State of the roads

Jan 14 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TWO stories about roads feature in today’s news.

In one report on the resurfacing work starting on what has been dubbed the “worst road” in Huddersfield.

There are obviously many candidates for the title, but people who use Dingle Road in Greenhead are in no doubt that its condition is very bad.

They suffer each day from the impact of potholes which are two-feet wide and several inches deep.

This is just one example of the poor maintenance on Britain’s roads which is costing drivers dearly in repairs, according to another report in today’s Examiner.

A huge number of drivers are having their suspension nearly ripped from under them on a daily basis.

And that’s not all – the potholes not only damage cars but are even more dangerous for bikers and cyclists.

Try to make a compensation claim and many councils wriggle out of it by saying they have adhered to the standards laid down – laid down by them, that is, and considerably lower than anything a paying customer should be prepared to accept.

For a long time now there has been an emphasis on safety and speeding, involving the installation of countless speed humps and cameras. An over-emphasis, some argue.

But today’s AA report on the state of our roads reveals we cannot even get the basics right – that is, the surface on which we drive.

These are the things that affect ordinary people’s day to day lives and are what must be a priority for the authorities.

Get these right first, then look elsewhere for things to do.