Did you know that the average value of a cyclist’s claim for a highway maintenance failure is 13 times higher than that for a motorist?1
That figure is a stark reminder that when someone hits a pothole or other defect in a road surface, they are likely to suffer damage to their bodies as well as their bikes which can have far reaching repercussions from both a health and financial perspective.
So, in National Cycle Week, we would urge the Government to take into account the funding that councils need for pothole repair when they put together their second cycling and walking investment strategy (CWIS 2) which the Department of Transport has promised for later in the year2.
While there is still much debate to be had about how new cycling lanes can integrate with existing traffic flows, without adding to congestion and road safety risks, it would make sense to start repairing road surfaces now. For instance, residential streets that could become low-traffic neighbourhoods need fixing now; roads like these have often suffered from years of underinvestment, simply because councils have been forced to prioritise spending on main roads and arteries.
Poor utility reinstatements are a particular bugbear for councils – and for cyclists – because they are often quite close to the kerb. Poorly executed joints between the old and new asphalt can very quickly become cracks and then potholes.
In March this year, during its annual Pothole Watch campaign, charity Cycling UK reported that only one in 14 councils were able to meet their own target repair times for potholes and that nearly 60% reported that their repair budgets for 2020/21 are lower than they were five years ago3.
The good news is that some councils are already on the case. Our green pothole fixing technology is being deployed by a number of local authorities to fix pop-up or potential cycle lanes and to deal with legacy utility reinstatement issues.
In the meantime, if any of you cyclists spot a pothole while out riding, Cycling UK urge you to report it through their www.fillthathole.org.uk website or related apps.
Thermal Road Repairs is a green technology company which supplies systems to improve the quality, cost and time efficiency of road repairs and paving – at a far lower environmental cost than traditional methods. We invest significantly in R&D, to create new technologies and to continuously improve our existing ones.
High output. Low emission. Permanent solution.
Photo credit: Cycling UK
Sources