On another day of unrelenting fine drizzle Jackie and I deposited the next carload of garden refuse into the local dump now termed the Efford Recycling Centre.
Potholes: Roads in England and Wales at ‘breaking point’
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By Elizabeth Joyce and PA Media
BBC News
Roads in England and Wales are at “breaking point” due to potholes, with repairs at an eight-year high, according to a new report.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) said councils were expected to fix two million potholes in the current financial year.
That is up 43% on the previous year and the highest annual total since 2015-16.
Ministers highlighted their pledge to provide £8.3bn of extra funding over 11 years for road improvements in England.
The AIA’s annual report found that 47% of local road miles were rated as being in a good condition, with 36% adequate and 17% poor.
The survey also found that average highway maintenance budgets increased by 2.3% in the 2023-24 financial year compared with the previous 12 months.
But the impact of rising costs due to inflation meant local authorities “effectively experienced a real-terms cut”.
Meanwhile, the amount needed to fix the backlog of local road repairs has reached a record £16.3bn, up 16% from £14bn a year ago.
AIA chairman Rick Green said: “Local authorities have a bit more money to spend this year but the impact of rising costs due to inflation means they have actually been able to do less with it.
“Couple this with the effects of the extreme weather we are increasingly facing, and the result is that the rate at which local roads are suffering is accelerating towards breaking point.”
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Depending on their size, potholes can cause significant damage to vehicles and pose a danger motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
Although small potholes rarely cause major accidents, if a vehicle hits a lot of them over time, it can lead to damage to the tyres, suspension and steering system.
In Daventry, Northamptonshire, signs have appeared from an apparently fed-up driver welcoming people to “Pot Hole City” and “Pot Holy Island”.
While on the Isle of Man, a woman has planted daffodils in potholes, hoping the “guerrilla gardening” will hammer home the problem.
In October 2023, the government announced it would provide the £8.3bn of extra funding for local road improvements.
This was part of the Network North strategy to use money saved by scrapping the planned extension of HS2 north of Birmingham.
Mr Green said: “There’s still a mountain to climb when it comes to fixing our local roads.
“While it’s great that English local authorities should be getting more money from the government through its Network North funding, it’s clearly not going to be enough to halt the decline.”
AA president Edmund King added: “Our breakdown data shows that 2023 was the worst year for potholes for five years.
“Arguably the road network is a local council’s biggest asset, but not enough planned investment and repairs are being made to make streets safer and smoother for drivers and those on two wheels.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the £8.3bn spending pledge was evidence the government was “taking decisive action to resurface roads and fix potholes”.
They added: “In addition, we have made £150m available for local authorities right now meaning funding for most authorities has increased by almost a third compared to last year, with a further £150m to follow in the coming financial year.”
The above is a current item from BBC News.
My regular readers will be aware of the number of hazardous holes we now negotiate daily.
Here is a small selection each no more than a short distance from our home – only those where it was possible for Jackie safely to stop and let me out. Where the edges of the tarmac are nibbled away it becomes hazardous for drivers to pass each other in opposing directions when one will need to crash a wheel over a crater of varying depths – our road surface waters have subsided somewhat at the moment but sometimes they have covered the holes making them invisible. Our local does its best to patch roads that really need resurfacing. Gravelled repairs soon wash out onto the tarmac.
A friend of ours recently drove the fifth car that damaged a wheel at the same spot in less than an hour.
While I was focussed firmly on potholes, Jackie photographed fleeting deer disappearing into the woodland flanking Holmsley Passage, and raindrops dripping from thorns.
Becky and our Grandfamily returned from their trip to Scotland yesterday evening and Ian joined us later so we were a full household able to enjoy Jackie’s wholesome chicken and leak pie; roast potatoes; crunchy carrots; firm cauliflower and broccoli, and meaty gravy. The Culinary Queen drank more of the Sauvignon Blanc, Ian drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of La P’tite Pierre.
Unfortunately, even in Italy, after the recent rains, the roads are full of holes: dangerous for cars, motorcycles and bicycles
Thank you very much, Luisa
You’re so welcome!
We too live with potholes. And the repairs done are just patch up jobs
Thanks very much, Geeta
We have potholes–and constant road projects.
That little deer is very cute.
It’s lovely the whole family was there for dinner.
Thanks very much, Merril
What a mess! Those are some very bad potholes, particularly when the road edges get broken away. I hope your government(s) can come up with the money to make resurfacing a priority.
Thanks very much, Liz. Doubtful, I’d say
You’re welcome, Derrick.
These roads look just like the roads back in Michigan, my home state. In the 1960s, that state had roads that were the envy of many other states but not today. Why are the roads not built with two lanes in that area?
They are very old roads made in the days before cars, John. Thanks very much.
I see, thanks, Derrick.
I feel your pain. When we lived in San Diego, the local roads were deplorable (in a city that seldom gets cold enough for frost so the normal theory of pot holes form after the road freezes, then thaws) would not apply. I had to laugh when the then city government blamed the rain when California had been under drought for several years. What rain?
🙂 Thanks very much, Pat
The situation looks like a ‘whole’ lot of problems …
Nice one, Ivor. Cheers
Oh, it looks just like Ohio. I am almost relieved to see it’s not just here. We have potholes so wide, a tire gets lost. 🙂
Thanks very much, Bridget
Now if only everyone cycled everywhere, the problem would be solved.
Thanks a lot, Tootlepedal
‘Tis the season, it seems – a clear sign of spring, potholes.
Thanks very much, VJ
????
Here’s hoping that you don’t have to live indefinitely with the growing potholes.
Thanks very much, Rosaliene
That’s a sad scenario seeing those potholes around.
Thanks very much, Arlene
Yes, our roads in Nottingham are now the worst I have ever seen them. Despite being slow and careful I have hit a couple recently because it’s so hard to avoid them all.
Our new Hyundai has much less suspension then the old Modus, which is worrying. Thanks very much, Quercus.
We ran through a pot hole in Lincolnshire a few years ago and the tyre went down, though it was a poor road and I should have been going slower (it was concealed by a puddle too, which didn’t help}. I have avoide them all until the alst twelve months when I have been ambushed by two more – they seem to be everywhere. There’s a patch of road in Mapperley where the tarmac has lifted to reveal a large patch of cobbles underneath.
It takes a lot of skill to navigate those potholes. I hope you and your family stay safe and that the situation improves. I like the idea of the local dump being called a recycling center if it motivates recycling.
Thanks very much, JoAnna. A very high percentage of what they receive is recycled.
It seems that everyone is experiencing problems with potholes! We had one repaired a few hundred metres from our house which only lasted a day before it had begun to crumble.
Old coats get to the point when you can’t patch them any more. Thanks very much, Clare
Drive safely, Derrick and Jackie! That is sad news regarding the potholes. Crumbling infrastructure amid rising prices and extreme weather. Like here, sounds likely insufficient tax money is being collected from corporations and those high up the income ladder. Bridges can get potholes too, and bridges can fail if not sufficiently maintained. That can be fatal. A bit of history from Connecticut. I was living there at the time and remember.
https://connecticuthistory.org/mianus-river-bridge-collapses-today-in-history/
Thanks very much, Lavinia. I’ll keep clear of bridges
Oh, my gosh! Those are some potholes. Extreme weather seems to be a major culprit, just as it is here. May you and yours avoid those potholes.
Hi Derrick, I’m sorry about the potholes, rain does that. The deer is adorable.
Thank you so much, Robbie
I detest potholes. Patching them just makes them worse after the next rainfall. I like the idea of rubber ducks. but would there be enough supply in the UK to put one in each pothole?
The mallards might do it for us, Chrissy. Thanks very much
It is sad – although comforting in a strange way – to note that it is not only in this country where roads are becoming more potholed than not. It reminds me that we are not alone in this problem, yet I cannot help but wonder why this was not a widespread problem in the past. What is going on in the world? I just recently had to pay a small fortune to have my car repaired as a result of what our garage calls ‘pothole syndrome’ – some of them are very difficult to avoid.
I’m sorry to read about your car, Anne. Thank you very much
UGHS on the potholes! So sorry you have to deal with them.
Jackie’s photos of the deer and the raindrops are beautiful!
(((HUGS))) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you very much from us both, Carolyn XX
Sadly our country has the same problem of potholes! Certain areas are worse than others.
We are fortunate here in the Western Cape were they still keep our roads in a good condition.
Thanks very much, Aletta
You are not alone in this matter Derrick. Here in Canada (Ontario) the roads, especially in the towns and cities, are terrible after winter. Unfortunately, not all of them would be repaired in the summer time.
Thanks very much, Alexander
Potholes are a frequent discussion point here too – such a nuisance. It’s good to end your day of negotiating them with a nice meal, though 🙂
Thanks very much, Barbara
Oh, my! So many potholes, Derrick, and the damage to vehicles can be costly. Where I live, they patch potholes but after a lot of rain the problem reoccurs.
Thanks very much, Eugi
You’re welcome, Derrick.
Less potholes, more craters – all of which will be worse as a consequence of the recent heavy rains.
Indeed. Thanks very much, Sheree
As I see it Derrick, the problem with all public services is that they are drastically underfunded. Fifteen years of Tory austerity is coming home to roost. If we want the services that we demand we need to pay for them but people don’t like paying taxes and Tories are obsessed with tax cuts. You cannot pull a piece of string from both ends.
Thanks a lot, Andrew
The main roads in my neck of the woods are okay. A wide pothole at the junction between the main road and our lane has recently been mended. But many more need repair on the narrower side roads/lanes.
Thanks very much, Sue
That is a lot of potholes.
Indeed. Thanks a lot, Andy
You’re welcome.
Our roads are currently awful, so many potholes, some even down to the soil. The problem is the budget is so tight, the lower priority roads just don’t get looked at now.
Thank you very much, Gary
We’ve got the same problem here in Australia. Severe weather creates potholes faster than councils can repair them.
Thanks very much, Lindsey
Unfortunately a side effect of so much water!
Thanks very much, Riba