Safe Speed Forums

Great news! The DfT is spending more money than ever on our roads and the condition of our roads has dramatically improved!

Don't believe it? Look here for the proof: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/page/dft_transstats_611558.hcsp

I have only had a brief glance at the full pdf, but I suspect that we are seeing a lot of spin and bull again.

For example the A491 was resurfaced last year between the M4 J4 and the Fairfield roundabout heading towards Stourbridge, and presumably they then did their survey and found that the road surface had improved. The only problem is that it was a really cheap "just slap down some tarmac" job, and the surface is now dangerously broken up and you can see the paint markings from the earlier surface in the pot holes - they didn't even attempt to create a sound foundation for the new surface and it is just peeling off at a very rapid rate. Some of the new potholes were patched, and they are also breaking up almost immediately - if it was bad before, then it is twice as bad now.

In town we got a lot of new bright red high-grip surfaces all of which are rapidly breaking up too, and as for the white lines, well they are just vanishing into the dirt.

They also appear to only sample L1 of motorways, which have been resurfaced in many areas, but L2 and L3 remain untouched.

Have your Roads improved like they say? When I go to France or Spain the road condition is great; then I come back to the UK and I am ashamed of the cr*p that we have to put up with.

Recently i got peed off with the holes in the road rounf our way - one layer of tarmac missing at road end, trench sinking , holes in road etc etc .
Sent e mail to CC -- lo andbehold repairs have been done - trouble is quality is lacking.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I live on a no through road, the surface of which is broken up and pot holed. Complaints to the council, brought swift action. They painted black bitumin onto the pavements, (once they had uncovered them from the overgrowth).
All of the debris, was left in the road and is still there, both sides of the road two weeks on. It is now quietly being washed into the drainage and blocking them. No one was informed this activity was to be undertaken, so surprise surprise, there was the inevitable car obscurring a section of pavement, it didn't get its black paint treatment! We now have, a smart looking, lightly rutted pavement, with both sides done, but neither required any investment at all, oh yes and a car length section of original serviceable grey bit. As for the road? it is still rutted, pot holed and scattered with debris.
You have to laugh or you would go mad, pity it is our money they continue to squander.
RJ

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Too much of our money is being wasted on supposed road safety improvements that are actually making driving more dangerous.

Hi all,

Some of the roads round my way were well overdue for repair. The Council then decided to sandwich over a layer of cheap tar over the old road without any preparation, they also decided to wait till 7PM at night to tell everyone that the work was being done the next day

Needless to say the road is breaking up already and will be twice as bad as the old road in a year's time. Someone complained to the Council that the contractors (cut and run) had left big gaps round the drains and hadn't finished bits.

They came back and fixed it.

I am thinking of asking the Council for the relevant documentation regarding this work through FOI, just to see what they were doing.

Regards

Andrew

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It's a scam........or possibly a scamola


Homer Simpson

Essex say they need 2 billion to do all they need to do , and have no hope of getting that money from any government. They do the best they can.

I have noticed last weekend, on the infamous m4 motorway, lots of road works. It seems its all about putting in pipes to carry electrical cable.

I can only ASSUME the electric cable is going to be for amongst other things to tell bigbrother where we are as well as how fast we are going..

that will count as road works spending..

Rgds
Bill

You would think that with the extortionate rate of fuel duty we pay, coupled with the millions earnt from camera taxes, the least we could expect is decent roads. However the roads near me are in dreadful condition, in keeping with the rest of the country by the sounds of it
I recently had a £250 repair bill on my car, for damage which the garage said was mostly triggered by pot holes and speed bumps.

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Why can't we just use Common Sense?

I have really noticed how crap the roads are ever since I changed the wheels on my car (15'' to 17'' as a result have 1.5cm less tyre to abosrb bumbs etc). I feel I spend most of my tme looking out for pot holes.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Ahh yes. The price of looking cool...

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I think the term is 'sick' now days

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Know the feeling - the "repairs " have now fallen into a state of dis repair once again - anyone know how easy it is to fit tank tracks to a car??

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

No, what you need is a vehicle designed for rough terrain...such as a 4x4!

Welcome to the world of what us bikers have to do...

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus