Our Dreadful Roads Options

[Blake]

Despite a lot of talk about repairs, the roads of West Berks are still in a shocking condition.

The hope I had of getting our local roads fixed and safe has evaporated.

In particular, Heath Lane and Thatcham Broadway are in a horrendous condition. Has anyone on here driven toward Tadley via Brimpton or up to Frilsham by Bucklebury? The roads are so dangerous in parts that you have to crawl along them at very low speeds and pray your suspension and tires can take the damage.

Come on West Berks Council, get your repair teams out and sort this out before someone is killed and more vehicles are wrecked.

Also, look out this Thurs for the Tonight show on ITV on this very problem..

[Roost]

Couldn't agree more.

Roads around Kintbury / Inkpen etc are also atrocious!

Can't see them getting sorted now tho with impending cutbacks.

[Bloggo]

Couldn't agree more.

Roads around Kintbury / Inkpen etc are also atrocious!

Can't see them getting sorted now tho with impending cutbacks.

Me too. The Old Bath road and Fir Tree lane are atrocious.
Time for another e-mail to Mr Benyon.

[Blake]

I think an email to the CEO of West Berks Council would be better.

I pay over £135 a year in road tax. Where is this money actually going? That must be enough to fill at least 2 potholes.

I note that WBC languishes at a shabby 83rd place on the Fillthathole.org.uk website.

Absolutely shameful.

[Andy]

Have they been reported?

[Bloggo]

I know that the Old Bath Road and Fir Tree lane have been reported to the Council.
We are not talking about just filling holes. The roads need to be resurfaced as they have pot holes, cracks and sunken sections.

[Jayjay]

Central government has cut the budget, so dont expect any improvement before the next election.

[JeffG]

I pay over £135 a year in road tax. Where is this money actually going?

Not into road maintenance, that's for sure. VED has never been ringfenced for upkeep of the roads network. It's just another tax.

(Tax cyclists, I say, and spend the money on the upkeep of pavements. )

[Bloggo]

Not into road maintenance, that's for sure. VED has never been ringfenced for upkeep of the roads network. It's just another tax.

(Tax cyclists, I say, and spend the money on the upkeep of pavements. )

Caravaners should pay extra, especially those with double axles.

[Rosewinelover]

(Tax cyclists, I say, and spend the money on the upkeep of pavements. )

Oooh that would be a good one. Some cyclists are a pain in the ****

[HeatherW]

Where I live in Thatcham our roads are appalling, but then the road surfaces are not that much better throughout Newbury and Thatcham. I suppose with all the cuts and all that they will be like that for a very long time.

[Biker1]

(Tax cyclists, I say, and spend the money on the upkeep of pavements. )

Oooh that would be a good one. Some cyclists are a pain in the ****

Wooowhhh - you are entering dodgy ground there!

I did a couple of weeks ago but didn't get away with it.

According to some I am worse on my motorbike!

[spartacus]

I reckon it's a case of us having to get used to it.... Resurfacing might be considered a luxury when compared against the other services the limited pot of money is expected to provide

Either buy a 4x4 or slow down and crawl through the pot-holes.


As for the £135 car tax, when you consider that the car tax entitles you to use the hundreds of thousands of miles on the network across the whole of britain (and most people probably clock between 10,000 - 16,000 miles annually) and most is in good knick, it's not bad value. A pain when you hit a pot hole but worse if you go through a hole where there was previously a drain cover.... (like wot Mrs Spartacus did two weeks ago ) It doesn't do your suspension ANY good whatsoever....

[user23]

Having driven in Europe on smaller and residential roads I can tell you, our roads aren't that bad.

[Strafin]

Car Tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) has never been for the upkeep of the roads, it is as Jeff has said above.

[JeffG]

Potholes have their uses...

http://localnewsqueen.com/wp-content/uploa...03/potholes.bmp

[thatcham residen...]

I reckon it's a case of us having to get used to it.... Resurfacing might be considered a luxury when compared against the other services the limited pot of money is expected to provide

Either buy a 4x4 or slow down and crawl through the pot-holes.


As for the £135 car tax, when you consider that the car tax entitles you to use the hundreds of thousands of miles on the network across the whole of britain (and most people probably clock between 10,000 - 16,000 miles annually) and most is in good knick, it's not bad value. A pain when you hit a pot hole but worse if you go through a hole where there was previously a drain cover.... (like wot Mrs Spartacus did two weeks ago ) It doesn't do your suspension ANY good whatsoever....

Love the sign

[Berkshirelad]

Car Tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) has never been for the upkeep of the roads, it is as Jeff has said above.

VED has never been ring-fenced for roads, but when it was first introduced (by Lloyd George in 1909) it was called the Road Fund Licence and was ring-fenced. It was later (1937) that the Treasury took it into general revenue

[Biker1]

VED has never been ring-fenced for roads, but when it was first introduced (by Lloyd George in 1909) it was called the Road Fund Licence and was ring-fenced. It was later (1937) that the Treasury took it into general revenue

Seems more like a "pollution tax" now as it is geared in price to the amount of CO2 that your vehicle is alleged to produce.

[GMR]

Around Turnpike the roads are terrible.