A motorcyclist's horror over the state of his local roads has been laid bare in a startling online video - with hundreds of people saying it's the same story where they live. A reddit user posted a short video of himself riding on roads with potholes and huge gashes on the surface,
The biker can be heard saying on the clip: "Look at the state of it. Sorry, I don't mean to winge, but that is unacceptable. We have to pay for MOT test to make sure your vehicle's fit for the road and the roads aren't even for the vehicles."
The post on the CarTalkUK subreddit called 'Why isn’t there more of an uproar regarding the condition of our roads? Some of these potholes pose a real danger to motorists' has attracted almost 250 comments. and nearly 500 upvotes.
You can watch the video below
Although the footage was filmed in the Burnley area, any Reddit users said similar scenes could be witnessed where they live, while noting that council budgets have been cut. Others agreed that 'Brits don’t partake in uproars about anything nowadays. We all collectively and silently just get on with things'.
User three_shoes added: "The repairs aren't even good either. Patchwork mess of mismatched tarmac and heights etc. Even when a road is fully redone it's bad, some done recently near me are all wavy and bumpy despite relaying the entire road, then there is this seam in the middle that is just ready to be chipped and dug away at which will create potholes within a couple years easy."
What are the roads like in your area? Let us know in the comments below
A few ex-pats also had their say, confirming they had also noticed a striking change in UK roads since they left.
User see-em-dubs said: "I live in Zimbabwe (used to live in the UK) and we have a saying: ‘in England they drive on the left of the road, in Zimbabwe we drive on what’s left of the road’. Looks like we might have to update our saying."
TheFirstMinister said: "That's some 3rd world **** right there. I left the UK 30 years ago and visit twice per year. The decline in the UK's roads - which used to be damned good - is apparent everywhere. I used to curse the roads in the US and pine for those from back home. Not anymore."
User three_shoes added: "The repairs aren't even good either. Patchwork mess of mismatched tarmac and heights etc. Even when a road is fully redone it's bad, some done recently near me are all wavy and bumpy despite relaying the entire road, then there is this seam in the middle that is just ready to be chipped and dug away at which will create potholes within a couple years easy."
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According to recent research, the shortfalls in pothole repair budgets among local authorities in England and Wales have reached a record high. Councils said they only received two-thirds of what they needed during the current financial year to stop local roads further deteriorating, the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (Alarm) survey found.
This resulted in a total carriageway maintenance budget shortfall of £1.3billion — a jump of more than a fifth on the previous 12 months — and represents the highest figure in 28 years of Alarm reports.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which commissioned the research, said this is because budgets have not kept pace with cost increases caused by inflation. Rick Green, who chairs the AIA, said: “Highway engineers can only do so much with the resources they are given and should be applauded for the steps they take to keep roads safe."
However, in the Spring Budget the Chancellor said that there will be an extra £200million to help councils fill in potholes.
What causes potholes and why do they appear in spring?
Potholes are areas of a road surface where the surface layer, usually asphalt, has developed cracks and then broken away under traffic, forming a hole. A pothole may begin with a few small cracks but can expand from just a few centimetres to up to a metre wide and 10 or more centimetres deep if it isn't fixed right away. Potholes can occur in all road types.
So many appear in late winter / early spring because of the many freeze/thaw cycles that occur with water repeatedly expanding and contracting. As asphalt is porous, roads have many small holes that take in water. As water expands when it freezes, it forces the hole to become bigger than it originally was. If the water seeps into the road and then freezes, it will force the road to rise. As the water melts, more water gets into the hole, and then freezes again. Each time this happens, the asphalt gets weaker.
Also, the same salt and brine that makes our roads safe to drive on actually increases the formation of these potholes because it causes more melting and freezing cycles.
