Our roads are cracking up

Jamie MacDonald • Published 20 Jan 2010 15:40 2 Comments

DRIVERS and pedestrians are being urged to take care and watch out for potholes on Clackmannanshire's roads and paths as a result of the big

freeze.

Following a prolonged spell of sub-zero temperatures the thaw, which began last week, has left roads all over Britain in a state of disrepair.

Mac West, Clackmannanshire Council's Roads and Transportation Manager, said maintenance staff had been out since the milder weather arrived to identify potholes and those giving cause for concern would be dealt with as soon as possible.

Local councillor Mark English told the Advertiser he believed that every effort would be made to sort out any safety related issues.

He said, "I would ask that road users and pedestrians are vigilant as there are some pretty nasty potholes appearing.

"In the longer term the damage caused does raise questions about the condition of our roads and footpaths particularly where they have been dug up by utility companies and I will be asking questions as to whether they are being repaired to a high enough standard."

In answer to an elected member's query by Mr English as to what the council was doing to combat the problem of small craters appearing on the roads Mr West said public utility work on the roads had left a points of weakness that had been attacked by the severe cold.

Mr West continued, "There are also significant areas of frost 'heave' where the surface of roads and footways has risen as the underlying material has frozen and expanded.

"Some of these may settle back to an acceptable level as the frost dissipates. Other areas will undoubtedly require intervention to make them safe. Every effort will be made to quantify the scale of the problem as the frozen ground thaws."

The financial impact of the road repairs on an already cash strapped council may mean that all the potholes will not be fixed in the near future.

Mr West said, "I am not yet in a position to quantify the budgetary impact of this deterioration.

"However I do consider it very unlikely that the council will be able to allocate sufficient additional funds to return all surfaces to their pre-winter condition and we may well have to accept that some surfaces will have to remain in poorer condition than they previously were."

Mr English went on to say that the council's reserve fund should be able to cover the cost of fixing up the roads and urged the Labour administration to address the issue.

From a repairer's point of view, Jim Kennedy, the owner of Alloa's JK Tyres and Auto Centre, said they had seen an increase in cars being brought in with damaged suspension and tyres.

He said, "I'm not certain if it is to do with potholes or the increase in speed bumps on the roads but we have had more people coming in with damaged springs.

"Unfortunately there isn't really anything a driver can do to prepare for potholes and it isn't always safe to drive around them."

Garry Dallas, the council's director of development and environmental services, said complaints about potholes had increased in the last week.

Mr Dallas continued, "Clackmannanshire Council deals with the most serious road defects first and will patch badly affected areas as soon as possible, before long-term repairs are carried out.

"We carry out regular checks of Clackmannanshire's roads to identify and prioritise repairs.

"If you are not sure if a pothole has been reported, please call us on 01259 450000 and we will attend to it as soon as we can."

Tweet

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

• 

  Jimmy Lafferty
  Unregistered User
  Feb 4, 12:19
  Report comment

  Even the roads in the coonty are cracking up, must be the single status thats done it....
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

• 

  C.Wildau
  Unregistered User
  Apr 17, 12:35
  Report comment

  and many more cars will be damaged through some numpty placing traffic calming humps in the roads.
  
  If you have a bad back, need to get a coffin taken to a church anywhere in Alloa, or have a wedding party to attend watch out for the bumps!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

Post a comment

Comments posted in the evening, through the night and at weekends will be queued for moderation as we do not have moderators available outwith office hours.

Your Comment:

Registered users log in here

Username or email

Password

If you are registered with us, you can login here. If you are not registered, do so now.
Once logged in you wont have to complete word verification each time you post.

Prefer not to register?

Screen Name *required

Email (not displayed) *required

Usernames must be 4 - 20 characters. Registration only takes a few minutes. Registered users can also take part in competitions and other features of the site.

Word Verification:
Enter the text as shown.

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Follow @alloatiser