Council ditches 40mm pothole repair rule for Hull roads
WHEN is a pothole not a pothole?
Until now, the answer in Hull has been a hole in the road less than 40mm deep.
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'CRUDE': Potholes will no longer have to measure 40mm deep in order to be fixed.
For years the 40mm mark has been the trigger point for a pothole to be officially classed as a trip hazard by Hull City Council and, as a result, sufficiently deep enough to be filled in.
But now council officials are about to scrap the strict ruling governing which potholes can be repaired and which ones can be ignored for a bit longer.
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Instead, repairs will be determined after a range of factors have been reviewed by council highways engineers.
The new criteria is expected to include the state of the road surface around a pothole, local traffic levels and pedestrian footfall as well as the depth of the offending pothole itself.
Councillor Martin Mancey, portfolio holder for environment and transport, said the long-standing 40mm depth rule was a "crude" way of deciding which repairs should get priority.
Speaking at a council scrutiny meeting, he said: "Officers are working on a new set of criteria that will determine how funding is allocated to pothole repairs.
"The 40mm rule is a very crude method because you shouldn't really just judge whether a repair is necessary solely on the basis of how deep a pothole is.
"Under the new criteria, other factors will be taken into consideration, such as traffic levels, the number of pedestrians in an area and the condition of the surrounding road surface.
"What is needed is a proper risk analysis rather than just relying on measuring how deep one pothole might be."
The council has already moved away from a previous policy of reactive repairs to individual potholes once they are spotted by highways inspectors or reported by members of the public.
Instead, the authority is now carrying out more proactive repair work to larger sections of roads in a move backed by motoring organisations such as the AA.
Mr Mancey said he expected the new criteria covering pothole repairs to be agreed and in place before Christmas.
He also dismissed suggestions that repairs might only be carried out in marginal wards with one eye on the next council elections.
He told councillors: "I can reassure you there will be no gerrymandering.
"A good example is an area in my own ward where we will be spending money on pothole repairs.
"It's an area where there are no residents and, therefore, no votes to be won.
"The work will be done where work is needed to be done."
Comments
by smudgerhcfc
Thursday, March 07 2013, 6:09PM
“When is a pothole not a pothole......
When its been filled in....”
by Wazzamatter
Thursday, March 07 2013, 2:52PM
“@ b811wt1
I believe the measurement in the article is 40mm, just a little over 2.5 inches, not 40cm.”
by b811wt1
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 4:23PM
“40cm is about 16 inches in old fashioned measurements. In Austialia would not be tolerated on a well maintianed gravel" road. Hull city Council should get it's priorities right and get an action plan to fix these death traps ASAP.”
by smartguy1
Thursday, September 06 2012, 10:23PM
“I agree with the comment below. It's comical to think that someone goes out and sprays yellow paint around a hole that needs repairing. I wonder which crackpot came up with that idea. Funny thing is you see it done and wonder.....but they missed that one and then another one. It doesn't matter what criteria the council come up with as they still won't get repaired yet they WILL insist on sending their chipping vehicles out every year to re-chip roads which don't need it. Chippings should be banned under health & safety issues.”
by ruscy
Wednesday, September 05 2012, 9:03PM
“spray a yellow box round it you mean?
leave it 6 months and forget where it is when the paints wore off ?????
ask cameron for some of our road tax money back and build new roads not bodge them would be better...
oh sorry cant afford we have to send £230 million next year to india again !!!!”
by jenoh
Wednesday, September 05 2012, 6:19PM
“Clem_ maybe the formula could be "Did your 50cc motorcycle make it into and out of the pothole without damaging itself/you and without you falling off it or did you have to swerve into traffic to avoid it? If the answer to the first bit is no - fix it. If the answer to the second bit is yes - fix it."
Obviously needs some refinement.
However, if we seriously believe that the council doesn't fix the roads because they can't be bothered or they want to spend our taxes on strumpets and trinkets, then I'm going to expect a 100% turnout at the next local election.”
by Clem_
Wednesday, September 05 2012, 5:08PM
“Perhaps it is time for the mathematicians amongst us to come up with a formula that can be used by the Council to determine whether or not a repair is justified. The Council can then create the post of Pothole Assessment Officer, issue them with a 50cc motorcycle and they can putt-putt their way round Hull applying the formula arrived at by one of us (not me, I'm useless at maths).
Arriving at a formula will not be easy as there are many factors to take into consideration; not least of which is the Council will not want it to be successful from the public's point of view.”
by EDEarl
Wednesday, September 05 2012, 4:38PM
“just fix it thats why people pay taxes end of”
by superdredge
Wednesday, September 05 2012, 2:03PM
“Dont worry next winter they will all get much bigger and cost ten times as much to repair now thats good thinking isnt it Hull city council.Hulls roads are becoming like a third world country Anlaby road is becoming as though its got speed humps all the way down it.”
by Fogeyspasm
Wednesday, September 05 2012, 1:55PM
“The costs involved in doing a risk assessment of every alleged pothole will be astronomical, if they actually do that. It would be cheaper and quicker to just fill them in.”