Safe Speed Forums

Is it just me, or are the condition of roads in North Lancashire getting worse?
Over the last 6 months it seems that everywhere I travel there are pot holes ( and I mean serious pot holes), tarmac missimg, pushed to side of road and general state of disrepair. My son rides a motorcycle and on many occassions has had to swerve to avoid a large hole in the road. I have, again, on more than once had to slow down to allow a vehicle on the other side to pass first so I can use their side of the road, or would ruin the wheels on my car.
There is especially a bad area between Preston and Lancaster on the A6 where to avoid the state of the road means going on the otherside of the road, which I have seen many vehicles do to the risk of a crash with an oncoming car.
I just wondered if the general condition of roads at the moment is poor, or is it just me?
Belladonna

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belladonna
'Wisdom is knowing how little we know'
Socrates

No you are right - except it is more widespread than just Lancashire!
Lack of money is the stated reason in Cumbria.
I'm more inclined to believe the theory that they are cheaper to deploy than speed humps, and are not legally restricted to 100mm in height!

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Yes you are right. Having a motorhome and frequently coming up to the Lakes we have noticed that the roads are just as bad there.
It makes me wonder what would be said if a fatal occured, especially with a motorbike, because the road was in such a poor state of repair?

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belladonna
'Wisdom is knowing how little we know'
Socrates

The fatal would be blamed on bad riding.
It usually is.
The police ignore holes in the road as a cause, and blame poor riding.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

As posted elsewhere (I think, but it could've been on Sabre), the Weymouth - Bridport coast road has had its speed limit permanently lowered to 40 because of the state of the road surface.

But now the council are resurfacing the road, but guess what's not changing back...

I'm sure there was a thread on here a year or so ago about just that scenario - a lad on a motorbike who hit a pothole on a poorly lit road and was, unfortunately, killed. I believe that the Council leader in the area had been on record as having said that the poorly maintained roads were a deliberate alternative to speed humps (or something like that). Ironically, people seem to respond by buying more 4 x 4s - citing potholes and poor roads as a justification!

The CTC (sorry to use language that will be offensive to some ) regularly obtain compensation for cyclists injured because of bad roads. The authority has a duty to maintain the road in a safe condition. But they have a defence that they could not reasonably be expected to know about the fault so cyclists are encouraged to report problems and the CTC have set up an online site for doing this at http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/report

This facility is available to non-members and there is no reason for motorists not to use it

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

I guess this is one issue where cycling groups and motoring groups could well do with joining forces.

I have a story that I love to tell regarding terrible roads, happened back when I lived in Liverpool

I forget the name of the road in question, possibly Mount Pleasant, it certainly leads up to that area) and I was driving home, in my clapped out Ford Escort 1.3 at a little after 2AM, just after most night clubs kick out (so prime drink-driving time, I guess). I was only just in my 20s at the time.

I overtake a parked up police car... a little further up the hill there's a large subsided bit that is very unpleasant to drive into, nothing coming the other way so I just go around it, which involved using the other side of the road.

Immediately the parked up police car puts it's blue lights on and begins accelerating to catch me up (I'm doing exactly 30, for obvious reasons), he drives straight into the subsided bit and I see his front headlights drop down by at least half a foot. Blue lights are then turned off and he pulls a U-turn and parks back up opposite where he was.

To the best of my knowledge they still haven't fixed this bit of road, though it's been a few years since I was up that way.

Indeed. The cycling group is well ahead here probably because their members are more vunlerable. But it no good just grumbling: report the fault. That URL makes it easy. Until the fault is formally reported the authority can use ignorance as a defence.

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

The road I talk about has been resurfaced at least once since that incident and the fault persists. I guess it's just the shape of the land at this point.