Potholes in Cowick | Spot the difference

At the Exeter Highways And Traffic Orders meeting on  Tuesday 22 April, elected members received a presentation from David Whitton, Head of Highways, Capital Development and Waste, where he gave on update on the state of Devon's Highways.

The presentation covered many topics:

- impacts of winter weather  - 1340 fallen trees; 176 bank slips; 4600 reported flooding incidents

- introduction of Members Information Pack 

- building the case for more capital funding - Devon highways budget and road condition index; and

- examples of efficiencies - recycling of materials e.g. reedbed treatment of gully waste and surface dressing.

David Whitton also mentioned that Devon County County Council needs to spend £64m per year to maintain Devon's highway network in it's 2012 condition - however, this year's budget is only £34m.

So, DCC  are working to maintain Devon's busy A and B roads and slow down deterioration as much as possible elsewhere.

But of most interest to me was the bit on repairing potholes...

What is a pothole? 

Apparently a pothole a fault in the road which measures at least 300mm in diameter and 40mm in depth. 

Anything smaller than this is not considered to be pothole and will not be repaired.

How to report a pothole?

The preferred method of reporting potholes is to use DCC's on-line reporting form but most use the Highways Customer Service Centre on 0845 155 1004.

I sometimes use CTC smartphone app Fill That Hole and if local residents contact me, I'll pass their concerns on to Cowick's Neighbourhood Highways Officer

According to the Fix That Hole league table, Devon sits at 130 out of 214 highways authorities with

1655 reported

1327 open

  312 fixed

so that makes a 19% fixed rate

What happens next?

Once DCC have received your report , they aim to repair the pothole the next working day on main roads and within seven working days on minor roads.

David Whitton went on to explain the process to fixing potholes.

Category 3-6 Potholes

- clean and cut out

- apply bitumen and bond to edge

- place and compact hot-lay asphalt

Teams can do about 10 of these a day

Category 7-11 Potholes

- clean and remove loose materia

- apply bitumen and bond to edge

- place and compact cold-lay material

This method is more expensive, but teams can do 20 of these a day. 

From DfT Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme Prevention and A Better Cure pothole review 2012

RIGHT FIRST TIME DELIVERY

Current Practice

7.8 Proprietary cold materials may be laid quickly with the advantage of ‘make safe’ repairs minimising traffic disruption. They may, however, be less durable." (p38)

The same document goes on...

QUALITY CONTROL AND SUPERVISION

7.17 There is often minimal, if any, direct supervision or quality control of pothole repairs. Contractors undertaking the work will carry out normal managerial supervision of operatives but this is not production control of the end product. Local highway authorities often rely on contractors self certification, or on random quality checks. Auditing contractors’ method statements should be an important step in managing quality.

7.18 Some local highway authorities have instigated a regime of before, during and after photographs for defect repair, similar to the process set out in the ADEPT report. This provides evidence of the initial defect and the completed repair and is available for review as necessary. Ideally, any pothole reported by the public can be completed by responding automatically with a photograph of the repair.

In that case here's before and after pictures of a large pothole in Bowhay Lane, near the junction with Surbiton Crescent 

BEFORE | 03/04/14

AFTER | 26/04/14

 In particular look at the narrow tip at the top of the after photo:

CLOSE-UP | 26/04/14

I'm guessing that this part of the original defect didn't meet the size criteria for repair?

Further along Bowhay Lane, near the junction with Merrivale Vale, the quality of the patch is even more questionable:

AFTER | 26/04/14

I do hope that in both instances these are temporary repairs 

UPDATE 10/06/14

i've discovered that the categories mentioned above refer to the ROAD that the potholes are on, rather than the severity of the pothole!

Within Cowick, for example:

Category 4 - County Primary Route

Cowick Lane, Buddle Lane and Dunsford Road

Category 8 - Minor Collector Road

Bowhay Lane

Category 9 - Service Road (primarily for residents, but also a through road)

Surbiton Crescent

Category 10 - Minor Service Road  (cul-de-sac)

Solar Crescent

More information can be found under Devon County Council's Highways Briefing for Members

Why I am standing for the NEC of the Co-op Party

The Co-op Party believes that people will achieve more by working together than they can by working alone.

As the political party of the co-operative movement, the Co-op Party works to promote co-operative and mutual forms of organisation, working in partnership with the Labour Party.

Paul Bull

National Executive Committee Candidate - South West 
 Twitter

Well, what a year it’s been for the Co-operative movement? 

A year ago,  the Co-operative Bank was to take over 632 branches from Lloyds to create an enlarged operation based on a model of customer-centric, member-led, ethically-driven banking with the goal to promote the interests of mutuals.

The Co-operative Party was there to support those aims, because they are fundamental to the values and principles of the co-operative movement.

The Party was there, even when the deal collapsed.

Since then it seems to be a catalogue of disasters for the Group

Who was there each time, offering strong support for the future of mutuals in the face of pressure for a big business solution to these problems?

Yes, the Co-operative Party.

Throughout the all these crises, the Co-op Party has helped keep the vision of the Rochdale Pioneers alive.

It is important for the Party to make sure that the Group remain true to the founding values and principles of co-operative movement.

This is the time is the time for the Party to become the face and voice of the co-operative movement and to ensure that the Co-op Group remain steadfast in its aims

Yet the Party is under threat – under threat from that self-same Co-operative Group.

There is no doubt about the Group has already cut the Party’s funding.

The “Having Your Say” exercise may mean those funds will be reduced even further. They may even be cut completely.

  We have to remember, though, that the Co-op Party is not the political voice of the Co-operative Group – it is the poitical voice of the whole co-operative and mutual movement. The Group may be the biggest player in the UK movement but that movement doesn’t begin and end with the Group.  

The Party needs to survive.

The Party needs to survive to give voice for a movement  of over 6000 co-operatives in the UK, each of which are working together to seek positive change.

For the Party to survive, the Party needs to change.

I’ve already noticed that the Party has started to change.

I was there at Conference in Manchester in 2012 under the old system – and there in Edinburgh last year offering a dynamic new future.

The Party is formulating good polices through engagement with members in a structured manner.

Party Conference has refined these policies through debate and will use this to inform the manifesto for the 2015 General Election.

An election we need to win in partnership with the Labour Party.

The Co-operative Party is on the move to ensure that it is viable, and it needs a strong NEC to realise that future.

I want to secure the future of the Co-operative Party

I believe that people can achieve more by working together than they can by working alone.

I think I can best serve that aim by working with other members of the new NEC to ensure the future of the Co-operative Party.

Stonger Together – Better with Bull