subsurface exposed and holding standing water" and in my experience that often gets them fixed sooner.

As for reporting the whole city of Sheffield as potholed: that could make for some nice headlines

 

[Globalti]

Why do you think the Beatles sang: "Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire"? The holes are still there.

GtiJunior bent a rim hitting a pothole so we claimed £55 off Lancashire CC for a new rim. After six months they sent us a massive envolope with a thick printout of all the defect reports from the last year, so as to prove that nobody had reported the hole and so they weren't responsible. In their letter they more or less challenged us to sue them in Court.

Moral: report that pothole then claim a week later.

 

[2IT]

Avoidable if the people were travelling slower?

After all, roads aren't inherently dangerous, just the users that go too fast for the conditions, and are unable to stop in what they can see is safe.

At least, that's what we hear when the topic is cars not bicycles

Good thread going here. The purpose of roads are not to slow us down. Cyclists are probably more impacted than cars or trucks by the rough surface. It seems like roads are not being kept up like they used to be.

Good roads benefit everyone regardless of class, race or sexual needs. You would think good roads would be as popular as any government service. Right up there with trash collection.

Did try buying a carbon bike which only helped a little. Just can't bring myself to ride a MTB on the road. Starting to consider a cyclocross bike that can also be ridden on gravel roads as I am aging and slowing down too so I could blame it on the bike and roads.

Besides the "chatter" of a poorly surfaced road, I hate pinch punctures from potholes.

 

[hopless500]

[QUOTE 4233376, member: 9609"]if I were to report every pot hole I encounted I would need a dedicated office, staff and 30 hours in each day[/QUOTE]
Same here. I wouldn't get far down the road either. I started trying to count them on a stretch of road the other day and to remember where they were for reporting - had to give up as there were just too many.

 

[mjr]

Same here. I wouldn't get far down the road either. I started trying to count them on a stretch of road the other day and to remember where they were for reporting - had to give up as there were just too many.

Fringe benefit of a handlebar camera is that I don't have to remember exactly where they are, plus I can attach screen captures to the reports.

 

[Dirk]

Same here. I wouldn't get far down the road either. I started trying to count them on a stretch of road the other day and to remember where they were for reporting - had to give up as there were just too many.

Just report 'numerous deep potholes along this stretch of road'.
I've done this in the past and had results.

 

[Jody]

There's currently a big project to resurface every road in the notoriously potholed city of Sheffield. You'd think this would be a good thing, but they're doing such a half-assed job that the bits they've done are already falling apart. Some roads I honestly can't remember whether they've done or not..

They put a 2" layer of tarmac over the old road and its falling apart quickly. 12 months and there are already holes everywhere.

Its a disgrace

 

[winjim]

As for reporting the whole city of Sheffield as potholed: that could make for some nice headlines

Unfortunately as part of the same project the council contractors are felling lots of healthy trees and it's that which has grabbed the headlines. The whole project's a farce basically, although I do like the new LED street lighting.

 

[psmiffy]

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules.

there are design lifes tho - for proper roads it used to be 20 for black and 30 for concrete for new builds - but that is based on the traffic levels (HGV essentially) behaving as predicted - thin layer surfacing is the flavour at the moment - they did all the estate roads around where I live 18months ago - Im interested to see how long it is before it deteriorates