ROADS

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A pothole has been renamed by a council so that it can delay repairs. When motorcyclist Leigh Richardson complained about a deep gouge on a major road he was told, “It’s not a pothole, it’s a surface irregularity.” The hazard on the A151 on the approach to a roundabout near Holbeach has still not been fixed two months after Mr Richardson contacted Lincolnshire County Council. The council claimed it was “not technically a pothole” because the damage was caused by the surface layer of the road breaking away from the base layer. It could be classified as a pothole only if it was created by water seeping into road cracks and expanding after freezing. A council spokesman said, “It doesn’t fit our emergency criteria. We adhere to a national code of practice in terms of the size and depth of pothole.” He said the pothole, or surface irregularity, would be repaired by the end of this month. (Source: Daily Express, Apr/10)

Taxi drivers say the city council is penalising them for damage caused by the authority's own damaged roads. Garages in the city confirm they are seeing more cars being brought in for suspension and wheel repairs caused by potholes. Hackney carriage driver Fazal Ashram said, "The council inspectors look at the cars and take them off the road for damaged ball joints, but that is caused by the council's own roads. We have to go over these potholes time and time again every day. If the council doesn't repair the roads we will have to decide whether to claim off the council for damage to our cars."

Ellie Beaumont of Woodbine Garage in Sinfin Lane, Sinfin, said, "We are seeing two cars a week on average which have been damaged by potholes. We had one car in the other day which came in for a ball joint repair and then needed new wishbone bushes as well and the tracking doing which cost around £185. The potholes were the cause and they are disgusting. There is one in Grampian Way which is huge." Mechanic Craig Fallows added, "I'm going through a load of tyres at the moment on my Honda Civic because the potholes are just shredding them."

Councillor Lucy Care, cabinet member for highways and transport, said, "The council works hard all year round to inspect all its roads for damage and repair dangerous potholes promptly. Regarding taxis, these are working vehicles that generate a huge mileage. That means that they're more likely to be the subject of damage as a result of being on the road for more of the time. The council carries out inspections of taxis to help ensure passenger safety. The reality is that, regardless of when the council carries out this enforcement, it finds a number of vehicles with defects that need to be corrected."

She added, "For example, defective handbrakes, seat belts badly damaged, and worn tyres were just some of the reasons the council took enforcement action with taxis over the last six months. This can result in suspended licences or a requirement to carry out urgent improvements. During the last 12 months there has been no correlation between bad weather and the number of enforcement notices issued. Whatever causes the defect, if a vehicle is not safe for the road then it needs to be taken off the road. However, taxi drivers are ideally placed to alert the council to specific problems and thus help ensure serious potholes are repaired promptly." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Feb/10)

Motorists will be charged for insurance depending on the distance and time of day they travel. Cars will be fitted with black boxes to log details of all journeys, resulting in lower bills for those who drive less frequently and during daylight hours. Those who often drive at night, when serious accidents are more likely, will face higher premiums under the scheme.

Norwich Union, one of Britain’s biggest motor insurers, plans to offer the “pay as you drive” policy to all its customers after a trial of the technology proved a resounding success. The system, which relies on satellite tracking technology to monitor a driver’s movements, could eventually be used to implement a national road pricing network.

Unlike conventional fixed-rate premiums based on a driver’s age and the vehicle, motorists can now choose to be charged according to their road use and will receive an itemised bill at the end of each month. Although this is likely to lead to savings in the long term, it is believed that drivers will be required to pay a one-off sum, possibly about £200, for installation of the black box.

Simon Machell, chief executive of Norwich Union, recently predicted that at least half of Britain’s drivers would switch to a pay as you drive insurance policy. The government believes that motorists ought to be charged up to £1.34 per mile to drive in city centres and on trunk roads at peak times to alleviate congestion levels. Norwich Union’s black boxes could be adapted to make this feasible. (Source: Times Online, Oct/06)

Senior ministers were angry at the government for allowing petitions on its website which it had hoped would encourage greater participation in politics and show Labour was listening to voters. One high-ranking member of the government said the idea had been dreamt up by a "prat" and was proving to be a public relations disaster. The Department for Transport is annoyed that opponents of road pricing were allowed to shape the debate. It claimed the online petition presents the negative aspects of toll roads but fails to put forward the benefits to the economy and the environment of cutting congestion.

Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said, "I understand the public's concerns. Frankly if we were proposing what the petition suggests I would share their concerns. Unless motorists and families can see the benefits of bringing in a national road pricing system then it simply won't happen." The petition claims motorists will be "tracked at all times" and road pricing will be "unfair" on those who "live apart from their families and poorer people who cannot afford the monthly cost". Roads Minister Stephen Ladyman said once the petition closed, ministers would start explaining the "real policies". (Source: Mail on Sunday, Feb/07)

The condition of pavements and footways has deteriorated to the worst level since records began. The percentage length of footways on roads in England in Wales affected by defects has risen steadily since 1995, Office of National Statistics figures published by the Department for Transport revealed. Of roads themselves, those in the worst condition at present are non built-up unclassified roads, which tend to be country lanes, according to the statistics.

The 2004 national road maintenance condition survey, covering England and Wales, also showed that the number of England's principal roads (excluding motorways and major trunk roads) requiring close monitoring increased from 17.2% in 2003 to 17.6% in 2004. The number of principal roads in Wales requiring close monitoring, a total that includes motorways and major trunk roads, rose from 15.6% in 2003 to 16.1% in 2004. On footways, the figures were the worst since records began in 1977.

But the statistics did show that the rise in the number of areas actually posing a danger to pedestrians had halted. However there were more danger areas on footways on built-up unclassified roads, which tend to be footways on residential streets, than on any other class of road in England and Wales. Overall, measured by defects, the condition of local roads, which account for nearly all England and Wales's road network, improved between 2000 and 2004. (Source: Daily Mail)

A driver whose car was damaged by potholes in Coventry has won a payout of £2,000 after taking the city council to court. Hamilton Bland took on the authority after it refused to compensate him for the damage to his Mercedes. The damaged was sustained during the city's winter roads crisis in January 2010 when hundreds of new potholes appeared after freezing weather.

The former BBC sports commentator hopes his case may pave the way for other people to take legal action. He took his claim to Coventry County Court after the council said it wasn't to blame. Mr Bland argued the impact of hitting two potholes was severe, causing damage to three of the wheels on his Mercedes while he was on his way to a leisure centre for a swim.

After taking the car to a tyre company he was told the wheels were damaged beyond repair, costing him almost £1,900. Council bosses refused to settle the dispute and denied the accident was their fault. Mr Bland said he was sent letters from the council's lawyers stating they had a strong defence and he would have to pay costs of £3,500 if he was to lose the case.

He submitted 80 photos of the road to support his claim. He said, "Taking the council to court was a risk I was prepared to take. I always felt I was right, you don't have to be the world's greatest detective to know the road had some dangerous potholes. Had a cyclist hit one of the potholes it would have been very serious indeed."

He added, "The bottom line is the council underestimated the amount of money needed to repair the roads. The council didn't want me to win but now the judge has approved the claim it opens the door for everyone else in similar situations. It was a long hard slog and I did a lot of research but I was determined to challenge what was obviously a fault of the council."

He went on, "I formed the opinion that the council could not afford to lose this case as it could open the door for similar claims. I'm delighted to see Charter Avenue and many other roads have been totally resurfaced and I sincerely hope they will not fall into disrepair because of under investment in the future."

At the court hearing, district judge Terry Lynch said, "I have absolutely no doubt in my own mind that this incident happened precisely as described by Mr Bland. I have no doubt that the damage to the three wheels of the Mercedes car was caused by two or more potholes in the carriageway and that the potholes were deep enough to cause the damage to the wheels." The council has since repaired the road. (Source: Daily Telegraph, Sep/11)