what the hell is going on with our roads.

In a small town near me the council spent loads re-installing those square speed humps (the old ones fell apart after only 2 years. Also they put them so far apart everyone just drove between them). But didn't repair the potholes on the rest of the road.

Councils do have the money, they just don't spend it on the right things and waste it on stuff no one asked for.
 
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Nasher said:
In a small town near me the council spent loads re-installing those square speed humps (the old ones fell apart after only 2 years. Also they put them so far apart everyone just drove between them). But didn't repair the potholes on the rest of the road.

Councils do have the money, they just don't spend it on the right things and waste it on stuff no one asked for.
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Unfortunately not true, council budget's are strictly controlled and are set. Thus road safety projects are ring fenced under a different budget from road repairs. Council budgets have been reducing for years yet demands have gone up.
Would you rather council's took money away from social care so you have an easier time driving?
www.countycouncilsnetwork.org.uk

England’s largest councils need to make £1bn worth of savings despite council tax rises as local authorities grapple with ‘unprecedented’ financial pressures - County Councils Network

New research shows that England’s largest councils will need to make at least £1bn in savings to balance their 2023/24 budgets, despite many of them reluctantly proposing council tax rises from next month. It comes as new data shows council tax is set to rise to £2,140 on average for residents...
www.countycouncilsnetwork.org.uk
 
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I've spent the last two weeks driving around Ireland, and even on the non toll roads it is a million times better than UK roads. The toll roads at 2-3 Euro a pop are just brilliant. Really not looking forward to getting back to the mess that is the UK road network tomorrow :(
 
Uther said:
I've spent the last two weeks driving around Ireland, and even on the non toll roads it is a million times better than UK roads. The toll roads at 2-3 Euro a pop are just brilliant. Really not looking forward to getting back to the mess that is the UK road network tomorrow :(
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I am sure you can work this out for yourself?
Aside from that it is the government who sets the budget for road maintenance not the council's...
www.local.gov.uk

LGA analysis: Government spends 31 times more per mile on maintaining motorways than on repairing local potholes

The Government spent 31 times more per mile maintaining motorways and A roads last year than they did on funding councils to repair crumbling local roads.
www.local.gov.uk www.local.gov.uk
 
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I don't understand why (assuming contractors repair the road), they don't have some sort of clause that it has to last a reasonable amount of time (I don't want to use the word warranty, but essentially that for roads). If councils are using their own people, then surely it pays in the long run to spend a bit more time/effort doing it right so it doesn't need redoing in 6 months.
 
theone8181 said:
I don't understand why (assuming contractors repair the road), they don't have some sort of clause that it has to last a reasonable amount of time (I don't want to use the word warranty, but essentially that for roads). If councils are using their own people, then surely it pays in the long run to spend a bit more time/effort doing it right so it doesn't need redoing in 6 months.
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I rather have the roadworks going for an extra 2 days, doing a proper job/use better quality materials, than the repeat 6-9 months later.
 
Two days before Christmas, there was a sinkhole formed on one of the main roads where I live. The contractors put up 4 way traffic lights, sprayed the area that needs to be lifted. Then buggered off for Christmas.

These traffic lights caused nothing but chaos for those who lived or visited off the road. Even a colleague drove 1.5 miles extra to avoid the lights.

Road workers should have fixed the hole asap.
 
cuke2u said:
Unfortunately not true, council budget's are strictly controlled and are set. Thus road safety projects are ring fenced under a different budget from road repairs. Council budgets have been reducing for years yet demands have gone up.
Would you rather council's took money away from social care so you have an easier time driving?
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as Nasher implied pot-holes themselves represent a safety problem - if you didn't have to spend time watching for pot-holes you'd have even more attention on the pedestrians,

second bicycle puncture in as many months two days ago at the leisure centre not sure which of the cinema/fast food places sells stuff in glass.
theone8181 said:
then surely it pays in the long run to spend a bit more time/effort doing it right so it doesn't need redoing in 6 months.
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Innner tubed has now been patched again, but like the roads, it's been repaired too many times and I need to replace it completely (something in Kevlar?)
 
Same, even on newly laid roads they don't seem be get them level with the surface. Most are way to low, some are high. It's poor craftsmanship.
 
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jpaul said:
as Nasher implied pot-holes themselves represent a safety problem - if you didn't have to spend time watching for pot-holes you'd have even more attention on the pedestrians,

second bicycle puncture in as many months two days ago at the leisure centre not sure which of the cinema/fast food places sells stuff in glass.

Innner tubed has now been patched again, but like the roads, it's been repaired too many times and I need to replace it completely (something in Kevlar?)
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Any Safety argument has nothing to do with how pothole repairs are funded. As I've clearly indicated funding for pothole repairs come directly from the government thus councils cannot take money from other budgets. Not that they have any to do so, as again proven
However you wish to twist it the issue is that this lying tory government is completely to blame for under funding pothole repairs, not only that but also social care, the NHS etc etc., the list goes on, not any council, thus I suggest you direct your efforts at getting rid of this miserable bunch that only reward each other.

The claims we would be better off once having left the EU is complete BS yet more lies and has left us a weak and second rate country leading public finances to be in a dire state. The only individuals making money from us leaving are the private consultants drumming up replacement policies.
 
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I don't cycle much, but when I went on the pavement to my parents today I saw a few spots around manhole covers that had actually raised up about 2 inches (I'm assuming due to expansion in the heat), but it had torn the tarmac. I've not seen that happen before.
 
Stu999 said:
Seeing a lot more sunken manhole / drain covers around. Not sure why that is.
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There is a drain on my commute - they closed the road on the 1st of June to be able to dig it all out, went back on the 7th for final remediation, on my way home last night I noticed it is already crumbling around it and a slight bump down as my tyre went over it.
 
cheesefest said:
Though this road surface is old. In parts of Leicester, they have huge concrete slabs on the road. The other day I was driving on a road never been on before and it felt horrible. Turns out the concrete has ridges in it.
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It needs it though, smooth concrete is very slippery when wet, plus you'd have loads of standing water.
 
theone8181 said:
It needs it though, smooth concrete is very slippery when wet, plus you'd have loads of standing water.
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maybe we need more concrete like the USA (ready for global warming too) and lasts for years.
never got out of the car to see if A14 surface looks like this
DiamondGrind.png

Closely spaced diamond blades remove about ¼ of an inch of the roadway surface, providing a consistent and smooth texture that resembles corduroy fabric. The small groves run in the same direction as the driving surface.
new rubber on the car is always nice with reduced noise.
 
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