Although the pothole situation in the UK isn't exactly up there with the Syrian crisis or the famines of Africa, the state that our roads are now in is an absolute disgrace.
According to research released by Britannia Rescue this week, there is now one pot hole for almost every single mile in the UK. As a result, local councils have had to cough up approximately £2.5 million in compensation to drivers whose vehicles have been damaged during the last year.
In total there have been almost 33,000 claims in 12 months, with the worst areas being Lincolnshire and Leeds.
Yet according to the Department for Transport there is actually nothing wrong with the roads in the United Kingdom, or indeed the way the repairs for them are funded.
A spokesman for the DoT said this week, "This government has set aside just under £6 billion for English highway authorities over the course of the next parliament for local highways maintenance - which is enough to fill 19 million potholes per year." In other words; "There is no pothole crisis in our opinion, and even if there is, don't blame us."
The irony is that I am writing these words having just spent a few days in southern Spain, where the roads were once appalling but which are now, thanks partly to the UK tax payer, pretty much perfect by comparison.
Spanish roads are mostly a) empty and b) in grade A condition nowadays. This is the result of them having been funded in part or sometimes almost entirely by EU coffers, into which the UK contributes about £15.25 billion each year.
But it is not, of course, a reciprocal situation for us in the UK. Our roads are our responsibility, just as they should be.
That being the case, however, we should now start throwing money at them - proper money, so not just a couple of lads with a wheelbarrow full of stones and a pair of Dr Martens to shoe them into place with - otherwise there will be but one rather miserable conclusion.
That conclusion is simple - the condition of our roads will get worse, the number of potholes will rise, and the amount of money being claimed by motorists with knackered wheel rims and the like will escalate. And eventually we will end up with roads like we had in 1675.
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not a reciprocal situation?
Quick fix not long term thinking
There is a way of thinking in government circles which works like this - 'I only care about this year's budget. Next year's is next year's and frankly in order for me to meet my targets that means I won't invest wisely saving money in future years, because that isn't important to me this year.'
Until such time as government starts to measure the right things, the right way then roads, healthcare and everything else will remain a monumental screw up.
The only way to change this is work out the cost of keeping a stretch of road up to an acceptable standard over a ten year period and invest accordingly and properly. This will drive the quality of the materials up, the quality of the job and the durability of the roads - exactly the opposite of what goes on today.
So on the basis that getting Westminster to change its approach to public accounting and value for money is going to be about as easy as putting a mountain in space, the prognosis for improving roads in Britain is not great.
Hole fixing.........?
Seems there are a few ways they do it,and i suppose the job is only as good as the team that do it,as per usual,there's the good guys who do the level neat no mess after job job,and then there's the two man team who go out,one drives when they come to a pot hole his buddy gets out and grabs a large diameter hose and fills it with a medium thick Tar and gravel mix,just like shaving foam out of a can when you see it done,and then of course you get the jobs worth, doesn't think he gets paid enough etc etc,that's the "that'll do job" you get,but, the thing that puzzles me is,why do they do these jobs just as the bad Weather starts?,the Frost knocks it out of the hole,water fills it,and then it freezes!