Special report: Potholes ARE a big problem say Shropshire Star readers
Potholes are a problem and Shropshire’s roads are getting worse, according to a Shropshire Star survey.
An overwhelming 94 per cent of Shropshire Star readers who voted have backed cycle groups who claim some roads in the county are no-go zones.
More than 2,000 people took part in our online poll.
The survey came in response to claims by cyclists that some roads were now a no-go zone – and the assertion by Councillor Steve Davenport that workmen were on top of the problem.
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The survey created a lively online debate from readers about roads in our county. Here are some of the comments made:
KLF99 wrote: "About a week ago I came back from Europe. We drove up from Dover to Ludlow and it was all going well until we hit Shropshire's roads.
"My friend who gets car sick asked if we could change to a motorway or dual carriageway because she was getting extremely sick especially with all the dark country lane driving and all the potholes. Plus she was concerned the damage we were doing to the hire car.
"I had to explain to her that these types of routes are the only way into Ludlow. We ended up using the route through Newnham Bridge and Burford and then up past the Kerry factory up Clee Hill. All this route was littered with potholes.
"Possibly the worst was on the B4214 just before Knowle at the big S-bend. That road is practically destroyed with potholes and it's been like that since Christmas. I think round here the only route that hasn't got pot holes in is the A49 –- but considering how often that's been closed recently I would hope it doesn't have any potholes left in it."
BritishandProud: "From September 2017 to February 2018 there was a pothole on the pelican crossing outside the Co-op on the Welshpool Road at Bicton Heath.
"This pothole was left to get worse and made a drain cover sit dangerously in the road. It was only repaired after a cyclist had a serious fall because of it! That saying the shoddy repair work has meant it's now turning into another pothole."
Pippa Musgrave: "Roads are being patched when they need resurfaced. Roads are being resurfaced when they need rebuilt. The surface of choice, chippings over a tar layer is appalling in terms of noise, rolling resistance and tyre wear. Roads and cycle paths are in an appalling state and in some cases downright dangerous."
Philip Plumb: "I am confident that Councillor Davenport's comments are strange news to anyone who drives a vehicle around. I can only assume he walks everywhere."
RoyAt: "I suggest the councillor has a drive, or cycle, around Weston Rhyn and Wern where many potholes over 25mm have simply been decorated with yellow spray for months and not repaired, whereas some other potholes around them have."
CosmicSpacehead: "Anyone who says potholes aren't a problem should speak to my car's suspension, which is well and truly shot. I've driven down smoother dirt roads than many of the roads in Shropshire."
Lorry: "I would love to know which roads Councillor Davenport has used because the majority of the roads I use in Shropshire are a disgrace. The A49 and A5 are the only pot hole free roads in Shropshire I can think of."
Pilot Clive: "Council officials should get out of their office get on their bike and come and visit the real world. If workman did a proper job of fixing the roads then our roads might be in a better state. I'm sure the amount spent on compensation for injuries and damage far outweighs what is spent on fixing the roads already."
Hole lot of trouble for cyclists
Shropshire is a Mecca for cyclists, but potholes across the county are becoming increasingly dangerous, it has been claimed.
Dave Mellor, who has run Dave Mellor Cycles in Shrewsbury since 1985, said more needs to be done to protect those on two wheels.
The former Great Britain cycling team manager said everybody who comes into his shop is complaining about the state of the county’s roads – and that people are already getting hurt.
“The other day we were riding at the Stiperstones. We were going down a small descent and there were two long potholes at the bottom, both very deep,” he said.
“One of the guys swerved to avoid hitting one and hit the other. We had to take him to A&E. He’d broken his wrist.
“Shropshire is absolutely fantastic for cyclists. The events around the Stiperstones, town centre races like the Newport Nocturne, RAF Shawbury, Cyclocross events – Shropshire is a real Mecca for competitive cyclists. But the pothole problem is increasing massively.”
His comments come as Shropshire Council reveals proposals that will see changes in the time it takes to repair potholes.
Under the new plans potholes on the council’s strategic network that are greater than two inches deep would take up to a week to fix. The current official response time is 24 hours. Holes deeper than an inch will take 28 days instead of five working days.
Also affected are urban link and local access roads, with potholes larger than four inches deep taking up to seven days to repair rather than the current 24-hour deadline.
The proposals, part of a public consultation, come just weeks after it was revealed the highways budget for Shropshire will be cut by £10 million over the next two years.
“It seems they’re trying to do less work and downgrade potholes,” Mr Mellor said.
“I use the Porthill Roundabout in Shrewsbury every day and there’s a massive pothole there. It must have been there three months.
“Unfortunately it’s a countrywide problem. It’s strange, but if you go into Wales the roads seem to be smoother.
“Shropshire folk go across to the coast, and it’s noticeable.
“Some authorities are able to deal with it, but English authorities don’t seem able to. I’ve had a cycling holiday abroad and the roads are so much better in France, German and Holland for cyclists.”
The problem not only impacts veteran cyclists, but motorists and those interested in taking on the hobby.
Mr Mellor said: “We know cycling is good. It reduces obesity, it promotes a feeling of well-being, but the infrastructure has got to be there when there’s a national policy that’s trying to push people to go out and enjoy cycling. If you’re knocking into potholes you’re not going to enjoy it.
“When a cyclists has to ride into the roads to avoid a pothole, that also increases conflict between motorists and cyclists. The lack of maintenance is causing more problems.”
Horrible
Mr Mellor said issues for cyclists in Shrewsbury we made worse by the town’s age.
“We’re trying to fit a quart into a pint pot,” he said. “You’ve got pedestrians and cyclists on the same paths.
“We don’t have the space to have dedicated paths, but where there are dedicated paths they need to be cleaned. You ride on cycle paths in the town and they’re a disgrace. They’re gritty. They’re horrible to ride on.”
He added: “You wouldn’t drive your car on them, so why should I have to use my bike on them?”
Mr Mellor backs the comment made by Nick Jeggo, the organiser of the highly successful Newport Nocturne road race held last weekend.
Mr Jeggo’s warning about the state of Shropshire’s roads sparked the debate about potholes and the danger they create. He said: “Cyclists should be able to ride where they choose, on A and B roads and country lanes.
“As the winter arrives these problems will only get worse.
“Even in the rain a cyclist can ride through what looks like a puddle only for them to find out is is a water-filled pothole.
“We have a lot of cycling events in the county and organisers have to do risk assessments including ones on the day.
“It could get to the stage when events will be cancelled hours before the start because of problems with potholes.”
What our councils say
A harsh winter and heavy rain have caused an increase in the number of potholes – but the fight to get on top of the problem is still ongoing.
Both Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council say the poor weather has caused an impact on the quality of their roads.
But both say they are putting extra effort into getting on top of the problem.
Councillor Steve Davenport, cabinet member for highways and transport at Shropshire Council, said there had been an exceptionally high number of potholes this year.
But he also says the issue is being tackled in an orderly and efficient manner.
“It’s well known that many of our roads have been in a terrible state over the past few months following the severe winter weather,” he said. “Working together as part of the Shropshire Highways alliance, Shropshire Council and our partners Kier have been working flat out to treat the exceptionally high number of potholes that have appeared this year.
“Since April, about 30 crews and two Roadmaster vehicles have been out across Shropshire every day repairing thousands of potholes and other road defects.
“This work will continue, and on August 6 a third Roadmaster hit the streets, which will help still further.
“At the same time, we’ve been out across the county in recent weeks meeting town and parish councils to listen to their concerns about potholes and to explain the work that we’re doing to repair them.”
Councillor Davenport said the council was confident it would soon tackle its backlog – but asked that people keep reporting the problems they spot.
“Unfortunately, the repeated fluctuations in weather conditions that we saw last winter coupled with heavy rainfall create the worst possible conditions for road surfaces, and result in an increase in the number of potholes,” he said.
“Clearly this isn’t unique to Shropshire and it’s a problem that many other local authorities have been facing. However, we’re confident that we’ll soon have tackled the backlog of potholes – but people can still help us by reporting any that they come across.”
Hundreds of potholes have been filled or repairs across the Telford & Wrekin borough since April.
Invested
Russell Griffin, a spokesman for the council, said that the town’s roads were better than the regional or national averages.
“Telford & Wrekin Council’s approach to highway maintenance is to take a proactive approach to maintaining the network,” he said.
“This is why the council has invested £20 million in improving roads, paths, bridges and other assets over the next two years. The latest findings by the Department for Transport show that the condition of Telford’s roads are better than the regional and national averages, which is quite an achievement given the financial challenges faced by local authorities.
“To tackle potholes, the Government has provided additional resources to help councils find, fix and repair potholes. However although that money was welcome, it was not enough on its own to repair the road network.”
A new thermal repair system introduced in May has seen an additional 1,179 repairs cross the borough.
“This process melts the road surface layer in order to recycle the existing material as well as adding a little extra material where required,” Mr Griffin said.
“As this process uses less material, there are no recycling or disposal costs. It is also a quicker repair meaning that it can almost double a traditional gang’s productivity.
“Since its introduction, the thermal repair system has made 1,179 burns over 54 days of working, giving an average of 22 burns a day. This is in addition to the 880 potholes that have been filled.”
And a jetpatcher will begin on September 3 for six weeks to target defects on the rural network.
“Sites have been pre-identified through routine highway inspections,” Mr Griffin said. “This process is weather-dependent but a potential 700 potholes and defects can be addressed during this six-week programme.”
Earlier this year, the council adopted a risk-based method of fixing potholes, meaning that defects on busier roads, outside schools and in places like pedestrian crossings are prioritised.
The council also increased the number of crews from two to five over the spring months.
To report a pothole, visit shropshire.gov.uk or telford.gov.uk/potholes
Stretch of road just long line of patches
Steve Chiverton, who regularly cycles to his work in Telford, says the stretch of Stanton Road on the outskirts of Shifnal is in an appalling state.
“As you go from Shifnal towards Tong, there is a stretch, probably for about 20 yards, where the potholes take up a quarter of the width of the road,” he says.
“There’s a lot of potholes along that length of road, there’s got to be eight to 10.”
Mr Chiverton, a 56-year-old manager in the publishing industry, says what makes the situation worse is that the road is actually designated part of the national cycle network.
“They have a new sign saying it’s part of the national cycling route, and that drivers should be aware of cyclists, and less than a quarter of a mile along the road you have a fine collection of potholes,” he says.
“It’s a real worry when you have got somebody coming up behind you, because you have only got a quarter of the road you can use. And you do sometimes get cars following you pretty close behind.”
Mr Chiverton says a number of other cyclists have expressed similar concerns about the state of the route, which he says poses a real risk to safety.
“One cyclist said to me he no longer used his road bike on the stretch because it had broken his forks,” he adds.
“Having been knocked off my bike twice in the past, requiring hospital treatment, you are going to worry. There’s always going to be cars coming from behind you as you move over.
Buckling
“I have had several punctures caused by potholes, I have had my wheels straightened after buckling over the potholes.”
Mr Chiverton, who lives in Great Wyrley, Staffordshire, says the road desperately needs repairing, although he understands the pressures local government is under.
“I would say the problem has got worse over the past five years or so, there’s potholes everywhere,” he says, adding that when he was a teenager the roads were pretty good.
“I went to Stamford in Lincolnshire, and there were some awful ones there, and these were on the main roads.
“But I went for a cycle ride in the Isle of Wight in May and there was not a pothole for the whole of the 70 miles.”
Mr Chiverton is critical of the quality of repairs to the roads, saying that the stretch in Shifnal is just a long line of patches.
“All they are doing is throwing a bit of tar in the centre, and patting it down with a shovel or pressing it down with a boot.
“The quality of the workmanship is not up to scratch, and in the long run that’s not going to be cost effective. I’m sure the council would say it is under great difficulties financially.”
I probably fill about 100 to 150 of them a day
Gavin Andrew and workers like him fill hundreds of potholes every day across Shropshire’s roads.
They use the latest methods and equipment in an attempt to keep on top of issues across the county.
It’s not an easy job for the team, who must keep on top of more than 3,106 miles (5,000km) of road, cycleways, footpaths and verges.
And with cold weather and heavy rain last winter, the teams are having to go above and beyond to keep up with the number of forming potholes.
“I probably fill about 100 to 150 potholes a day,” says Gavin, from Shrewsbury, “I will use about 10 tons of material every day.”
It takes about 10 minutes to fill a pothole with the giant Roadmasters.
The specialist vehicle blasts compressed air to blow water and dirt out of potholes, before filling them with bitumen and chippings.
But not without expert hands like Gavin at the helm. He controls the vehicle’s arm via a joystick in the front of his truck.
With delicate precision, he must make sure the pothole is dry enough to be refilled, and that the bitumen and aggregate mixture has an equal spread.
Finally he smooths over the surface using a roller built into his truck, and sprays the former hole with dry chippings as a surface dressing.
With the 10 minute job finished, he goes on his way to his next 149 jobs to do it all again.
Gavin is one of a whole host of workers repeating the process every single day.
Trainer Mark Busby works for Kier, Shropshire Council’s highways maintenance contractor.
“We’re all working together to try and get the problem fixed,” he said.
Penalty
“We don’t want the public to drive on roads full of potholes. We want them to have a safe journey wherever they go within the county.”
Emergency repairs are carried out straightaway, while others are prioritised as needing to be done in five days, 20 days, or as part of a future planned maintenance programme.
“If we are programmed to do it within five days, and we are a day over, the council will hit us with a financial penalty, Mr Busby said. “It is important that we carry it out at the required time.”
John Flower, area manager for Kier, said: “Due to the recent winter that we’ve had the roads seem to be in a pretty bad condition.
“We’re looking at new ways to fill potholes – so we’re not going back to repetitive potholes.”
Mr Flower said there were often issues with getting the required permissions to shut a road.
“If it is an emergency, we can do it straight away,” he said.
“But if it is part of a planned programme we have to give three months’ notice.”
