Drivers face a daily nightmare when it comes to roadworks. It seems most of Huddersfield’s major roads have cones, barriers and temporary traffic lights – but why all at the same time?
Frustrated motorists have turned to social media to quiz Kirklees Council and here is their response to the most asked questions.
Why is Kirklees Council digging up so many roads at the same time?
The short answer to this is that we’re not. Whilst some of the roadworks are ours, there are also water, gas, electricity and phone companies that need to make repairs and improvements to pipes and cables that run under our roads.
Why don’t you co-ordinate the timings of roadworks better?
It might not feel like it sometimes, but a lot of planning goes into keeping disruption to a minimum. Increasingly works take place at quieter times such as in the evenings and during the day. But we have to be mindful of disturbing people in the homes at night. Companies and the council are also using different construction techniques which reduce the need for digging up the roads. For example it’s now possible to bore underneath the roads and thread new pipes through old ones which means the road does not need to be dug up so much and there are less delays and disruptions.
Wherever possible, we work with the companies that need to do work, so it all happens at the same time. This might mean the roadworks last a little longer, but it avoids further disruption.
Of course it’s worth remembering that some roadworks are needed urgently, and we can’t plan for these – so we thank you for your patience when this happens.
Why don’t you just stop them doing the work?
It’s important that pipes, cables and roads are maintained and improved so that the services we rely on (water gas electricity and phones/internet) work properly, that people can move into new homes and businesses can function.
The roadworks are making me late for work; I should get compensation from the council!
We’ve had a few tweets asking this and it’s no surprise that compensation is not an option. We know that setting off even earlier for work is not ideal, but it’s worth remembering that roadworks are done for a reason and it’s often to make things safer or better.
Whenever it’s possible roadworks are done on an evening, weekend or in the school holidays; and we limit where any non-emergency roadworks can take place within six weeks of Christmas when we know it is busy.
How am I meant to know when roadworks are happening?
The roadworks.org website is really easy to use, you just put in your postcode and it shows all the roadworks on a map for your chosen dates. You can also subscribe to alerts based on your search and get an email daily, weekly or monthly, as well as switch on the traffic information which gives you information on where traffic is delayed.
