UK: worse condition roads in the world?

[morphix]

Here in my home town of Redditch, our roads are in an appalling condition.. especially the cycling lanes.. many are in dire need of resurfacing.

Where roads have been repaired it looks like it's been done on the cheap with rows of "patches" resulting in bumps and uneven roads.. ok for cars but not great for the old posterior when you're cycling over them at speed. Some are nearly lethal downhill.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Romans had better roads than we have now ;-)

I watch a lot of other YouTube videos by cyclists around Europe and other countries, and they all seem to have perfect smooth roads. Which makes you wonder why has the UK let its roads get into such an appalling state?

Does anyone live in a part of the UK where the roads ok?

 

[banbury frank]

Hi


NO

Frank

 

[vhfman]

You are so right about the roads morphix. I haven't been on a good road surface around me for some time. In fact the best surface I ride on is an ash track through the park (it is a pedestrian/cycle track bridleway).
And now after a couple of cold winters the problem has got a good deal worse. The work that's been done to repair roads has just been a 'patch job' which fills some of the larger potholes only to leave a mound with bad joints. All seems a very short term repair strategy with the situation deteriorating year by year. I posted this image last year, and it is by no means the worst I have seen or ridden/ driven on.
In cash strapped Britain I can’t see us getting those smooth surfaces any time soon!

 

[morphix]

You are so right about the roads morphix. I haven't been on a good road surface around me for some time. In fact the best surface I ride on is an ash track through the park (it is a pedestrian/cycle track bridleway).
And now after a couple of cold winters the problem has got a good deal worse. The work that's been done to repair roads has just been a 'patch job' which fills some of the larger potholes only to leave a mound with bad joints. All seems a very short term repair strategy with the situation deteriorating year by year. I posted this image last year, and it is by no means the worst I have seen or ridden/ driven on.
In cash strapped Britain I can’t see us getting those smooth surfaces any time soon!

Sheesh that is bad even by standards in my town. Perhaps the gov should start making this is a priority and giving cash to local authorities instead of throwing it away on wasteful things?! I think it's really dangerous for us cyclists as I don't know about you but I find myself often weaving around these pot holes and bad patches..I'm going to have to get a mirror so I can be aware of what is behind me..it can't be good for motorists suddenly seeing a cyclists moving erratically..

 

[Deleted member 4366]

In Telford there's a lot of cycle paths, but there's been very little maintenance since they were built in the early'80s. Now many have tree roots which have lifted the surface to make really fierce bumps right accross the path and many close together so there's no way of avaoiding them. Some of the worst bits are on steep hills, so you hit them at speed and you get nearly thrown off your bike. If you didn't see them in time and were sitting in the saddle, you'd probably get a serious back injury. I'll try and get a photo tomorrow so that you can see what I mean.

 

[Scottyf]

Some of the roads are not great, some cycle lanes I use are ok.
Some roads have been recently resurfaced and are as smooth as a babies bum.

But its hardly India...

 

[flecc]

Hesiers Hill, Surrey:

 

[Scottyf]

Really we as forum members are going down this route?

You hardly pay road tax ;-)

(Awaits the first person to get on their soap box)

 

[banbury frank]

Hi

Road tax is not used to repair roads

Frank

 

[flecc]

Really we as forum members are going down this route?

You hardly pay road tax ;-)

(Awaits the first person to get on their soap box)

You tell 'em Scotty!

After all, this is what mountain bikes are for, coping with the rough stuff.

And many of the motorists shouldn't really be complaining either, isn't this rough stuff what their 4 x 4s are built for?
.

 

[kitchenman]

No. As you can see from the camera shake in my videos! There were some council workers on the road this morning who looked like they were going to do something. They were marking the road defects with white chalk. Even it thats all they do it'll be an improvement. Much easy to see and avoid those bad bits! ...

I think I actually enjoy having to dodge the pot holes, dimples, broken drains, lumps of cement, glass, road kill ..... Its like mission impossible getting to work and theres a real sense of achievement having made it! I really do believe that I deserve a medal and looking at some of those photos there should be a few more dished out! ... My dad had a medal but he flew Lancasters over Koln. You think that was hard? Try route 23 Alton to Basingstoke!
Sorry to bring my dad into this but its been a while since I thought about him ...

 

[morphix]

more photos...

Please post your photos of the worse roads you can find in your locality ;-) vhfman's may take some beating I think..

 

[morphix]

Hesiers Hill, Surrey:

Haha you can barely call that a road! What the heck!?

 

[flecc]

Haha you can barely call that a road! What the heck!?

Here it is, it's one of my test climbs:

 

[aaannndddyyy]

Norwich has a few pot holes cropping up every now and again
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OYbmC3kTAvs/TUVi2PjjZoI/AAAAAAAAHoY/ahcToqet1Hw/s1600/Subsidence-6.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OYbmC3kTAvs/TUViz1w3QHI/AAAAAAAAHoM/PLmAu1GUono/s1600/Subsidence-3.jpg
Bus, Earlham Rd. Norwich | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Mussels]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Romans had better roads than we have now ;-)

Most of my commute is on a Roman road, you can still see it in places forming the bottom of potholes.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

.......and while I think about it: Apart from the bumps and other imperfections, there's the glass that the drunks leave after smashing their bottles all over the cycle paths. Add to that the errant pedestrians that wander all over the place and the cyclists that don't know to ride on the left, it's no wonder that I, like many cyclists, prefer to use the road where possible. In Germany, if a pedestrian puts one foot on the cycle path, he/she gets very swiftly dealt with, but here they claim it as their right of way.

 

[Scottyf]

I can think of loads of countries that have wose roads and infastructure.

I just think we as brits like a moan about anything.
Thats all it is.

If the roads where perfect you'd still moan about something.
*The drainage/manhole covers are set in to deep
*White lines are slippy in the wet
*Why don't I have a magic rainbow to and from work I can cycle over

But a little competition of taking photo's of potholes and stuff would be good.

Bet alot of the roads are dodgy old country roads that hardly get used with the volume of traffic.

Unfortuantly only poor roads with high traffic ever make the grade for renewal - Basically to stop the councils getting bills coming through.

 

[john c]

road conditions

Just to report on the fact that local councils couldnt care less now regarding our roads, every year that I have been commuting to London the councils have always patched up the road before the marathon. This year......Nothing!

 

[allen-uk]

Extracts from my grandpa's diary:

Sunday October 3rd

The roads in Delhi are vile and full of great holes....
Later on:
may as well state here how much I was struck when coming along by the civility of everyone on the road. Bullocks, donkeys, camels, carts were cleared out of my way at the first sound of my bell and almost every native salaamed....
Another bump over big cobbles and I was on the Grand Trunk Road. It was a treat, surface like a racing track, and I let the machine go. The road is undulating and not very shady right away to Ghaziabad.

Delhi to Cawnpore, 1897.

So, maybe nothing does change, except for the civility.


Allen