English town lets its roads go to pot, arguing it will deter speeders

English town lets its roads go to pot, arguing it will deter speeders

The Associated Press


More News




LONDON | Here’s a new road repair plan: Don’t bother.
Officials in the small English village of Navestock, about 25 miles northeast of London, are considering leaving many of the town’s potholes unfilled as a way to bedevil speeders.
There’s another advantage: Leaving the potholes alone is a lot cheaper than fixing them.
City Councilor Mike Parrish said the plan would help return many of the town’s smaller roads to their original status as country lanes.
“It seems potholes are good on our quiet little back roads,” he said. “Not fixing those might save us time and cost and also be a traffic calming measure.”
Parrish said Britain’s legal speed limits — which range from 20 mph in some residential areas to 70 mph on highways — are too fast for Navestock. “People are worried about their children.”
Some residents have asked for speed bumps, but potholes would serve the same purpose, Parrish said. The plan would be to repair potholes on certain roads to encourage their use, while letting those on other roads serve as a deterrent.
Former policeman Roy Tyzack called the policy “ludicrous,” saying it would endanger motorists, cyclists, horse riders and the many elderly people who use the roads.
“It will cause damage to vehicles as opposed to simply slowing them down,” Tyzack said. He also noted that with little street lighting in the rural area, people would have trouble seeing the potholes. “The thought of letting our roads deteriorate is very dangerous.”

Genius! :rolleyes:

I'm sure it'll be much cheaper for them when they get sued because someone swerves for a pothole and has a wreck.

They've been taking that approach in my state for years now. It's had almost no effect on speeders (too many SUVs around) and just last night 20mph below PSL starting from a stoplight and rocked my head into the drivers side window. And they'll usually tear up a few good roads every year and rebuild them cheaply so that the potholes will develop more quickly in the next weather cycle.:rolleyes:

Emergencies anyone?

I'm sure an attending EMT will LOVE being tossed like salad in the back of an ambulance as the driver flies over the roads.

Obviously City Councilor Mike Parrish is an idiot. Hmm...its nice to see that over there in England people elect idiots too! :D