10:36am Friday 12th March 2010
By Neil Skinner
The hundreds of potholes littering our roads have been branded “dangerous” and “disgraceful” by enraged drivers and councillors.
As Hertfordshire County Council continues to “round the clock work” to plug the holes, numerous residents have contacted us with complaints and pictures.
Biker Lyndsay Ley, of Motorcycles Direct, in Queens Road, said conditions on her route to work from Bovingdon are now so perilous that she is currently travelling by car.
She said: “The roads are an absolute disgrace and dangerous to people on motorbikes. They could get seriously hurt.”
Brian Beasely, chairman of the Busy Bees Motorcycle Club, added: “The road conditions are the worst I’ve ever seen. Motorcyclists are swerving all over the road to avoid potholes.
“The most dangerous time is in the wet when they fill up with water. It’s easy to mistake a big hole for a puddle.
“It is very, very dangerous out there.”
Hertfordshire County Council, which has blamed the coldest weather for 30 years for the problems, said it was working “round the clock” to plug around 5,000 known holes and was getting further reports all the time.
Vince Gilbert, head of Hertfordshire Highways, reacted this week to mounting criticism of the Conservative controlled council by taxpayers.
He said: “This is a national problem. As I speak we have 50 crews out there across Hertfordshire fixing potholes… but with the continued cold weather there are new holes appearing each frosty night.
But, Stephen Giles-Medhurst, deputy leader of the main opposition Liberal Democrat group, claimed the weather problems could not mask many years of alleged under investment by the Conservative administration.
He said: “What we are seeing here is the result of underinvestment. They have increased funding in the last three years but they have a very long way to go before they make up for the shortfalls.
“Another problem is the quality of some of the repairs, which I don’t think are of the quality we are paying for and will not last.”
Whatever the causes, however, the results have been felt most keenly by motorists.
Adam Fernley, manager of Rickwood Cars, in Shire Lane, Chorleywood, said his staff had seen a big rise in pothole related repairs.
He said: “We’ve had an awful lot of people coming in. We’ve had cracked alloy wheels, damaged tyres, and damaged suspension. It can be very expensive for people.
“But some are getting a lot more savvy about things. They are taking pictures of the holes they hit and are sending them to the council.”
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