Road damage reporting

"Jonathan Schneider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been thinking about damage caused to the road surface by
contractors working for utility companies and building projects. It
would be nice if councils could easily find out where damage (wear and
tear excepted) came from and use the information to extract
compensation. They obviously don't have enough people to collect the
information but the public do. So we'd end up with better roads, less
council tax, fewer punctures or all of the above.

What if there were an online database run with the express purpose of
helping this happen where people could record such damage when they
happen to notice it. The fields for each record might include the
following.

Location (enter lat/long or click on map)
Photos
Contractor
Working for e.g. Breckish Telecom
Project e.g. New substation or fixing burst water pipe
Date spotted
Approximate dates of work
Jurisdiction e.g. Flydale North council
Whether reported and if so when and to whom
Other notes

Is the work to service one property, several or provide services for a
new development ?

Severity from "looks nasty" to "without evasive maneuvers likely to
bend a bicycle wheel or cause accident". [Don't want to make this
bicycle specific.]

I think such a site would require registration to expedite dealing
with bad entries and allow (with permission) a council to contact the
spotter.

What do you think ?

Jon Schneider

Have you read (heard?) that highway authorities are currently unaware of who
might be digging up roads or where it's happening? Can you supply details
please?

Thanks,

Paul

Jonathan Schneider said:

What if there were an online database run with the express purpose of
helping this happen where people could record such damage when they
happen to notice it.

What about;

http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/
http://www.clearthattrail.org.uk/

Regards
Mark

On Aug 3, 9:35 pm, Jonathan Schneider <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I've been thinking about damage caused to the road surface by
contractors working for utility companies and building projects. It
would be nice if councils could easily find out where damage (wear and
tear excepted) came from and use the information to extract
compensation.

SNIP

Quoted message said:

What do you think ?

Jon Schneider

www.fixmystreet.com

Matt

In message <[email hidden]>, Jonathan Schneider
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I've been thinking about damage caused to the road surface by
contractors working for utility companies and building projects. It
would be nice if councils could easily find out where damage (wear and
tear excepted) came from and use the information to extract
compensation. They obviously don't have enough people to collect the
information but the public do. So we'd end up with better roads, less
council tax, fewer punctures or all of the above.

Quoted message said:

What if there were an online database run with the express purpose of
helping this happen where people could record such damage when they
happen to notice it

<snip>

Well, they already have information on the works being carried out.
since under the 1991 New roads and Street works Act, utilities etc. have
to notify the Local Authority and the LA has to keep a register of the
said works.

If they are notified of damage, they certainly have the information
available to chase up the relevant utility, whether or not they do I've
no idea.

So I don't see any need for individuals to go about recording this.

As for reporting damage, well there is the Fill That Hole site, setup by
the CTC, where you can report damage, and the information is forwarded
on to the relevant authority.

<http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/>
--
Chris French

On 04/08/2007 00:34, chris French said,

Quoted message said:

As for reporting damage, well there is the Fill That Hole site, setup by
the CTC, where you can report damage, and the information is forwarded
on to the relevant authority.

....who promptly ignore it! Time to re-submit my favourite dodgy bit of
road, I think :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd said:

...who promptly ignore it! Time to re-submit my favourite dodgy bit of
road, I think :-)

Now now don't be too negative - Leicestershire County Council at least
go and visit the site then report back that they're not going to do
anything about it for at least 12 months!

Someone reported a very badly rutted and potholed road near to me via
the CTC's website in March, the council (Conwy) said they would be
resurfacing it in July so couldn't do anything about it until then
even though it was very close to being dangerous for a cyclist. They
resurfaced it but only surface dressed it so all the ruts and potholes
are still there just covered with a bit of tar now!

peter

in message <[email hidden]>,

naked_draughtsman (') said:

Paul Boyd said:

...who promptly ignore it! Time to re-submit my favourite dodgy bit of
road, I think :-)

Now now don't be too negative - Leicestershire County Council at least
go and visit the site then report back that they're not going to do
anything about it for at least 12 months!

Someone reported a very badly rutted and potholed road near to me via
the CTC's website in March, the council (Conwy) said they would be
resurfacing it in July so couldn't do anything about it until then
even though it was very close to being dangerous for a cyclist. They
resurfaced it but only surface dressed it so all the ruts and potholes
are still there just covered with a bit of tar now!

I have very mixed feelings on this issue. I live in an area officially
classified as 'remote rural'. As such we have the lowest average wages in
mainland Britain, and greatly more than the average milage of roads per
council tax payer.

On the whole our roads are extraordinarily well maintained - certainly as
compared to neighbouring regions. I enjoy cycling on them, but I can't
help feeling that this is a great waste of public money given the many
other urgent calls on the public purse.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Let's have a moment of silence for all those Americans who are stuck
;; in traffic on their way to the gym to ride the stationary bicycle.
;; Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Dem, OR)

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>,

naked_draughtsman (') said:

Paul Boyd said:

...who promptly ignore it! Time to re-submit my favourite dodgy bit of
road, I think :-)

Now now don't be too negative - Leicestershire County Council at least
go and visit the site then report back that they're not going to do
anything about it for at least 12 months!

Someone reported a very badly rutted and potholed road near to me via
the CTC's website in March, the council (Conwy) said they would be
resurfacing it in July so couldn't do anything about it until then
even though it was very close to being dangerous for a cyclist. They
resurfaced it but only surface dressed it so all the ruts and potholes
are still there just covered with a bit of tar now!

I have very mixed feelings on this issue. I live in an area officially
classified as 'remote rural'. As such we have the lowest average wages in
mainland Britain, and greatly more than the average milage of roads per
council tax payer.

If they don't fill in the holes though people can and do sue them if
they fall off their bike because of them. By pointing out to them where
they are you're actually saving them the cost of having someone go
around looking for them.

Quoted message said:

On the whole our roads are extraordinarily well maintained - certainly as
compared to neighbouring regions. I enjoy cycling on them, but I can't
help feeling that this is a great waste of public money given the many
other urgent calls on the public purse.

They waste more money on worse things I'm sure. I'll settle for a hole
in the road filled in.

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben C

(') said:

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>,

naked_draughtsman (') said:

On Aug 4, 1:18 pm, Paul Boyd <[email hidden]> wrote:
> ...who promptly ignore it! Time to re-submit my favourite dodgy bit
> of road, I think :-)

Someone reported a very badly rutted and potholed road near to me via
the CTC's website in March, the council (Conwy) said they would be
resurfacing it in July so couldn't do anything about it until then
even though it was very close to being dangerous for a cyclist. They
resurfaced it but only surface dressed it so all the ruts and potholes
are still there just covered with a bit of tar now!

I have very mixed feelings on this issue. I live in an area officially
classified as 'remote rural'. As such we have the lowest average wages
in mainland Britain, and greatly more than the average milage of roads
per council tax payer.

If they don't fill in the holes though people can and do sue them if
they fall off their bike because of them. By pointing out to them where
they are you're actually saving them the cost of having someone go
around looking for them.

People should take responsibility for themselves, not try to offload it
onto tax-payers. If there's a pothole in the road, don't ride into it!
Yes, the council have a duty to maintain the roads. But we're currently
asking for roads to be maintained to a standard which imposes costs on the
community which are not commensurate with the benefits, in my opinion.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On the whole our roads are extraordinarily well maintained - certainly
as compared to neighbouring regions. I enjoy cycling on them, but I
can't help feeling that this is a great waste of public money given the
many other urgent calls on the public purse.

They waste more money on worse things I'm sure. I'll settle for a hole
in the road filled in.

Maybe you would. I'd rather have decent schools and decent care for the
elderly.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
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M- !d- PS++ PE-- Y+ PGP !t 5? X+ !R b++ !DI D G- e++ h*(-) r++ y+++
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben C
([email hidden]'😉 wrote:

If there's a pothole in the road, don't ride into it!

That is like telling an insomniac to get some sleep, or telling someone with
clinical depression to pull themselves together. Nobody deliberatly rides
into potholes, but there are times when you will accidentally hit one,
usually night time commuting when you have the lights from oncoming traffic
reducing the contrast of the surroundings.

I commute about 12 miles mainly on unclassified country roads. On the wider
roads (i.e. not single track) the roads are virtually pothole free. I agree
that expecting them to be super smooth is unrealistic and I don't expect
them to be, but I do expect to be able to navigate them without being thrown
off my bike.

The last mile of my commute is up a single track road which is full of
potholes. Of course, I know they are there and take extra care as a result,
but people at work have had their cars damaged as a result of these potholes
which again, I don't think is acceptable.

Adam

Adam Lea said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben C
([email hidden]'😉 wrote:

If there's a pothole in the road, don't ride into it!

That is like telling an insomniac to get some sleep, or telling someone with
clinical depression to pull themselves together. Nobody deliberatly rides
into potholes, but there are times when you will accidentally hit one,
usually night time commuting when you have the lights from oncoming traffic
reducing the contrast of the surroundings.

I commute about 12 miles mainly on unclassified country roads. On the wider
roads (i.e. not single track) the roads are virtually pothole free. I agree
that expecting them to be super smooth is unrealistic and I don't expect
them to be, but I do expect to be able to navigate them without being thrown
off my bike.

The last mile of my commute is up a single track road which is full of
potholes. Of course, I know they are there and take extra care as a result,
but people at work have had their cars damaged as a result of these potholes
which again, I don't think is acceptable.

Adam

true but more than likely in simons case and in where my folks live, the
coucil will cover a massive area, so the cost of keeping the road
network is high, though unless simon lives in tourist area traffic is
likely to be low.

the roads of sw london and surrey are in lot better state. but then they
have much higher traffic, and smaller area to cover. they are also a
darn site richer.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Adam Lea said:

The last mile of my commute is up a single track road which is full of
potholes. Of course, I know they are there and take extra care as a result,
but people at work have had their cars damaged as a result of these potholes
which again, I don't think is acceptable.

Although we can swerve around them (if we see them coming) other road
users probably won't as it's often less of a problem for them and
there's always a risk of a car running into you. If find this is more
of a problem than actually damaging bits of my bike or putting more
wear on them.

Councils usually pay any claims for damage from potholes without
quibble as long as you can show what the cause was. It think it would
be much cheaper for them to fill the holes though and do a proper job
of it so the repair lasts a year or two rather than a couple of weeks
which seems to be the norm at the moment. A good example is filling
ruts (due to the road failing due to the weight of traffic) with bits
of 'tub tar' as the road will usually keep sinking and getting worse!

peter

in message <[email hidden]>, Roger Merriman

(') said:

Adam Lea said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ben C
([email hidden]'😉 wrote:

If there's a pothole in the road, don't ride into it!

That is like telling an insomniac to get some sleep, or telling someone
with clinical depression to pull themselves together. Nobody deliberatly
rides into potholes, but there are times when you will accidentally hit
one, usually night time commuting when you have the lights from oncoming
traffic reducing the contrast of the surroundings.

I commute about 12 miles mainly on unclassified country roads. On the
wider roads (i.e. not single track) the roads are virtually pothole
free. I agree that expecting them to be super smooth is unrealistic and
I don't expect them to be, but I do expect to be able to navigate them
without being thrown off my bike.

The last mile of my commute is up a single track road which is full of
potholes. Of course, I know they are there and take extra care as a
result, but people at work have had their cars damaged as a result of
these potholes which again, I don't think is acceptable.

true but more than likely in simons case and in where my folks live, the
coucil will cover a massive area, so the cost of keeping the road
network is high, though unless simon lives in tourist area traffic is
likely to be low.

the roads of sw london and surrey are in lot better state. but then they
have much higher traffic, and smaller area to cover. they are also a
darn site richer.

Just so. We have 23 people per square kilometer. Surrey has 644. I'm
prepared to bet we have more kilometers of road. The average gross wage
here is £12,192; in Surrey it's £30,600. So each council tax payer here is
paying for a lot more road than in Surrey, out of a lot less income.

There are advantages. I can go for a fifty mile ride without seeing a
moving motor vehicle; it's quite normal, provided you stay out of the
towns, to see more bikes than cars. And the scenery is world class. And
the roads, too, are currently world class - but I don't think that's good
value for money, given the needs of our community.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

A message from our sponsor: This site is now in free fall

On 05/08/2007 12:51, Simon Brooke said,

Quoted message said:

People should take responsibility for themselves, not try to offload it
onto tax-payers.

Yes they should, but society seems to be heading towards the "who can we
sue?" scenario instead of plain common sense. Parents who sue schools
for trivial matters, then complain when the schools can't afford books
or whatever they use these days. If I crashed my bike in a pot-hole, I
would be looking around hoping that no-one saw me, but a lot of people
would be looking around for witnesses and be preparing their court case
before they've even landed :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

On 05/08/2007 13:45, Adam Lea said,

Quoted message said:

That is like telling an insomniac to get some sleep

Oh, I know that one! "Why don't you just go to sleep instead of lying
awake?" If I could, I would!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Quoted message said:

Yes, the council have a duty to maintain the roads. But we're
currently asking for roads to be maintained to a standard which
imposes costs on the community which are not commensurate with the
benefits, in my opinion.

Sometime last year I had a chat with one of Manchester's Highway bods. He
was very happy 'cos the council were finally giving them enough money to
take proper care of the roads. This extra investment, he said, would save
the council a lot more a few years down the line.

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Roger
Merriman

(') said:

Adam Lea said:

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> in message <[email hidden]>, Ben C
> ([email hidden]'😉 wrote:
>
> If there's a pothole in the road, don't ride into it!

That is like telling an insomniac to get some sleep, or telling someone
with clinical depression to pull themselves together. Nobody deliberatly
rides into potholes, but there are times when you will accidentally hit
one, usually night time commuting when you have the lights from oncoming
traffic reducing the contrast of the surroundings.

I commute about 12 miles mainly on unclassified country roads. On the
wider roads (i.e. not single track) the roads are virtually pothole
free. I agree that expecting them to be super smooth is unrealistic and
I don't expect them to be, but I do expect to be able to navigate them
without being thrown off my bike.

The last mile of my commute is up a single track road which is full of
potholes. Of course, I know they are there and take extra care as a
result, but people at work have had their cars damaged as a result of
these potholes which again, I don't think is acceptable.

true but more than likely in simons case and in where my folks live, the
coucil will cover a massive area, so the cost of keeping the road
network is high, though unless simon lives in tourist area traffic is
likely to be low.

the roads of sw london and surrey are in lot better state. but then they
have much higher traffic, and smaller area to cover. they are also a
darn site richer.

Just so. We have 23 people per square kilometer. Surrey has 644. I'm
prepared to bet we have more kilometers of road. The average gross wage
here is £12,192; in Surrey it's £30,600. So each council tax payer here is
paying for a lot more road than in Surrey, out of a lot less income.

There are advantages. I can go for a fifty mile ride without seeing a
moving motor vehicle; it's quite normal, provided you stay out of the
towns, to see more bikes than cars. And the scenery is world class. And
the roads, too, are currently world class - but I don't think that's good
value for money, given the needs of our community.

Yes that is fair enough. Surrey and Sussex doesn't really compare to rural
Scotland.

"Mark" <pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yes, the council have a duty to maintain the roads. But we're
currently asking for roads to be maintained to a standard which
imposes costs on the community which are not commensurate with the
benefits, in my opinion.

Sometime last year I had a chat with one of Manchester's Highway bods. He
was very happy 'cos the council were finally giving them enough money to
take proper care of the roads. This extra investment, he said, would save
the council a lot more a few years down the line.

How much would the council save if they stopped installing [censored] cycle
facilities?

Quoted message said:

How much would the council save if they stopped installing [censored] cycle
facilities?

If only 🙁