Cheshire West and Chester named best highways authority for filling potholes

CTC has named Cheshire West and Chester the country’s top highways authority when it comes to fixing potholes, with all 47 defects reported to it via the national cyclists’ organisation’s Fill That Hole website getting speedily repaired.

It wasn’t the only highways authority with a 100% record – Newham, West Lothian, Brent, Redbridge and Luton also achieving that benchmark.
Cheshire West and Chester received its award yesterday at a ceremony at the Walkers Stadium in Leicester.

It was also one of the runners-up in the People’s Vote award, based on ratings of one to five stars given by members of the public using the Fill That Hole website to notify their local highways authority of defects needing repairing.

The London Borough of Brent scooped that award, with the other two runners-up being Bath and North East Somerset Council and Bristol City Council.

CTC teamed up for the initiative with road materials supplier Aggregate Industries, whose Mike Archer said: “Local authorities are under immense pressure regarding road maintenance and we think it is only right to recognise the work they are doing to respond to these problems and ensure our roads are safe.

“Our awards scheme encouraged local authorities to not only address pothole problems quickly and effectively but also to let the public know how well they are doing. In the battle between fixing potholes and managing the requirement for more effective long term road maintenance, communication with the public is critical.”

Roger Geffen, Campaigns and Policy Director at CTC, added: “The public is very keen to see improved road maintenance standards, and this is particularly true for cyclists, as good surfaces are hugely important for their safety. With Fill That Hole making it easy for road users to report road defects, people are discovering that many councils are good at fixing them quickly once they know about them.”

While the competition was under way, some 11,200 potholes were reported, some via a dedicated iPhone app, and although the contest is now over, you can of course continue to use the site to flag up problems requiring attention.