‘Six bumpy years on, nothing has improved here’
RESIDENTS BEMOAN POTHOLE PROBLEMS
THE effects of a rain-lashed winter are still being felt by drivers, with potholes springing up faster than the county council can repair them.
Despite the council’s efforts, some residents say not enough is being done.
In April 2018, The Post visited a number of roads with pothole problems. We revisited two of them, Greendale Road, Arnold, and Willow Road, Netherfield to see how things have changed six years on.
“It’s still the same,” we were told, followed by a resigned “but you get used to it”.
Alan Cockanyne, 66, lives in Greendale Road but says the roads are “terrible everywhere”.
He said: “The top of the road is like there’s been a bomb exploded but you just get used to it, you tend to ignore it after a while. Some of the roads are shocking and it really is bad.”
Mr Cockanyne said that over the years a stretch of the road had been repaired, but it is still ridden with holes. “It’s just a question of when you’re going to damage your wheels, he said. “I wouldn’t like to think how much it would cost me.
“But this is a general thing in the borough (Gedling).”
Another Greendale Road resident, who did not wish to be named, described the road as “awful and shocking”, while the top of the road is “diabolical”.
The woman said: “Every so many months, we phone the council to try to get these potholes fixed. We’ve had one repaired in front of our house because it was getting so bad that we wondered whether one of the wheels would go at some point as we went down the driveway. “They fill in tiny little bits but, two minutes later, there’s another crack. “We always drive really slowly because we know about all the potholes so we’ve not had any damage done to our cars yet.” Fellow resident Phil Brown, 61, added: “It’s all the same everywhere. Touch wood, I’ve not had any damage done to my car so far but, every now and then, when you hit a really big pothole, you think ‘am I going to get a punctured tyre?’”
Alan Parker, 62, who also lives on Greendale Road had to pay £150 for new suspension after hitting a pothole.
Things are no better in Netherfield on Willow Road, according to its residents.
Sarah Lee, 53, said potholes are particularly bad at the moment.
She said: “It would be lovely to have something done about it but, realistically, is that going to happen?
“Probably not. The issue with potholes is the same as the parking on this street - it’s one of those problems that will probably never be resolved.”
Lance Webster, 38, who also lives on Willow Road, said the potholes are “still the same” six years later and that roads in the area are generally “pretty poor”. He highlighted recent improvements to Westdale Lane which only parts of the road have benefited from.
Westdale Lane, which runs from Mapperley to Gedling, has been called the county’s worst road for potholes by residents and drivers (see below).
At the time of writing, there were 10 potholes reported on Greendale Road.
Of the 10, one has been awaiting action for seven months, one for five, and one for four, according to the council’s pothole reporting portal. On Willow Road, only one pothole is showing up as reported.
Nottinghamshire County Council said it has spent an extra £40million on road maintenance over the past seven years.
A council highways manager said: “Recent severe weather episodes mean it is inevitable that we are experiencing a rise in reports of damage to our roads and pavements at this time.
“We are battling as hard as we can against the effects of these weather events. Residents may see an increase in emergency repairs as we work to keep our highways safe.
“We will still however be undertaking permanent repairs wherever we can, which residents can see at www.nottshighways.co.uk, and we will continue with large-scale patch repairs as part of our fouryear Highways Improvement Plan. “Over the past seven years we have invested an extra £40million in road maintenance in Nottinghamshire.
“We continue to lobby central government for more funds, as do most highways authorities across the country as they contend with similar problems.
“Where residents notice potholes, we ask that they continue to report them to us either through our website or the Mynotts app, after which an inspector will attend the site as soon as possible within 10 working days to assess it for repairs – please include photos if you can to help us prioritise.
“There is also more information on how we manage highways for extreme weather on our website.”
It’s just a question of when you’re going to damage your wheels. Alan Cockanyne, of Greendale Road