MK5 Golf GTI
All Things Mk5 => Mk5 General Area => Topic started by: Strat on February 12, 2009, 02:46:58 pm
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Ok guys, help a brother out!
Who do I complain to about roads and road surfaces? Is it the highways agency or the local county council?
I'm fed up with the number of not merely pot holes but actual real life holes in the road, some of which are merely annoying having to drive around, some are on dual carriageways and are both dangerous and destructive to suspension!
I'm livid with the state of it, its like living in Africa! Its been especially worse since the snow and ice, which is a bit understandable, but it needs fixing not merely leaving!
Essentially I want to rant on someone n need to know who it should be directed at! hahahaha
btw I live in North Hampshire so if anyone has specific contact details that'd help even more so!
Thanks!
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I feel your pain, the roads around here seem to be breaking up too! :fighting:
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Unfortunately I think its so soon after the bad weather that has caused the majority of these potholes, that its simply a case of the authorities not having the time and resources planned to fix the holes!
As you say, the roads are dreadful at the moment. Im sure it will be in their interests to get them fixed ASAP because at the end of the day it is them who may have to fork out for compensation claims for all these cars that could be damaged by the roads.
Mind you, the roads have been in a sh!t state for years - and I think the reason is because the budget for road repairs has been cut massively over the last 5 years!
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Ok guys, help a brother out!
Who do I complain to about roads and road surfaces? Is it the highways agency or the local county council?
I'm fed up with the number of not merely pot holes but actual real life holes in the road, some of which are merely annoying having to drive around, some are on dual carriageways and are both dangerous and destructive to suspension!
I'm livid with the state of it, its like living in Africa! Its been especially worse since the snow and ice, which is a bit understandable, but it needs fixing not merely leaving!
Essentially I want to rant on someone n need to know who it should be directed at! hahahaha
btw I live in North Hampshire so if anyone has specific contact details that'd help even more so!
Thanks!
Please direct all complaints to SteveP of Mk5golfGTI.co.uk
Tell him that it is causing premature wear to your seats tyres. :innocent:
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Don't worry TC, he has plenty of tread left on his seats :laugh:
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If I were you Paul, I'd go straight to Number 10...the PM needs to know!!
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I'm gonna end careers with this! lol
It annoys me that roads are sh!t. I mean its not hard to fill a hole is it! Not to mention the massive road projects with 3 people working on them! Makes my blood boil!
Actually, my seat tread is worn slightly from all the jolting around from these roads! :laugh:
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....
It's definitely caused by the snow and ice and heavy rain - It's called erosion. The sick thing is that the previous repairs have been exposed as rubbish because they can't withstand a few days of snow etc.
It's not as easy or straightforward as it used to be to successfully claim for damage done by a pothole. I understand that you have to submit written notice with photographic evidence and then, following acceptance, the damage has to be done within a specified timeframe - It's a bureaucratic minefield!
The govn'ment has already said it has to cut back on its budgets for highways and their maintenance IIRC :fighting: :angry015:.
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i hit a nasty pot hole last weekend in london, front left wheel went in to it and with coilovers on you don't half feel it :jumping:
got home and when I was parking up I noticed that there was a creaking coming from that side of the car which sounded like the suspension :sad:
went back and took a few snaps of the offending hole - though the creaking seems to have stopped now but having the coilovers checked out next week to see if any probs.
if there is a problem i will be pursuing the scum council or govt whoever it is to replace my bilstein's :fighting:
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You need to email your local MP that deals with your immediate area, i went through this.
Basically there's a network of tiny lanes all around my house, one of which acts as a handy shortcut to a granite quarry, cue huge dump trucks using it when they shouldn't. Huge holes started appearing and averaged the size of dinner trays and at least 10" deep. on small lanes they were toally unavoidable.
i contacted local council, did a few laps around different departments and got nowhere. 1 yes just 1 email to my local area rep (happened to be lib dem) and i got a reply saying basically leave it with him, cha right i thought. i no longer have the email as it got sorted but basically about 2 weeks later the reply stated that after communicating with the council and parish council and with the quarry the situation would be resolved.
and it is. the lorries still use the lane, with conditions that when holes appear they have to repair them along the route, and as the quarry does all aggrigates they use tarmac too. couple of times a week they cruise all of the surrounding lanes and repair them. now when us locals meet these trucks on the small lanes we no longer hate them for making us reverse a million miles to let them pass
maybe its just local cornish community rules in action, or a very good mp, either way 1 email was all it took after weeks of getting fobbed around
not sure who your local one would be but worth a try, you might be surprised
its although worth mentioning that if your car gets damaged on a pothole, stop, take a photo of it. then sue your council who will by law be responsible for the damage (this also applies to speed humps being too high as long as your car is standard)
they get sue'd enough times then they will repair it as its a cheaper option that compensation payouts will be, different roads have different repair schedules and maintainance forecasts, and get prioritised accordingly, unless damage appears they make take along time to get around to it if they are unaware of any repairs needed or there are more important routes to be done
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^^^^
In other words, the squeaky wheel is the first to get oiled!
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Your local council will have something on their website normally where you can report potholes and the shocking state of their roads!
Simple google search and bingo http://www.highwayenquiries.hants.gov.uk/?category=HDEF
Complain away!
I do it for round here, someone usually calls back within a day to confirm locations cos they're on their way to inspect it!
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Most roads are under the purview of the local authority, be it a council or a borough. They're the first port of call for a complaint. The Highways Agency deals only with the motorways and some major trunk roads.
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Unless your a one armed,blind immigrant,cant speak English and have 10 kids to feed..You take it up the Ass like the rest of us.
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Unless your a one armed,blind immigrant,cant speak English and have 10 kids to feed..You take it up the Ass like the rest of us.
Post of the day right there. PMSL. :grin: :grin: :grin:
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:grin: :grin: wise and true
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Well put Gulf :happy2:
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Its ok everyone, iv sent off 8 complaints all with reference numbers. I'll let you know if I get anywhere!
I also requested that the entire A31 Hogsback road (Farnham - Guildford) be resurfaced and widened, dunno if you know it but its a gash road! lol the bloke on the other end of the phone was like you do know thats a long piece of road, I said yeh I do, I also know its been neglected since Henry the 8th so make it a priority! haha
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You go girl!!!!!!!!!!! :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party:
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(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boomspeed.com%2Fprclz%2Ffight_the_power.jpg&hash=1d85ac7cf67306cbdcca8b903b43608cdcb07139)
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(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boomspeed.com%2Fprclz%2Ffight_the_power.jpg&hash=1d85ac7cf67306cbdcca8b903b43608cdcb07139)
haha! i love that
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By Jenna Todoroff, contributor MSN
February 12 2009
The worst winter Britain has seen in decades has led to a 13% increase in cars damaged by potholes.
According to Warranty Direct, axle and suspension damage from potholes increased significantly in January alone. This rise is attributed to the coldest start to winter in 30 years and temperatures plummeting as low as minus 18°C. The snowfall that battered the UK in early February is likely to increase that figure even more.
"The problem is only going to get worse in the next week or so," said Duncan McClure Fisher, managing director of Warranty Direct.
Potholes develop when rainwater freezes in cracks in roads. When temperatures drop below freezing, rainwater turns into ice and expands, increasing the size of the crack and eventually creating a pothole.
"With a £1 billion shortfall in road maintenance budgets across the country, local councils will have their world cut out repairing pothole damaged roads," said Fisher. "It's a surefire bet that the number of claims we see will rise."
The average repair for pothole damage is £240.