Things that go bump on the road

SEE LATER POST ON POTHOLES HERE

pot·hole (pŏt'hōl') n.
1. A hole or pit, especially one in a road surface. Also called chuckhole.
2. A deep round hole worn in rock by loose stones whirling in strong rapids or waterfalls.
3. Western U.S. A place filled with mud or quicksand that is a hazard to cattle.

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At best an uncomfortable jolt on your journey, at worst a danger to both you and your bike. Deep, hard edged, debris shedding- often disguised as a simple puddle, these hazards lurk all over the district's roads, despite Herts Highways' patching efforts. Here's a quick reminder of how you can help reduce the problem by reporting them; watch out for future posts as we put Herts Highways' performance under the microscope over the coming months!



"During the year ending March 2005, 88% of reported potholes were repaired within 24 hours."


Herts Highways promise to fix hazardous potholes within 24 hours. Unfortunately Herts Highways don't tell us what they consider to be a hazardous pothole! This definition from Cambridge Cycling Campaign is as good a guide as any, but if you see any hazard in the road which is big, deep or rough enough to make you want to swerve to avoid it then it should be reported.

"Potholes are considered dangerous when they are vertically sided, and more than 20 mm deep, with an area of greater than 0.1 m² in principal road carriageways and 50 mm deep in non-principal road carriageways and more than 20 mm deep and have an area of 0.1 m². in any footway, cycleway and marked cycle lane and are sufficiently far from the edge of the carriageway or footway to be surrounded by bituminous material. Other conditions which occur should be judged in accordance with the good practice and specification requirements, and dealt with accordingly"

You'll need to note the following details- if you don't have a piece of paper handy try writing a text message to yourself on your mobile (you don't need to send the message, just save it).

Location- road name, carriageway, nearest house/landmark
Description- size, depth, distance from kerb
Date
If possible take a photo.

Armed with these details, you can report the hazard and start the repair clock ticking.

There are several ways to report hazards:

Online at hertdirect.org. Navigate through the options to select the most appropriate hazard type - pothole for a pothole or carriageway/road/cycleway for other hazards).

Online at the CTC's site fillthathole.org.uk. Use the map to locate the hazard, the CTC will report the pothole to Herts Highways on your behalf.

By phone. Call Herts Highways on 01438 737320. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am - 8pm and Saturdays from 9am - 4pm.

Here. Leave a comment here and we'll report the hazard for you- please make it clear that you haven't reported it yourself. You can email any photos to stacc.potholes@hartleys.org.uk- this includes sending in pictures direct from your cameraphone!

However you report the hazard, please note the reference number and add it as a comment here so that we can track it. This is important since it enables us to keep an eye on Herts Highways' performance.

Coming soon- what to do if a pothole damages your bike or causes an accident.