Frustration over wait for pothole repairs to city street
A CARDIFFIAN who was told by the council to rectify a pavement repair job outside his home is still waiting for potholes to be fixed on his street.
Glenn Rogers decided a couple of years ago to have the dropped kerb outside his house on Hampton Crescent West in Cyncoed extended by a metre and a half.
Within two days, he said he was told by Cardiff Council that he would have to pay to have it dug up and re-laid by a council recommended contractor because he hadn’t applied for planning permission.
Glenn said he accepts he should have gone through the correct channels to sort the pavement out – but he is annoyed the local authority wasn’t as quick to address the potholes plaguing his street.
“It is just the fact that they were so quick to come down on me for something like that, which was an improvement by the way, because the old pavement was all breaking anyway,” said Glenn, 66. “Really, it was more of a repair job.”
The idea behind extending the dropped kerb was so it would be wide enough for Glenn and his neighbour’s cars as they share a driveway. He said the potholes are so bad on his street that he twisted his ankle about two years ago while crossing the road to see a friend.
The pothole was reported to the council and someone was sent over to address it, but they fixed “one little tiny bit”, according to Glenn.
He added: “I am constantly sweeping up the gutter out there because of all the bits of rubble and everything that’s coming up from the broken road. The road is just disgusting. “I said at the time that that whole section of road needs doing, otherwise it is going to be an ongoing problem.”
Glenn said he reported potholes to the council at the beginning of last week, but the only communication he said he has had so far is an automated confirmation of his report.
He said: “It is a lovely area and I want to keep it nice, but the council is not doing their bit.
“We are all doing our bit by paying our rates and everything else, but they are not keeping up to their side of the bargain are they?”
Last year, Cardiff council revealed it had a huge task on its hands to keep the city’s roads and pavements in good condition amid significant budgetary pressures.
This issue is a national one as well, with councils across the country tackling budget gaps and a backlog of highway repairs.
A Cardiff council spokesperson said: “In the UK, there is a national backlog of road repairs in the region of £12bn.
“The council inspects the highway network in line with all legislation. (The Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management and the requirements of the Highways Act 1980). “The council uses the resources available to best effect by carrying out a variety of road works across the highway network including reconstruction, re-surfacing, surface patching and treatments as well as temporary repairs to potholes. “Potholes are repaired temporarily until a longterm solution can be provided – which requires more extensive patching or resurfacing of the road. “Legitimate compensations claims are settled by the local authority.
“Any claims which are deemed to be fraudulent are investigated with a view of taking the matter to court.”
We are all doing our bit by paying our rates and everything else but [the council] are not keeping up their side of the bargain, are they?
Glenn Rogers