Pothole backlog - according to report

A recent report looking at the damaged and dangerous surfaces of our roads and pathways has stated that maintenance budgets need to be increased if the major backlog in the repair of potholes on roads in England and Wales is to be completed.
According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), we apparently now have to only go an average of 120 yards on one of our roads or pathways to find a dangerous pothole.
Indeed, the report states that it will take a staggering 13 years to reach the situation where the pothole backlog in England is ended.
The question is why is this the case? Could it be that Local Authorities are failing to upkeep the roads properly? They state a lack of funding whilst The Department for Transport reports that funding for local authorities in England had trebled.

How many holes?

Apparently, almost 800,000 potholes were filled on English local roads, whilst in Wales some 94,000 were filled.

Whilst the report quotes figures such as 74% of the local authorities in England, and 88% in Wales, feel that maintenance underfunding was a threat to road users' safety; I would ask why they let this be the case.
If (as we are lead to believe) the average cost of filling one pothole is £65 – which seems extremely cheap to me, surely making those repairs would save money and many injuries and accidents in the meantime in the long-term. I have heard that the £65 cost indicates that the average local authority would have to spend some £47m to make their repairs. However, how much will they spend out in compensation and insurance/legal fees if they fail to make the repairs?

'Immediate effect'

The AIA believe that allowing roads to deteriorate is irresponsible. Clearly, the situation can be sorted if those responsible and with the power to do so were to address the practices employed by the authorities and if the funding set aside for road repairs was actually used for that purpose.

What happens to the money we pay?

It is known that Drivers pay around £46bn a year to the Exchequer, yet given the state of many roads and pathways in our country, they can justifiably ask the question; what exactly they are getting for their money?
Quoting a spokeswoman for the Department for Transport: "The government has more than trebled funding to local authorities for investing in their roads and last year announced new funding to help local authorities better assess the condition of their roads.
"This is in addition to funding provided for routine maintenance.
"We have also given local authorities more powers to minimise the impact of road works that utility companies and others need to carry out."

Making your claim

To make your claim, come to us. Direct 2 Solicitors are approved for Regulated Claims Management Services by the Ministry of Justice (Authorisation CRM 3364), check the regulators web site www.claimsregulation.gov.uk and are also members of the Claims Standards Council. We offer genuine peace of mind, honesty and a friendly caring service.

If you are in need of a reliable and approved Claims Management Company to manage your accident compensation claim, look no further. Email us at webenquiries@direct2solicitorsltd.co.uk, call us on 0800 9177456, or get us to call you, using the big blue "Call me back" box at the top right of this page.

Who is to blame for an increase in dangerous pavement surfaces?

It wasn't me honest...

Over the course of the recent months, there have been numerous media stories that have been coming from the point of view of local authorities regarding the terrible strain that they have been placed under by the 'growing number' of Personal Injury Compensation Claims made against them. To us, this seems a bizarre thing for the authorities to do and it appears that they wish to shirk responsibility for their mismanagement of their statutory duties.
The media stories being released are trying to convince Joe Public that the reason for the increase in dangerous pavements that are liable to lead to injuries for which they will have to pay compensation is because of the amount of money being sucked out of their budgets to settle Personal Injury claims. Words and phrases used when mentioning claims include 'over zealous' 'frivolous' and even 'questionable'. For those who know the truth, these stories and versions of events just don't add up!

Their argument

The authorities see it that they cannot spend money repairing the pavement surfaces because they are having to keep funds aside to fight claims and fund staff to do the defence work. Well, this doesn't add up either. For one, they have insurance and secondly local authorities have had a statutory duty of care regarding pavement surfaces etc for 20odd years now. The councils state that they have had to shelve repair and remedial work due to a lack of funds. Well, our argument is that if they had carried out adequate bi-annual inspection regimes, repaired dangerous pavements before they deteriorated to such an extent that the cost of making repairs ballooned.

Defending the truth

Thankfully, there have been some stories from the 'other side of the fence' - from the point of view of the injured party and that of Joe Public. Solicitors and Industry bodies have pointed out that there has been a declining standard of pavements and a drop in investment in repairs for many years and that there has been no new drop in repairs due to the modern 'claims culture' that we are being hoodwinked in to believing.
We have the knowledge of what to many, a simple fall on a damaged pavement can do to peoples lives. Clients of ours have had their entire lives turned upside down due to sustaining injuries in such falls. Often, especially to the elderly, a fracture to a wrist, leg or spine can end the independence that we all cherish. This is no small matter. In our view, the authorities must accept responsibility for making the repairs we all want to see. If the pavements are sound, inspections are carried out and minor repairs undertaken when needed, then the councils won't face claims in the first place. Simple isn't it?!

Duty of care

Remember, your local authority highways department has a statutory duty of care to ensure that the pavements in your area are free from hazards. If you think that there is a hazard that could cause injury, phone your council and report the matter. They can come and inspect it and decide if it requires remedial work. Let's do our part and trust that the councils will do the same.

Making your claim

To make your claim, come to us. Direct 2 Solicitors are approved for Regulated Claims Management Services by the Ministry of Justice (Authorisation CRM 3364), check the regulators web site www.claimsregulation.gov.uk and are also members of the Claims Standards Council. We offer genuine peace of mind, honesty and a friendly caring service.

If you are in need of a reliable and approved Claims Management Company to manage your accident compensation claim, look no further. Email us at webenquiries@direct2solicitorsltd.co.uk, call us on 0800 9177456, or get us to call you, using the big blue "Call me back" box at the top right of this page.