National Disgrace - The condition of roads

[Clunkclick]

Last week I took the car out to a location just outside my normal stamping ground (Suburban North-West London) into rural Buckinghamshire. Thinking that the minor. Country roads would be in a poor condition, I used the a well known main road, the A40, to get where I was going. I hadn't used this road for probably 10 years, but was confident that it would be in reasonable condition, as it passed through several wealthy commuter villages/towns (Beaconsfield, Gerrards-Cross) and is a fast flowing main road with moderately high traffic, especially during rush-hour.

What a mistake to make !

The road was in appalling condition. Large and deep pot-holes in the centre of the main carriageway - enough to make you swerve. Slumpng sections of road with long longtitudinal cracks. Slumping and subsiding kerbside gratings.Fretting of the surface layer. Thermoplastic road markings that were so worn you couldn't read them.

I was shocked at its condition and detrioration since I last used it.

IMO the road shouldn't have been open to traffic. Yet, I went past a Police contingent who were quite happily operating a speed trap - the road is moderately well camera'd now ! Majof accidents waiting to happen and this is one of thd county authorities that has opted to switch-off street lights.

As I went further into rural Buckinghamshire via High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, it didn't vet much better.

So, on thd return leg of the journey, I used the countrh back-roads wbich were in far better condition of course, ' cause they are used by the wealthy mums in their 4 x 4s as rat - runs during the day.

I was horrified that a main road, such as the A40, could be allowed to get into such a condition and still be deemed fit for use by the Department of Transport/Local Highway Authority.

They want prosecuting for criminal neglect and negligence and for abandonning the public duty of care and individual Ministers and central and local officials held personaly liable for road users losses and injuries

In my view road users should start a campaign to withhold Road Tax, until these sort and scale of defects are put right.

What happened to those Tax disc holders which had. "I've paid my Road Tax now fix the ******* roads" printed on them ? We really need car length banners/tranfers .

Perhaps dear old Clarkson could put his head above the parapet and complain ! After all he's done fairly well out of Road Transport and if gbe UK roads go on detriorating at this rate, ghe only place left to do the Lambo testing will be the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold (Or wherever the test track is now).

Meanwhile, Dave and his mates in the city are siting on £700 billion of "Cash reserves" looted from all our pockets and apparently do not know what to do with kt (Jack Dee face). Here's some advice Dave, think of a good use, else next week is going to be the closing down sale of Canary Wharf.

Nick

Edited 15 March, 2012 by Clunkclick

[MartynVRS]

* Awaits someone to say it isn't "tax" *

Roads are disgusting now and it's no fun having the car tram lining everywhere, avoiding potholes etc. I've had a gutsful now and it needs sorting out. Holes shouldn't just be patched, the whole section needs resurfacing as it breaks up later anyway. Not only is it dangerous to normal road users but vehicles who are rapid response. They'll go a lot faster than we normally do and it's no good if the road surface is break up underneath them.

[Clunkclick]

I was shocked, roads in a worse state than my bette noire the London Borough of Hillingdon. Roads in my home borough Harrow are good by comparison.

It wants some of those boyz in the big trucks to start blocking London thorough fares during the Olympics.

In order to correct the democratic deficit, I for one, wlould be more than bappy to assist them in that endeavour.

Nick

Edited 15 March, 2012 by Clunkclick

[VWD]

In our town the County council is the agent for the HA,and is responsible for repairs .I would suspect that they know my name now, as I wait a short spell ,then re report the repair,CC my county councilor. Seems to do the trick .

[woodyallen]

I think the roads in Hampshire are ok. Having done a bit of driving in Africa recently I can't complain about the roads here.

[Clunkclick]

So, lets get things straight then. Dear old George"s budget next week wiil divide-up that unused £ 700 billion pirate stash (And the Somalies are supposed to be the pirates, remember !) sitting there doing nothing apart from giving bankers wives a nice warm feeling, as follows:-

£100 billion for roads

£50 billion for national water grid

£ 25 billion for a top class information technology infratstructure, including that used by the public authorities.

£100 billion to get OAP and Care in the Community (Including mental health care) on a humane footing.

£10 billion to get the NHS purchaser provider system working properly.

£20 billion to get NHS Cancer Care up to European Standards.

£20 billion to raise the Income Tax threshold to £10,000.

£20 billion as sead corn for new UK airports.

£10 billion to ensure tbat the MOD can start functioning without dicficulties.

£250 billion to pay down the national debt.

And the remainder as Treasury contingency reserve.

Nick

[Very RS]

M62 Eastbound between the M18 junction and where it turns into the A63 is bloody aweful. It has grown endless potholes of the type you would expect to find on a dirt track not a 70mph carriageway. It's only a matter of time before there is a serious accident caused by the woeful road surface.

[MartynVRS]

Some of the roads have recently been resurfaced in Swansea centre. They were going to take a week but were done in a Sunday afternoon. I was expecting the worst but it looks quite good and you don't feel the usual bumps underneath. There's plenty of side roads and even main roads in the towns and villages outside though that will never get done, some my parents reckon the last time were done it was the 60's. Judging by the state of some of them they aren't joking.

[Clunkclick]

I just don't get it in the UK.

According to Wikipedia there is a total of 15,350 miles of trunk road in the UK and lets say there's double that amount in locally maintained roads i.e. 30,700. And lets assume that it costs £500,000 pounds a mile (Based on £10 per square metre) to do a very good resurface of a road. So that the total local stock would cost 30,000 x £500,000 = £ 15,000,000,000(£ 15 billion) to resurface. If you did a complete re-surface of local roads only once every 15 years the total cost would be £1 billion a year across the UK. According to Wiki there are 380 local authorities in the UK, so total annual cost per authority would be £2.6 million a year. Now in my local borough the annual spend is about £270 million i.e.less than one percent of the total budget to keep everything in very good order.

So why the neglect ? With some roads not being resurfaced since North sea Gas pipes were installed across the country in the late 1960s.

For the last five years I been to rural France, and their road surfaces are at least maintained. They've got double the area in the country with slightly less population.The main roads over there are in excellent nick whilst most country roads are not bad and those that are holed are filled, although sometimes not well, but they are not left like over here.

its a disgrace.

Nick

[Tigger25]

You want to try driving in Surrey, they have to be the worst roads in the country. All they do is patch up the potholes, 2 weeks later, Tarmac starts crumbling away and back to square one. There is one pothole in our village which has been there 2 to 3 years, some idiot from the council has outlined it in yellow chalk round the pothole months ago to highlight the fact it needs filling in. Pothole still there, yellow chalk disappeared through fading. Councils are a joke.

[Captain Scarlet]

Really annoys me, I can't believe the road tax any longer is used to fund road maintenance. If it is how come some cars pay no tax, or very little. Do these cars cause less damage to the roads they travel? Surely not that much. No it's definitely an environmental tax now to stop anyone having any fun. Grrrr.

[All torque]

My roads fine however I do have a councilor living next door..................

Can you guess whos the only house to have the white "no parking" lines outside????

[cheezemonkhai]

Wiltshire roads are fine if you're in a tractor

[Volvomeg]

Wakefield council have a part on there website where you can report road surfaces, used it a couple of times

[vindaloo]

I agree completely with Clunkclick - and not only because I live in Wycombe district/South bucks borders. Roads around here are becoming a joke. It's going beyond the pot-hole situation.

There are at least two issues - council budgets and busy roads. Fix 'em during the day and there will be uproar. Realistically, the roads wear out because more people use them.

J.

[jonny boy]

I think the roads in Hampshire are ok. Having done a bit of driving in Africa recently I can't complain about the roads here.

Hardly a comparison ?

[VWD]

I think the roads in Hampshire are ok. Having done a bit of driving in Africa recently I can't complain about the roads here.

Fire tracks or main roads?

Most of the roads I drove in Africa some 30 years ago were of a higher standard than our roads. And the back roads ( mostly un mettalled) were maintained .

[woodyallen]

Hardly a comparison ?

Well the country and district I was working in was far more affluent then where I live. Not all of Africa is a refugee camp you know.

[jonny boy]

Well the country and district I was working in was far more affluent then where I live. Not all of Africa is a refugee camp you know.

Who said it was ? :wonder:

You said "Having done a bit of driving in Africa recently I can't complain about the roads here".

Doesn't this say that the roads there are poor ?

I guess most guys would think that 'African roads' would be tracks or poor metalled ones, but hey, maybe they're not.

I've been to over 30 different countries Worldwide including USA, Australia, Maldives, Canada, Turkey, Hong Kong, Singapore and most of Europe etc but haven't had the opportunity to drive in Africa. Maybe I'm missing out.

[Beancounter1980]

Between Junctions 6 and 10A on M6 i have seen numerous potholes being filled and then breaking apart and then be re-filled.

In this day and age how come they can't bloody fix a pothole permantley? I need to get into this pothole filling malarkey. Seems they are making a packet!!!!!

My wife was driving the Z4 yesterday and she hit a pothole. I actually had to stop the car by the roadside to check whether she had broken the suspension.

Taxed to high heaven, expensive running costs, ****e roads and jealousy from other road users. Whats the blinking point in driving a decent car????

[Beancounter1980]

Best roads i saw were in SE Asia. Vietnam had some tremendous roads.