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news
Hampshire cyclist questions how council assesses potholes after horror crash
Cyclists who were involved in a horrendous pothole crash have asked Hampshire County Council to reassess its attitude to road maintenance.
Martyn and Roxelle Kimberley were out cycling when Roxelle hit a pothole and flew through the air, landing on her face.
She lost a number of teeth, broke her upper jaw and split the skin from her nostril to her upper lip.
Mr Kimberley 37, of Wayside Road, Basingstoke, told The Basingstoke Gazette: “We were cycling in small compact groups, as you often see cyclists do, and because of the light we had no prior warning of the pothole.
“One of the group I was in went through the road defect and it punctured both his tyres, so we gave word to pull to the side, so he could repair the tyres.
“Next thing I hear is a shout of “man down” and I turn back and see it is my wife. Some of the group had put her in the recovery position and she was vomiting up blood. It was a really horrible situation to be part of.”
The county council has told lawyers for the couple that as they had no record of the road defect, they were not liable.
Mr Kimberley said: “Surely even if the county council is not going to take responsibility, this is a safety matter.
“One of our group did report the defect and I think it took nearly six weeks to fill in.”
A spokesperson from HCC said: “We are unable to comment on any claim that may be in progress.
“However, we would point out that there is no automatic right to compensation - each claim is investigated to determine liability.”
Recently we reported how Cycling UK has called for the Government to reallocate funding from its £15bn Road Investment Strategy into fixing local roads after figures from the Department for Transport revealed that nearly 100 cyclists a year are injured by potholes that councils deem too small to fix.
Cycling UK said that better guidance was needed to take into account the position of defects, together with greater understanding of the difficulties potholes can present for vulnerable road users.
Its view is that there is little to be gained from defining a minimum size of pothole, as a qualified highways inspector’s judgement is frequently needed.
Campaigns Coordinator Sam Jones points out that much will depend on a pothole’s position in the road. While a minor defect on a flat road might not present a major hazard to someone cycling, if encountered on a downward slope approaching a junction where speed might be greater and control impacted by signalling, then the same pothole could become highly dangerous.
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17 comments
Just seen this on Road CC. Not sure why the images are of a random pothole in Essex but hey......
Story published in the local paper for those interested with authorised images.
http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/15696162.WARNING_GRAPHIC_IMAGE__Call_for_change_in_road_maintenance_after_pothole_crash/
Also covered in the Daily Mail with a couple of detail inaccuracies, but that is the DM for you.
For the record, conditions on the day of the accident were close to perfect. Bright, sunny, dry. But the dappled light on the road surface made it very difficult to pick out the hole. I'm sure we have all experienced that problem.
I was second wheel and it was called quite late as was on a descent.
I had similar experience with less injuries after hitting this monster on a club run in Hampshire.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/H0cuqeDfZupd5vOs1
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cBChGcicUKUF3wSV2
We hadn't had it reported and it was inspected less than one year ago. Was advised by BC solicitors I had no grounds, luckily my Gabba only had slight tear to one shoulder and I was wearing Rapha bibs, my bar tape which I'd redone the day before was not so fortunate
Coincidentally it was the first thing I asked about whilst I was being put in the recovery position.
I'd be more concerned that your clubmates didn't call out the hazard!
Use the Android or iOS app called "fill that hole", it is the CyclingUK app and allows you to report it straight to the council with pictures and GPS location. I have reported a good 20-30 potholes or poor road surfaces in the last 2 years, and provided you give a really thorough location description, they get fixed within a week IME. I make sure to mention cycling risks and injuries from a fall.
The situation surrounding "road tax" is not so clear-cut as it once was and we should be careful before replying to the barbs of uneducated motorists. From 2017 only the first year's tax is related to a car's emissions, after that the vast majority of cars attract a fixed annual payment of £140. (If you are lucky enough to run a car worth more than £40k you will pay extra for years 2-6)
The treasury have stated that a proportion of the tax collected will be ringfenced for the maintenance of main roads, hence we are in fact returning to a type of road tax.
As in most aspects of life it would seem we are going around in circles.
All cyclists should report these potholes, most folk have a mobile phone, take a picture and note the location.
Then report it via the CTC or as it's called these dsys Cycling UK forum, there was a pothole reporting page. This directs it to the council.
I did this after crashing on a big pothole, and next time I rode down this country lane it had been fixed.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/campaign/fill-hole
Do not use any other site or you will get ambulance chasing claims companies chasing you for years.
There's also an android app too.
No-one pays 'road tax'.
I think your statement is incorrect there, I am an avid cyclist and I also have a motorbike and pay excise Duty (was road Tax)
Unless your motorcycle also travels in time I think you'll find that you pay "vehicle excise duty " and not "road tax"...
Possibly his motorbike can hit 88mph and travel back to 1955...er... 1935?
(Cycle lanes? Where we're going we don't _need_ cycle lanes!)
Still incorrect - road tax doesn't exist. No one pays tax to be on the road, you pay tax to offset your polution
It is not "Road Tax", it is Vehicle Tax and it is based on engine size or fuel type and C02 emissions of your vehicle…
Well this is the wrong site to say that on!
Hampshire Highways have unfixed huge potholes all over, they take years to fix them, I guess because cyclists don't pay road tax it's not important
I read this as sarcasm, I sure hope that's what it is!
"The county council has told lawyers for the couple that as they had no record of the road defect, they were not liable."
this excuse of theirs needs to be hammered out... they can't be allowed to claim this excuse...