http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/scotland-counts-the-2-7m-cost-of-pothole-damage-1-3301489
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
"Scotland counts the £2.7m cost of pothole damage"
(15 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
-
Local government umbrella group Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) blamed a growing “compensation culture” which encourages motorists to make claims
Yeah? Get a bike and cycle round Edinburgh, you clowns. Then you'll see what causes the damage... and it's not people's attitudes...
Posted 10 years ago # -
27,000 in Edinburgh probably wouldn't cover more than a few potholes - it's probably still more cost effective for the council to ignore the problem
Posted 10 years ago # -
I suspect that this is the tip of the iceberg. Many don't claim and those that do face a long and difficult road to compensation.
I put in a claim a good few years ago (for only £50 ish). After the initial communications I have heard anything since.
Really there should be a stronger imperative to get the roads fit for purpose - some kind of target with independent auditing.
Site like Fill-that_Hole are great but really they should be used to notify councils of holes appearing suddenly. Instead the streets are so overwhelmingly pot-holed over such a long period that it's blatently obvious that the councils are not fulfilling their obligations.
Posted 10 years ago # -
There's a street near me that runs into a new development. As part of this development, four trenches have been dug across the street, possibly to cable new lamposts, and filled. They've then had months of construction traffic going over them resulting in four wide, sharp potholes on the road. Is the council to blame here, or the developers? There are so many potholes that are clearly caused by a poor quality reinstatement of an otherwise good surface.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I sent photos to North Lanarkshire showing the hole and busted rims.
North Lanarkshire replied saying that I couldn't prove their hole caused the damage.
I need to get the Pope round for coffee and a Tunnock's.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Is the council to blame here, or the developers?
If it's a public road, then I'd say it's the council to blame. If the council will accept sub-standard work by utilities companies etc, then they'll get sub-standard work.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Councils and residents don't like rat runs because car drivers use them and/or try to park along them. So the trick is to provide a disincentive by never repairing them. That has become the modus operandi, but the amazing cost savings have been translated to all roads with only occasional exceptions.
The best example I can think of is West Spylaw Park. It's a good short cut, and what an incredible lunar landscape! The enduro bike laps it up but that's about all.
Posted 10 years ago # -
The best example I can think of is West Spylaw Park.
I will see your West Spylaw Park and raise you Kingston Avenue. :)
(Needs to be cycled westwards to be believed.)
Posted 10 years ago # -
More and more holes are being created because more & more people are driving everywhere & vehicles have got heavier.
Something has to break.
So it's time to get all roads down to one lane in each direction & ban cars from the city centre and bus routes. Then we might have a chance of catching up with the damage.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Surely it's not cars that are the real problem - but buses and lorries ripping up the road. The number of the really huge cars is pretty small.
Posted 10 years ago # -
The real bad ones have not been adopted by the Council - they are privately maintained (or not), typically by the residents adjacent.
This is the case for Spylaw Park, parts of Kingston Avenue, Park Lane, ...
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/1284/roads_and_pavements/865/public_roads_in_edinburgh
Posted 10 years ago # -
@AKen
Well they could put all the buses on metal rails to save damage to the roads... Oh wait... ;)
Posted 10 years ago # -
Surely it's not cars that are the real problem - but buses and lorries ripping up the road.
I've gone into some basic calculations before on a previous thread (can't find it at the moment) about Low Floor buses and how their axle load is greater than an HGV and was on paper 60% higher than the old "high floor" buses.
It's hardly a coincidence that so many bus stops in Edinburgh have two large wheels-shaped holes or depressions at them about the same distance apart as the wheels on the bus and the same distance from the kerb as a stopping bus.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Buses can only account for damage on the bus routes. I'd say it's fair play/to be expected that buses damage the roads on their set routes.
But that doesn't explain all the damage to non buse routes:
- Whitehouse Loan
- Murieston Cres
- West Spylaw Park
- Kingston Avenue
- Leamington Tce
- Viewforth
- etc...
Posted 10 years ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
