Huge potholes force drivers onto 'opposite side of road'

Today, they've resurfaced part of Church Rd (A420) by St George's Park and they've done exactly the same - dusty, loose grey gravel. I think it's just a temporary redressing like they did last time.

The road featured in NMOTD 572 is finally being resurfaced along its length. It was one that had been bad for 3-4 years with large patches of missing top layer stretching all across the carriageway on both sides. As more and more broke off it was lihe cycling through gravel when trhe rain and traffic piled it up in places. 

So I presume it is Somehow better for their budget to do a slapdash temporary fix every single year rather then doing it properly once every five or ten years?  Is it really that economic??

If you spend the money on a slapdash repair this year, you demonstrate the need to spend that money, and can justify the budget for doing it again next year. On the other hand, if you fix them properly, then for the next five or ten years you won't need to spend that money, and when they next need doing you won't be able to get through the increase in budget for doing them.

Also, the slapdash repairs are often done towards the end of the budget year in order to use up unspent money, because otherwise someone will look at the underspend and conclude that you obviously don't need as much in next year's budget, leaving you without enough money to do even the slapdash repairs, never mind the proper ones.

One of the reasons there are so many roadworks in late March.

If you do e.g. 1/20th of your lane miles properly each year, the cost doesn't change drastically year over year, and all the roads are done properly.

brooksby wrote:

So I presume it is Somehow better for their budget to do a slapdash temporary fix every single year rather then doing it properly once every five or ten years?  Is it really that economic??

This is a macroeconomic version of "Poor man's boots".

I take it by that dusty grey gravel stuff you mean micro asphalt.  Microasphalt is used to extend the life of a road surface and is not a substitue for resurfacng.  Obviously the road surface was not in such a bad condition that it needed completely replacing

Because Councils don't employ Direct Labour Organisations - DLOs.

The work is done by third party contractors. The inspectors manage the budgets and draw up the work orders so they have to set priorities for repairs.

Of course, if a Council did have a DLO, when fixing the current pothole  they could fix other issues nearby as preventative maintenance. No contractor will do that as they won't get paid for it.

But then they would have to pay the workers a decent wage and the third party bosses would't be making loads of money. I wonder why councillors make decisions like this?

Also many reports grossly exagerate the depth, width and breath of potholes so to ahve an entire road crew driving round looking at 10mm deep "potholes" would be a monumental waste of money

I wonder if James Bailey at Staffordshire County Council would find it helpful to have holes identified by some fluorescent phalluses...

In Kent we have the fiction that it's not a hazard worth repair until it's 5cm deep so obvious bias for motor vehicles and ignorance that is very likely a bicycle wheel failure resulting in serious injury.

I think the amazon driver was fully aware of what they was doing and no amount of education will be able to improve their driving.

Fully deliberate with video evidence.  A professional no less.

I reckon the van driver should make a claim against Amazon for employing a angry and violent person who used their fully liveried and identifyable vehicle as a weapon.

thats quite a shocking video and even more shocking outcome, surely the police could charge on the basis of driving like that is a danger to the public, having points if not an outright ban on the drivers license would then make it surely difficult to seek employment as an HGV driver elsewhere (yeah I know assuming the hauliers check which we know they dont always).

but as it stands that guy is free to carry on employed by someone else as a driver on the roads and just as likely to act out their road rage issues again like he's in some demolition truck derby.

hirsute wrote:

I find it hard to believe the claim of 5 -6 inches deep.

That's what she said 😉

Not sure I see a major problem here, surely any cyclist would be in primary on the smooth section. 

Milkfloat wrote:

Not sure I see a major problem here, surely any cyclist would be in primary on the smooth section. 

Not sure if you are making a deliberately crass comment.

The photo from the news site does not show the 5-6 inch claim, so the comment seems a reasonable response to the photo we have.

Slow news day Roadcc team? I bet that very person in the country knows a bit of road where this is the norm.  Try something more exciting like, oh maybe "bikes have 2 wheels"

I don't think he is being deliberately crass as I would try to take primary. 

However a lot of cyclists wouldn't and if following a car, would not see the bad surface until it is too late.