Watch that hole
Now that, for most of us, the snow has gone, we find that the road surface leaves a lot to be desired. If your street, like mine, is full of potholes again then I firmly recommend using one of the pothole filling sites: fixmystreet (www.fixmystreet.com), fillthathole (www.fillthathole.org.uk/) or potholes (www.potholes.co.uk).
Simply take a photo of the hole, estimate its depth and area then go to one of these sights and complete their form. They will contact the appropriate person in the relevant highway authority and tell them about it.
The potholes site is aimed at drivers, the fillthathole site is aimed at cyclists and the fixmystreet is for everyone and deals with any problem in the street.
I have used fillthathole and the highway authority filled the hole very quickly – although the job was done badly and it repotholed. I had to contact fillthathole again for the menders to repair their repair.
It is a lot easier than contacting the local town or county government and it can get results.
All this does not take away the fact that over decades the government at town, county and government level has failed to invest in well engineered road surfaces. Sadly, following the credit crunch it looks as if there might be no proper investment for another ten years.
Watch out for that hole.
Previous article: What is missing in your journey? (Thursday, 7th January, 2010)
Comments
Potholes
I have no problem contacting my local council direct whether over the phone, via the internet, direct via email or via a Councillor on the Highways committee of Wirral Borough Council.
Maybe I have been lucky but I have reported a pothole and later the same day it has been filled in. This has happened more than once.
Why use these other sites when the council is grateful for having problems reported to them.
Cheshire County County as it was before it became 2 Councils which in my area is Cheshire West and Chester Council are also good if you fill it in on their website. Their response times I have always found good. In fact a few days after the snow, they had a team going along one major route filling in all the potholes.
The problem of potholes is getting worse as you say. It is important to report potholes as soon as you see them. Don't wait for your vehicle to get damaged, a cyclist is badly injured or someone old or with a disability gets injured crossing the road.
ETA Member
On the Move
Yes if the pothole is in your local highways area and they are receptive to feedback then going direct is the best idea.
However, sometimes, if further away from home, the responsible authority might not be known so these sites can help locate the responsible authority for a particular location.
Not only does a stich in time save an accident for someone else but also reduces the cost of road maintenance.