http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Rural-roads-threat-repair-bills-mount-councils/story-20445972-detail/story.html

 

In summary west country councils are claiming that there is such a backlog of maintenance (£750m) that they are going to have to close some roads to the public.

 

Didn't strike me it was particularly bad down there last time I went.

 

They want to take a drive on some of the backroads in rural Buckinghamshire round Dorney Wood and Chequers for rough roads

 

Even the French manage to keep their rural roads operational - the patching maybe not great but at least they haven't got gapping great pot holes that go unfilled for months on through roads.

 

 

Nick

 

Nick,

 

The roads down here once you stray from the tourist path are appalling.

 

Pot holes, vanishing at the sides, lumpy, exposed drains - pretty much everything.

 

But it's ok, the councillors got their pay rise... 

It's like that EVERYWHERE.

 

Just about every road in the UK needs totally relaying right now.  Didnt they say it's 20 years work?

The south west isn't all that bad, well not given Exter to north coast in any case. Some roads are bad but it isn't a patch on the moonscape that is Sandwell (West Bromwich and surrounding) I think that council took all the money it had for road repairs and spent it on the huge debts created by building an art museum (subsequently closed down). All Stevie Wonder would need to negotiate the streets is a Labrador to bark once for green and twice for red. The M6 south between Cannock and Wolverhampton also has some huge potholes in. Totally unacceptable but at least they don't cause accidents. More speed cameras anyone? 

Massive pot holes in the M4, A46, some in the M5...

 

It's a joke and about time they put somebody who has been a proper road engineer in charge.

There are parts of the M5 in awful condition for a motorway. Not safe IMHO and won't be long before someone hits a "pothole" (some are 5/6" drop and big enough to feel it at 70 and on 17's)

Doesn't surprise me reading that piece of journalism, but as others have said, it's like it in many other parts of the country too.

Scrap HS2 and spend the money on repairing the roads

There are parts of the M5 in awful condition for a motorway. Not safe IMHO and won't be long before someone hits a "pothole" (some are 5/6" drop and big enough to feel it at 70 and on 17's)

Doesn't surprise me reading that piece of journalism, but as others have said, it's like it in many other parts of the country too.

A few weeks back one opened on the M1 next to J10. There must have been about 15 vehicles on the hardshoulder with tyre and wheel damage!

And that's only been laid for about 3 years.

I traveled up the A36 and A350 to Melksham in Wiltshire a couple of weeks back. The roads were some of the worst I've seen in recent years. Potholes everywhere, those bits of beige gravel at the lights was torn up to buggery, big chunks missing at the edge of the carriageway. A really sorry state of affairs for what's supposed to be a first world country.

Only Dave and the Westminster delusionists still make out that we are First World - presumably for the benefit of the financial and tourist markets.

 

And as part of keeping up the pretence we have to have prestige projects such as High Speed rail (Which nobody, apart from the elite, can afford to use), Trident (Which nobody (hopefully) will use) and aircraft carriers without planes (Which will be mothballed as soon as they are built).

 

Nick