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BB Road "Repairs" decimated within hours


Biomech

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I drive that part of the road a lot, it's always in a state, it's not just a case of bad weather has caused it.

 

Let's not forget, this is one of the major routes in to the all-hallowed industrial development area. That piece of road isn't suitable for a small residential street let alone a route frequented by vans, pickups, trucks and lorries on a daily basis.

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I totally agree with Biomech I have been reporting pot holes along this road for months. I have never seen so many dangerous road conditions. There will be someone seriously injured before long, the current weather is making these potholes even more dangerous. Drive carefully everyone if you see water on the road slow down you can almost certainly guarantee there's a pothole lurking beneath that puddle. 

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I am meeting next Monday with the Belfour Beatty contract managers to take a long hard look at the contract something CLLR Harry Bramer should have done and explained it to all councillors I have many things that I am concerned with the conditions of road repairs being one if any of you have specific question please email me them and I will endeavour to get the answers.jkenyon@herefordshire.gov.uk

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I'd like you to ask where these 28 road gangs who are filling and repairing roads are because they sure as hell ain't been in Hereford.
Two pictures of drain with pothole http://www.imagebam.com/image/e45240307623602
First picture was taken around 10th Jan.The day after it was reported after damaging a car tyre it was filled.It was reported again three weeks later and yesterday Balfour beatty sprayed a white line around it,today the white line has nearly gone washed away by the rain.Just goes to show the utter incompetence of people working for Balfour Beatty who don't have a clue how to repair and fill a pothole correctly.

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Taken from HC website

Our contractor will inspect the reported defect and assign a priority and category of repair. Our contractor aims to repair major road defects within one working day of inspection. However, this is dependent on the number of defects reported and the available resources.

We classify a defect into one of three categories and each category has its own response time. Our contractor is committed to achieving these standards for highways defect management.

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  • What are the categories of highway defects?
What are the categories of highway defects? Category 1 defects

Category 1 defects are those that require prompt attention because they represent an immediate or imminent hazard or because there is a risk of short-term structural deterioration.

We will respond to category 1 defects within two hours, make them safe within 24 hours and repair them within 28 days of the initial report.

Category 2 defects

Category 2 defects are those that do not represent an immediate or imminent hazard or a risk of short-term structural deterioration. However, they may represent a safety concern of a far lesser significance than category 1 defects. We consider them under two sub-categories and these determine how they are treated:

Category 2a defects

These defects either represent a greater safety hazard or are likely to deteriorate further before the next scheduled inspection. We will prioritise and repair these defects within 28 days alongside routine maintenance work or as part of a programmed maintenance scheme, and we make them safe until the scheme is undertaken. 

Category 2b defects

These defects do not represent a public safety concern and are unlikely to deteriorate further before the next scheduled inspection, and we note them for the next safety/service inspection.

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Cllr Kenyon can you please ask the following questions

 

  • How many claims have currently been issued against Herefordshire Council for damage to vehicles.
 

  • The average number of potholes reported daily 
 

  • Legal proceedings issued against Herefordshire Council for accidents on the roads in relation to potholes
 

  • How potholes are reported by Herefordshire Council to BB 
 

  • How can members of the public get updates on reports they make / for example if I call and report a serious pothole on Monday can I call on Tuesday and get an update? I actually tried this and was told by the Council they could not give me an update.
 

  • Council call centres now close at 4pm if I hit a pothole at 10 past 4 who do I call to make it safe. If there is an emergency out of hours service how efficient is that service in providing immediate response to an emergency. I called out of hours went through to emergency call centre who took the details. I called the next day for an update and there was no record of my call.
 

  • Finally does the Council have enough staff dealing with the volume of emergency calls they receive on a day to day basis. (There are a lot of comments on the various forums stating difficulty getting through to the call centre) 
Thanks in advance Cllr Kenyon hope you don't mind me asking and I really hope you get the answers(you may find them very surprising)

 

Kind regards 

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Bob Preece, Paul Rone & I met with BB last week and drove and walked around our area to show BB where the pot holes are and other defects. They know where we want urgent work done and under the bridge is one.

 

It is the Councils legal team who deal with insurance claims but these are past on to the insurance company who, just as they do with domestic insurance, quibble about. Whether to pay up or not. There are various rules they go by such as the size and depth of pot hole, where it is and if when it was first reported, etc. I have't won an insurance case taken up on behalf of a constituent for about three years but always prepared to have a go.

 

With regard to number of emergency staff, I assume you mean on the switch board and in emergency planning office? Emergencies like the flooding always involves partnership between council, police, environment agency, health etc, so it is difficult to answer question. The team who are in the emergency planning office of the council probably are up to the right numbers as again nothing is done in isolation of the other partners. I did have a run in this week with the out of hours emergency team because they kept asking stupid questions when all I wanted was road closed signs. I am told they have now sorted that problem so will let you know after I have tried it next time.

 

Councillors can/do report pot holes any time day night via BBs email. They confirm within 24 hours that they have received message. It then goes on a list of priorities and/ or when call was made. We also have someone from BB come up to Brockington once a month for councillors to tell them of work that needs to be done in their wards. The guy was at Brockington yesterday for three hours.

 

Hope this helps answer some of your questions.

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Just come back from a walk down Holme Lacy Road to speak to the BB men working there. They are trying to pump water out of drains but there is nowhere for itto go, then they will fill in the pot holes. Apparently the two pot holes are about 18 inches deep also wide. They told me they wil resurface the whole area under the bridge once thepot holes are filled in. All this depends on the weather.

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I have asked for a full costing to the economy of Rotherwas as well as cost to road repair. However the access road probably saved any great cost to the economy's would suggest. The draft plan for the length of Holme Lacy Road shows traffic lights under the bridge so probably most vans and lorries will use the access road only then. It may be argued that the present road closure would not be that different.

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 then they will fill in the pot holes. Apparently the two pot holes are about 18 inches deep also wide. They told me they wil resurface the whole area under the bridge once thepot holes are filled in. All this depends on the weather. 

 

 

 

Translation: They are going to stamp some gravel into it and leave it. Within 2 weeks it will be in pieces again and they will repeat until they are either physically forced to do the work properly or the contract expires.

 

There's no point in resurfacing the road if they are just going to use the normal cheap **** that doesn't last. It needs to be done properly with suitable, lasting materials.

 

Also, do you know how much ******* hassle it is when you have to go from the houses need Speedy Hire to Faculty House several times a day.

Only a 5 mile detour http://goo.gl/maps/NSmdr

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I had a good read of the new Belfour Beatty contract 280 pages today interesting stuff unfortunately the councils contracts manager was busy with floods and claims but we rearranged to meet next week I have forwarded some of my questions so hopefully I will get the answers I'm after then.

Once I have those answers and as long as they are not commercially sensitive I will share them with you on this site.

In the mean time if anyone has any contacts in other authorities I am looking for price comparisons so pm me.

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Done - let's see what they say ...

 

Predictably - absolutely nothing. It's still closed and men are still peering down a hole. I fear this is destined to go the way of Ruckhall Mill bridge - closed for repairs and seemingly abandoned whilst endless reports are written and charged for, structural and ecological surveys are done and charged for, reports about reports are written and charged for - it's like Chancery in Dickens' Bleak House - all the money gone on fees and nothing left in the pot for the real work. Ruckhall closed now for 12 months or more is it?

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Struggling to see if this is for real or a spoof.

 

 

Same :P But there are options out their that are like that. If it's legit, I hope all private firms who decide to undertake filling potholes do so with bright yellow (or other colours) to A: Make the holes visible to motorists and B: Provide a visually aid to highlight how bad the problem is. I've thought, myself, in the past about using brightly coloured spray paint on the potholes around Hereford

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