WHEN POTHOLES KILL
The number of cyclists seriously injured or killed by potholes has hit record levels
ACYCLIST dies every three months in Great Britain because of poor road surfaces, new figures have revealed.
Data published by the Department for Transport shows that in 2016, four cyclists were killed due to poor or defective road surfaces.
That’s the second-highest figure on record - in 2010 there were six cyclist deaths that were caused by poor road surfaces.
In 2016, a further five cyclists a month were seriously injured in accidents caused by road surfaces more than ever before.
Serious injuries mean the person involved was so badly hurt they had to receive in-patient hospital care, and can include bone fractures, friction burns, internal injuries and concussion.
It is up to councils to decide when a pothole is deep enough to be repaired, although in general councils set the minimum depth at 40mm.
Most potholes develop on local roads, which councils are responsible for, rather than motorways and trunk roads.
Sam Jones, senior campaigns officer for Cycling UK, said: “Quite often what happens is a cyclist will see a pothole in the road and will look behind their shoulder to see if there’s a car there.
“Because of their speed, if there isn’t enough space or time to safely move, the cyclist hits the pothole, is flung into the road and hit by oncoming traffic which can kill them. “At the moment the government is not giving enough money to highway authorities for potholes to be properly filled in. “Cyclists can report a pothole on a Fill The Hole website which geotags and logs every pothole reported so that if an incident occurs, the council can not say they were unaware of the hole. “Unfortunately because there isn’t enough money to properly repair all the potholes, councils are having to make the choice to leave some unfilled and be prepared for the fact that they might have to pay individual compensation if an incident involving that pothole occurs.”
Some seven cyclists were also seriously injured in 2016 because of inadequate or concealed signs and road markings.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Any death on our roads is deeply regrettable, no matter what the cause. “We have some of the safest roads in the world, but we will do everything we can to make our roads safer for everyone, including cyclists. “That’s why we are investing a record £23 billion on our roads to increase capacity and improve journeys. “While it is for councils to identify where repairs should be undertaken, we are also looking at how innovative technology can help them keep their roads in the best condition, saving money.”