COVENTRY has finished nearly bottom of the pile when it comes to filling potholes that are plaguing the city’s streets.
This is the finding of a new league table published by CTC, a national cyclists’ organisation.
It shows that Coventry has only managed to fill 16 per cent of the potholes reported on the site, placing it 192th out of 212 authorities across the country.
The table is drawn up online at fillthathole.org.uk and allows
road users to report a pothole, which is then sent to the local authority in charge to fix.
Debra Rolfe, CTC campaigns’ coordinator, said: “Potholes pose a significant risk to cyclists, they’re a nuisance to car drivers but if you cycle over a deep pothole, you could be seriously injured.
“It’s essential that highway authorities and councils get road defects fixed as quickly as possible. That’s why CTC is asking all road users to report potholes on our website as it will make it safer for everyone using the roads in Coventry, as the council will know where the problems are and should be able to fix them faster.
“Our website has received
a record number of hazard
reports this January – the
highest monthly total we’ve ever seen.”
Coventry has had on-going troubles with potholes and the recent cold spell has led to more opening up across the city.
Residents of Woodway Lane are so fed-up with the situation they have likened the potholes in their street to the surface of the moon.
Retired resident Derek Jones, 79, said the road can be “treacherous” for motorcyclists who are unfamiliar with the road.
He added: “The road has never been properly maintained, they patch it up again and again, but don’t do the job properly.
“It is really very bad, when you’re driving along it’s so bumpy and dangerous for
motorcyclists, especially those that aren’t familiar with the road. They might fall off their bikes.”
Councillor Ed Ruane (Lab, Henley) is calling for an urgent review of road maintenance in the city to combat the growing problem of potholes.
He said: “Woodway Lane is in a shocking condition and is very dangerous to drive on due to the number and size of
craters in the road.
“This is a serious issue which has been reported to the council time again by residents and myself.
“Many motorists in the city have become used to swerving around the potholes in the road to prevent repeated damage to their tyres and suspension on their cars.
“This sort of driving will
inevitably lead to accidents.
“It would be safer to drive a moon buggy down Woodway Lane and many other roads in our city which have more
similarities with the surface of the moon than a city road.”
Elsewhere in the city,
residents in Jobs Lane, Tile Hill, have been collecting hub-caps which have fallen off the tyres of cars which have hit potholes in the road.
But Coventry City Council maintains it is doing all it can to repair the uneven roads that have left motorists potty.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of this website, however we don’t know whether the figures accurately reflect how many potholes have actually been fixed.
“More than 2,000 potholes have been filled, compared to almost 1,500 last week, while the Bobcat planing machine was used in various locations to help resurface stretches of road where there are a number of potholes.
“This brings the total number of potholes filled to more than 4,700 in the past three weeks.
“Plans for work include Kingfield Road, Foleshill, as well as continuing to repair priority potholes. To report a pothole call Coventry Direct on 0500 834 333.”
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