When a pot hole becomes a minefield

I am probably about to upset a lot of people here, but please here me out! Why do we need new roads when we can't even maintain the ones we have?

Sure there is plenty of logistical reasons, having been on the M25 more than once in the rush hour, I realise there are some problems with our road network. But if we repaired what we had, got rid of all those stupid speed humps and a few other things. I bet the whole situation will improve.

Where I live it is very obvious which route the Olympic torch took. There is very clear path of newly surfaced roads, repaired railings and clearer road lighting. Yet turn left or right off the path and you are met with speed humps and pot holes. Both as bad for my poor back as they are for the cars that travel along them. Things are so bad that a neighbouring borough has actually been sued for well over a million pounds due to their poorly maintained roads and the damage they have caused. Although, in my belief that money would have been better spent repairing the roads in the 1st place.

Speed humps to me are an even worse waste of money. Most people only brake for the humps then speed off again, so like speed cameras they create a bigger danger and uneconomical driving. But with humps they an actually cause damage to your car. So far in the last 4 years our household has lost 4 exhausts. Not for careless driving over humps but the pure fact that they an scrape the undercarriage of your car and if that's the case it will damage your exhaust. On top of that you try coming home from surgery or medical treatment and going over a succession of this jumps you will discover a new level of physical torture, believe me on this. I can't get to and from my nearest hospital with out going either over enough jumps for the grand national or a 2 mile diversion. Wonderful when I am already in agony with my back, so imagine what it would be like for a victim of a RTA or broken back, going over all these.

I don't know who is more to blame, the Government for their crazy ideas in the 1ST place or the local councils for carrying out their wishes, and then not having the money to maintain basic road standards. If I had any inclination to do rallying or a water jump in a car, I would have the sense to go to a specialist track, and certainly not on way to or from my local GP.

In reality the maintenance of our roads is dealt with in the same contempt as many other of our important services, namely the NHS, it is ignored till it is hemorrhaging itself to death. I believe it will take the minster of transport to be killed in a road collapse for this to change. You can only patch up a hole some many times till you have to except the fact that it will be cheaper to resurface the whole road. And should a utility company wish to dig up said road within 2 years of this resurface they should be held responsible to resurface the entire road not just where they have dug. As for speed humps, well my view is stop wasting money, time and resources, they don't solve the speeding problem.

This is a case of use a little bit of common sense and stop cutting corners looking for the easiest way out. New roads aren't the solution until you have repaired what you have.