Who is to blame for the pothole plague?
According to the Asphalt industry Alliance, the increased number of heavy electric cars is one reason why our roads are full of potholes (Mail). There are about a million electric vehicles in the UK, out of a 41 million total. So what is the future plan for our roads, when all cars are electric?
Name and address supplied. YES, electric vehicles are heavier, but now we also have thousands of online shopping delivery vans on our roads, all loaded up to the sun-visors. However, surely the main cause of the potholes plague is that almost all highways authorities contract out the repair jobs, then make absolutely no effort to oversee the workmanship. The contract will include minimum quality standards but be awarded on price alone. The faster contractors do these jobs, the more money they make — and it is in their interest to have to redo potholes, as they get paid each time. There is a project management adage: ‘good, Fast, cheap. You can have any two.’
J. CHAMBERLIN, Ashbourne, Derbys.
i HAVE just returned from a road trip to France and germany, where for six days i never came across a pothole. returning from dover to Sussex, even the A-roads were full of them. it must be down to bad road maintenance.
StEPHEN DRAKE, Worthing, W. Sussex.
WHAT rubbish to blame EVs. What about all these giant lorries wrecking our A and B roads? i suspect there is a kind of warped jealousy around the fact that EV owners pay no road tax.
RICHARD BURNETT, Hull, E. Yorks. WHAT with poorly maintained verges, near-invisible white lines, dirty road signs, muddy surfaces and the inevitable potholes, the A6 in derbyshire creates ‘perfect storm’ conditions for an accident. We live in the 21st century but the roman army would regard our roads as a disgrace.
ANNE WHITE, belper, Derbys. HAS the pothole epidemic been caused by the adoption of porous asphalt in the nineties for environmental reasons?
PHIL WILLIAMS, Horsham, W. Sussex. AS A driver for more than 50 years, i estimate that up to January 2023 i had no more than five punctures. Since then, my wife and i have replaced eight perfectly legal tyres on our vehicles due to pothole damage.
KEITH TURNELL, Faldingworth, Lincs.
SHOULD road tax not be levied according to a vehicle’s weight? And why are heavy EVs not charged (no pun intended) too?
PAUL CONSTABLE, Colchester, Essex.
i TOTALLY disagree that EVs are to blame. it’s the huge lorries on our roads, twice the length and weight they were years ago when we had no potholes. it’s a no-brainer.
JUDITH KENNEDY, Manchester.
INSTEAD of blaming heavier vehicles, why not just admit we are totally incapable of fixing potholes.
DAVE HAYES, Sandwich, Kent.