POTHOLE MISERY
DRIVERS FORCED TO BRAKE OR SWERVE TO AVOID AT LEAST 13 HOLES ON CRUMBLING ROAD
IS this the worst section of rutted and crumbling road in Huddersfield?
Drivers have been forced to swerve or brake to avoid a series of holes in the road surface on Bradley Road, Bradley.
There are at least 13 holes or ruts along a short section of the road near to the junction with Alandale Road.
It appears that the road has recently been patched up but is crumbling again. On Wednesday morning the road surface was being cleared of debris by a council road sweeper who said the holes would be “patched up” the following day.
Clr Martyn Bolt told the Examiner that poor quality road repair was a common complaint.
“It is a common problem in that the repair does not seem to hold. If you do it cheap, you do it twice.
“Holes used to be sealed with a bitumen border. That doesn’t seem to happen now. Members of the public tell me these patches don’t last now.
“The poor condition of roads is something that all road users face.”
One driver said: “Cars are having to swerve left or right to avoid these holes on Bradley Road. It’s like a slalom.”
Driving instructor Warren Green tweeted: “There’s loads of them (holes) on a stretch of Bradley Road. Everyone is having to swerve and hit brakes to avoid damage. It needs sorting.”
A council spokesman said: “We are aware of a problem and we are working on getting it fixed as soon as possible.”
Several Kirklees councillors have been asking questions about the local authority’s response to potholes and road repairs.
Golcar councillor Christine Iredale has tabled this question to this week’s full council meeting: “In a recent league table of local authorities, Kirklees Council came third for the most potholes reported or identified.
“What plans are in place by the council to tackle this problem?”
Clr Lisa Holmes, who represents Liversedge and Gomersal, also tabled a question which asks: “Following two of my residents reporting vehicle damage from potholes, I requested the latest highways engineer report for the road and whether there have been any reports of vehicle damage on this road in the last two years.
“The response has been that the resident has to submit a Freedom of Information request. Can you please explain to me why elected members can’t receive such information directly?”
Lindley councillor Anthony Smith has asked the council about ‘alternative technologies and methods’ being trialled or considered to improve the repair of potholes.
Meanwhile it has been revealed that nationwide vehicle breakdowns attributed to potholes were up 20% in the last three months of 2019 compared with the same period the previous year, according to the RAC.
Between October and December the RAC received more than 2,000 call-outs for pothole-related faults such as distorted wheels, broken suspension springs and damaged shock absorbers.
Of all the breakdowns experienced by RAC members in 2019, just short of 9,200 were pothole-related.
This was down from 13,000 in 2018, a year which saw a dramatic increase in potholes following the arrival of the ‘Beast from the East’ cold snap.
The figures were released to coincide with National Pothole Day.