British Roads - Pothole Purgatory?

[Officer Dibble]

Have you noticed how appalling the state of the roads has become over recent years? Nowadays there seem to be potholes and ruts on most every minor road - and even some motorways are starting to look a bit dog eared. It's gotten so bad that is was a significant factor in the choosing of my latest motor (a big badass 4 * 4 - just the ticket for third world roads).

So, why have the government and local councils not been repairing the roads? When I was a child it seemed that a resurfacing gang would come round every year or so. But now if a council road gang comes round it's only to put in some fucking speed humps or a fucking chicane - and thereby bugger up a perfectly good road. The inevitable question must now by asked - are the government and councils taking the piss? Are they fucking the motorist over? Are we going to stand for it indefinitely?

If challenged the poncy fuckers will say that they are skint (despite large tax rises) and they don't have any money to repair the roads - but they always seem to have plenty of money to spend on asylum seekers, benefit claiming chavs, and African debt relief - not to mention an ever-growing army of bureaucrats. So, do you reckon the roads are going to rack and ruin? Is the country being mismanaged?





Officer Dibble

[Jacques]

Last January/February the residents of where I used to live succeeded in eventually getting a pothole repaired after many months of lobbying etc. It had grown from a small pothole into Chedder Gorge in the mean time.

So the Council came along to do the repair and decided that it needed digging out a bit as it was unsuitable for repair. Out comes the mini-jcb and kablamo!!! They hit a water pipe.

Now they have to contact Severn Trent to repair the water main before they can repair the pothole. Later that cold winter evening Severn Trent arrive to repair the water main which has been pissing water out all day.

To repair the water main they decide that they need to turn off everyone's water and to dig a hole the size of the Grand Canyon and then kablamo!!! They fuck up a perfectly good mains electricity cable. It's only one of the three phases so every other house loses its electricity. A few minutes later and the lot goes.

We now have no water, no electricity and it's brass monkey's outside.

It took almost 24hrs to put right and all because the council didn't repair a small pothole.

[Lizard]

Dibble wrote "Is the country being mismanaged?"

Erm, that will be a fucking big fat yes, but is flash gordon going to save us? I think not. I will tell you the problem in a nutshell Officer. there are too many people living on this Island end of! there are too many scrounging whinging fat arse lazy fucka's living of state handouts, which is just what greasy Gordon wants, he wants them to be grateful to him come the next election, thats a g,nteed 5million votes.In my opinion we should revert back to a form of Nationalisation of some things.. Post, Railways, NHS, Highways and make people accountable for thier fuck ups, as far as the roads go, some of the big contractors boast about how they completed this and that before a given time etc, if these companies like tarmac, Laing etc are so fucking good, how come the motorways are in constant need of repair, they surely must be some of the worst civil engineering outfits in the world today.
Some of Germany,s motorways are still going strong after 50 years. Give the job to someone who can build roads properly.

right I,m of for a brew now phew!!!

[Peter]

Its more amazing how they don't have enough money to repair potholes, yet an endless pot to cover the same roads with humps, cycle and bus lanes.

[one eyed jack]

Dibbs, this is a constant maon of mine when I'm driving at night and hit a crater in the road. I swear if I get any damage to my car the council are gonna pay for it.

They are quick to rinse the public out of money for parking tickets, congestion charges and road taxes. Our roads should be like driving on carpet for the amount of money going into the government and local councils.

[Rude Boy]

Well the roads 'round my way are in a pretty poor state and I've noticed that they seem fairly bad throughout England. A few years ago while going around Scotland with a mate I noticed how much better the roads were up there in every way and there were some blinding roads to drive on, some absolute beatuies. Especially the one that runs along by Loch Ness. How I would love to take a Ferrari around the highlands....with a Eurobabe on board naturally.

[Sam Slater]

Problem 1: Small island with lots of people.

Problem 2: More people are lazier than they used to be, which means more cars.

Problem 3: More cars means faster wear & tear of roads.

All this means more potholes. This means more people complaining about potholes.

Funnily enough, if councils filled in potholes as fast as they were being created, drivers would complain about how much traffic disruption there was 'these days', and swear with rage about all the 'fucking diversions' on the way to the supermarket...............alone.............in a 4x4 made for 6 people.

We're a funny lot really.

[mart]

Are there any council workmen nowadays? Isn't the work done by contractors, who make a profit out of it so its more expensive than it used to be so less work gets done.

Mart

[Arginald Valleywater]

Potholes are nothing compared to FUCKING SPEED BUMPS. A joint project between Highways, exhaust and shock absorber makers. I drive 1.3 miles from ym pad to my mothers house. I pass over 26 speed bumps...........there is no way round them, every estate in Carlisle is plagued by the fuckers!