The state of our roads these days!

[mjr]

Today's club ride was scary! The sun was shining creating shadows all over the road from the trees. I shouted many times to those a few yards in front to point out the potholes,but they seemed oblivious! We discussed this at the cafe stop. They said the holes weren't that deep, but they are when they impact puncture your tyres or you avoid them and head into oncoming traffic! I point them out all the time. I've even started doing it when i'm out on my own.

Well, you never know if another cyclist is catching up to you, or if the motorist behind knows what it means and would appreciate not having their tyre knocked off the rim!

You need to learn which riders in your group are poor at pointing out potholes and try to avoid riding close behind them, just like you avoid those who spend every straight yoyoing between pedalling too hard and hauling on their back brake - unless you enjoy stress and danger, at least.

If there's too many of them in the group and you can't bear letting a gap open, it may be time to find a new group.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Moseley Ave near me was given a surface dressing a year or two ago, now its that badly broken up even the motorists are pothole dodging. This time of year I'm learning where the new potholes that opened up over winter are, I've been doing that this time of year for years now. Potholes have been a problem for years now, I'm not aware of the problem getting worse, but its not getting better either.

 

[User16625]

Here we go, somebody's had a lovely idea:

You could put a rugby pitch in some of the potholes round some of my local roads. And I'm pretty sure I detected a gravity wave from one aswell.

 

[Psycolist]

My local authority, who defer to Essex County Council where roads are concerned, have given up repairing holes. Up to two years ago, they contracted road repairs to what appeared to be a couple of lads with a flat back transit, who toured the local area, dropping a lump of tarmac into a hole and stamping on it. Even that service seems to have been abandoned now. The council seem to wait for one of the utilities to need to dig the road up, and then send a suit and clipboard man round to make sure they repair the hole properly. Wear and tear repairs have been abandoned. The route to work and home again is a slalom of pot holes, broken pavement railings, missing road signs and invisible road markings. But, come ladies Tour of Britain, or whatever other professional cycle race comes to our area this year, there will be a flurry of road repair activity, specific to the route the race will take. This is a prime reason I have changed to off road riding over the last two years. Any half decent road wheels would be mullered after about 6 weeks, riding on our wonderfully maintained highways in our area. My impression is that there is a marked decline in road riders in this vicinity. I certainly dont see them out and about when I am tooing and froing on route to my woodland and farmland routes. Wether that is because the roads are so awful, I cant say, but it is a coincidence too far for me.

 

[Alembicbassman]

Cycled part of the Tour De Yorkshire route the other day, Tickhill Harworth Bawtry.

Race is in 10 days, potholes and poor surfaces everywhere. What a great advert for the UK !

 

[ColinJ]

Cycled part of the Tour De Yorkshire route the other day, Tickhill Harworth Bawtry.

Race is in 10 days, potholes and poor surfaces everywhere. What a great advert for the UK !

I bet they fix them at the last minute - that's what they did here for the TdF!

 

[PhilDawson8270]

I bet they fix them at the last minute - that's what they did here for the TdF!

How else do you expect the bodge job cover up to last until the race has gone past?!

 

[Brandane]

I found this today on an excuse for a road, which just happens to be part of Sustrans NCN7 near Kilwinning, Ayrshire.
Not so much of a problem in daylight and in dry weather; however if it was covered by water, or on a dark night, I wouldn't be wanting my wheels to go into it..... (I WILL be reporting it!). Edit - reported to FillThatHole.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Well, you never know if another cyclist is catching up to you, or if the motorist behind knows what it means and would appreciate not having their tyre knocked off the rim!

You need to learn which riders in your group are poor at pointing out potholes and try to avoid riding close behind them, just like you avoid those who spend every straight yoyoing between pedalling too hard and hauling on their back brake - unless you enjoy stress and danger, at least.

If there's too many of them in the group and you can't bear letting a gap open, it may be time to find a new group.

Yes some are their yacking about where they're going for their holidays while swerving round the holes,only for me to find with my front wheel!!

 

[summerdays]

This pothole and several others are on my commute. Only problem is that it's a private road, in fact whilst I stopped to take a photo for this thread, two different people told me it was private, though I knew already from trying to report it. I'm not sure why the council doesn't adopt it, since it is well used. This particular pothole makes me laugh at the innovative repair!

On my return journey I forced a car to wait as I wiggled my way through the series of potholes, I wasn't going through any of them.

 

[fossyant]

I'll be getting a full suspension MTB next, with a good 140mm or more travel. What holes.

 

[zaza123]

The local authority have just ruined 3 miles of lane between Maer and Ashley in North Staffs near Loggerheads. It was tarmac, undulating and windy and there were a few potholes and cracks but they've poured bitumen along it and tipped chippings on it. It's so dangerous now. I tip-toed along it this morning scared to touch the front brake. They've made it much worse. It will take months to be rideable again with the small amount of traffic that it sees. Such a shame.

 

[MiK1138]

dont know if its a coincedence but the poyhole i reported yesterday was repaired today

 

[mjr]

My local authority, who defer to Essex County Council where roads are concerned, have given up repairing holes. Up to two years ago, they contracted road repairs to what appeared to be a couple of lads with a flat back transit, who toured the local area, dropping a lump of tarmac into a hole and stamping on it. Even that service seems to have been abandoned now.

That was known as cold filling and was used for potholes deemed too dangerous to be left even a working day. I think it's rarer now. Probably as well, as many of those repairs only lasted until the next heavy rain or hard frost.

And it's probably Essex County Council hiring the repairers. District councils don't own or maintain many roads.

 

[toffee]

Well went down a section of road today which was probably the worst bit of tarmac I have ever ridden along. I say was because Mrs T and I were gobsmacked to see a nice bit of smooth tarmac.

Derek