Nine years to tackle crumbling roads
Saturday 27th March 2010, 11:30AM GMT.
Shropshire’s crumbling roads are in such a poor state that it could take at least nine years to fix them, it was revealed today.
The Government is providing an emergency £1.8 million hand out to help patch weather-battered roads across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
But a county highways boss today said the money was a drop in the ocean and would not cure chronic problems affecting damaged roads.
Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for strategic planning and transportation, today said: “The Government is taking a Band Aid to a much more acute problem.
“We’re looking at a shortfall of between £4 million and £6 million every year. So, while we welcome any financial assistance, it is clearly not enough and will not help us to solve long term problems.”
Council bosses have warned it will cost £72 million and take nine years to bring the West Midlands’s roads, including Shropshire, up to scratch, according to new research.
Chancellor Alistair Darling this week pledged £100 million in his Budget to help mend potholes caused by Britain’s freezing winter.
Of that, £9.2 million is destined for the West Midlands to be shared between the region’s 14 local authorities. It includes £1.5 million for Shropshire and £278,400 for Telford & Wrekin.
But there are doubts over whether the grant will be enough given the scale of the problem faced by councils.
Councillor Taylor-Smith added: “Last year we spent £800,000 and we have allocated around £900,000 for the coming year. That is not enough.
“We are repairing things rather than replacing them for the long term. Average roads should last for about 40 years but, because they are not properly maintained, they are not lasting.”
According to a survey published this week by Alarm (Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance), based on research by the Asphalt Industry Alliance, the problems caused by the big freeze come on top of already under-funded council road maintenance budgets.
It shows the average cost of filling a pothole in the West Midlands is £99 but the cash injection is only a fraction of the money needed to bring the region’s 19,813-miles stretch of roads up to standard.
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Ahem!
Have Shropshire’s roads *ever* been much good?
It used to be a standing joke many years ago that in some parts of the county you didn’t need a sign to tell when you were entering another county; you could tell you were leaving Shropshire as the tarmac suddenly became a lot smoother and your car didn’t rattle so much… ;-)
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Once again we see the results of this governments anti car stance.
They can afford to spend millions putting in needless traffic lights and reducing speed limits needlessly just to slow us all down and make driving such a headache in order to drive us from our cars but have they been spending the money where it’s really needed, on maintenance….NO WAY!
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How any-one, who drives, can justify voting for this “anti private transport” lot is beyond me.
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why have these roads been allowed to get in this condition ? must be BAD management .SACK all councillors concerned and give the job to some one that cares and will look after the money !!!
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A “shortfall of £4 to £6 million each year”?!?!? How about cutting tea breaks… actually making road repairers work for their money?
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What do you mean used to be LOL
of course our roads won’t getting any worse will they, nine years! Shropshires roads are like the fourth bridge, just worse. :(
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Where I live in Canada the roads are also disgusting….however there is a big spread in the paper tonight, they are addressing the issues and within the next 12-months all will be done, it’s part of the investment in the country to create jobs to help with the current economy. It’s only gonna take 9-years because they aint got the money to hand. They should allow a defecit, imagine all them jobs created if they could do that 9-years work in the next 1-2-years…..
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the council should hang its head in shame, they didnt grit enough and now we will have to pay more to repair their mess
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Agree Mate!Shropshire Council should clean up it’s act to make Shropshire a competitive place to vist/live ect….
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THEY ARE GETTING DANGEROUS NOW
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T elford & Wrekin of course have perfect roads – NOT – but then they spend all thier time on regeneration projects rather than maintaining what they have already.
Regenration massages the egos of the councillors and provides numerous non jobs whereas simple maintenance does not.
Sort out the real priorities T&W – and in case you are unsure flash new town centres are not amongst them.
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lack of money is not an excuse cllr taylor, you must find the money this is a health and safety issue and MUST be fixed before someone dies, find the money from within the departments excessive admin and mangement costs
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Ad @ 8, not entirely correct – the corrosive properties of grit plays a large part in the disintegration of the road surfaces.
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As a non car user I hope the roads get worse this will encourage many people to use public transport ie rail or bus, especially with the rising cost of fuel which will in turn safe guard the enviroment for the future and our children.
Win win if I dare say
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Y Mab Darogan, public transport is simply not an option as its too expensive and inconvenient! Its OK using a bus if all you need to do is go and pick up your job seekers allowance or pop to the shops, but for anyone with a slightly busy life then public transport is not adequate!
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hi – yes i agree the council should find the money from tourism economic development or wherever because no roads means no tourists and no jobs
it should be the NO 1 priority, its dangerous
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Y Mab Darogan,
Yes you’re quite right, let the roads worsen, get everyone using public transport thus reducing the number of lighter vehicles on the road and increasing the number of heavy duty vehicles on the road making the state of the roads even worse who will double the cost of supplying the services to compensate for the rising repair bill to their vehicles until such point whereby no vehicle can use the roads due to their poor state and consequently bringing all industry and the economy to a grinding halt when goods and/or services cannot be delivered.
Yes cracking idea that
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surely the state of the roads have been made far worse by one of the longest frostiest winters on record, presumably gordon brown will get the blame for that as well, thankfully when his government are returned in may by 18 seats, lord adonut will make way for a roads enthusiast rather than a build more railways at any cost minister
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like rustic rural roads are a new thing ?? surely more important to focus on A roads and M ways, sorry shropshrie sunday drivers, you’re just not a priority compared to millions of car users and freight transport in birmingham, manchester, glasgow and london
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