Pothole Top Ten, What are the worst roads in West Berks? Options

[Blake]

I was horrified while driving along Love Lane last week to see the outrageous state that road is now in.

It is so ridden with bad surfaces and crumbs of tarmac and even the speed humps have potholes in and around them. It looks like the Romans built it and West Berks inherited it!

What do others think the worst roads are in West Berks?

[motormad]

Obviously if you complain about anything to do with the roads, it's because your car is too low.

[Blake]

I also ride motorcycles though and bikes.

[Biker1]

Tried the road from Pound Street to Hamstead Marshall?
Nightmare!!

[x2lls]

Avon Way

[motormad]

I also ride motorcycles though and bikes.

Probably must be because you have a loud exhaust or take pride in it or do anything to it other than what is from the factory.
It's never the roads, always the driver... !!!

[GMR]

Probably must be because you have a loud exhaust or take pride in it or do anything to it other than what is from the factory.
It's never the roads, always the driver... !!!

It is not only Newbury that is suffering with pot holes. I regularly go up to London on business and it is just as bad there. The government is going to sort out big towns or cities first before little old Newbury. I'll give it about ten years before they get around to fixing pot holes in Newbury. The council will concentrate on Newbury town centre and other local popular areas first before they fix other areas.

[Blake]

But it's not just Newbury, more like the whole of West Berkshire, a significant area.

I am tired of this lethargy and inertia at solving this. If we lobby hard enough, they must fix them. We pay the taxes, we have control in effect.

[Cognosco]

I was horrified while driving along Love Lane last week to see the outrageous state that road is now in.

It is so ridden with bad surfaces and crumbs of tarmac and even the speed humps have potholes in and around them. It looks like the Romans built it and West Berks inherited it!

What do others think the worst roads are in West Berks?

A4 East towards Thatcham is very bad with some very deep holes. Just past the Swan pub before the Traffic lights at Hambridge Road there is a very deep one. It was filled last week but again today the filling is all across the carriageway and the hole is deeper I do believe. Why do they waste time just patting a bit of tarmac in a hole that deep as there is no way it is going to remain without serious work?

[Blake]

I agree.

These so-called repairs are a classic example of serial ineptitude and time wasting.

[On the edge]

..... If we lobby hard enough, they must fix them. We pay the taxes, we have control in effect.

Hope you aren't a gambling man!

Here is what will happen,
1) Newbury Town Council will make a bid to take over the 'pothole hotline'
2) Next years Community Charge will increase by 10% to cover the cost of this extra work
3) The LibDems will demand more floral displays on roundabouts on roads into town
3) The Police Commissioner say the diversion of Police Officers to pot hole related incidents is the reason why hole, he's failed to reduce crime.
4) Rural bus services will be further reduced because so many drivers have retired early with bad backs
5) WBC will claim that EC 'tarmac directives' have doubled the time needed to fix each hole, so substantially slowing progress
6) Err
7) That's it.

Apologies to Private Eye.

[Simon Kirby]

Tried the road from Pound Street to Hamstead Marshall?
Nightmare!!

The tow path is not too bad. Gets a bit sticky towards Kintbury, but Newbury to Hamstead Marshall it's a good choice.

[Biker1]

The tow path is not too bad. Gets a bit sticky towards Kintbury, but Newbury to Hamstead Marshall it's a good choice.

Oh good.
I'll drive my car down there then!!

[Simon Kirby]

Oh good.
I'll drive my car down there then!!

Ah, yes. For some reason I thought you were talking about cycling it, but I see you weren't. Anywho, if you were to cycle...

[JeffG]

The section of Fifth Road between Buckingham Road and the school entrance has completely broken up, although it was recently completely resurfaced. I can understand old surfaces developing potholes, but it looks as though this resurfacing was done on the cheap. With any luck the contractors will be held responsible and we won't have to pay again.

[Simon Kirby]

The whole of the road between Wash Common and Kintbury is breaking up. It's simply too narrow for modern traffic and as it doesn't have ditches, or the ditches are not maintained, the freeze-thaw process rapidly destroys any repair.

It needs a completely new road, half as wide again, straight, with a camber, and with effective ditches - kind of like the Romans would have built 2000 years ago. Wiltshire understands the need to drain the road surface and has a machine to cut and clear gullies into the ditches, so why not Berkshire?

There's a section of the Wheatlands Lane before it gets onto the Enbourn Road that has been under water for weeks, and it's entirely because the ditches are not maintained. It's not rocket surgery so I really don't understand why ditches are allowed to silt up. The enclosures period and agricultural revolution is notable for the hedged field it created, but the hedges were planted atop the spoil from ditching, and it was the ditch that was important - it is the ditch that defines the boundary of an enclosure, not the hedge, and the ditch was there to drain the soggy agricultural land. It seems we know less now about roads and drainage then we ever did.

[Blake]

I agree. Just because we go forward in time does not mean our way of life improves or that a greater level of common sense is applied.

I also had to collect someone recently from Paynesdown Rd in Thatcham. It had probably the worst potholes I have seen anywhere. They must have been at least 10 inches deep.

[JeffG]

It had probably the worst potholes I have seen anywhere.

Probably not as bad as this one.

[On the edge]

That's not too bad for round here, its just one hole...!

[Blake]

The problem is not just pot holes per se, but awful road surfaces that are breaking up generally. They are awful to drive or ride on.