Why you ask, given all the issues facing us now, do you want to discuss potholes? They are irrelevant! Well at face value, that is a strong argument. However, there is a counter argument.
Why now?
The UK Government promised to spend in excess of £2.5bn over 5 years fixing potholes. It was a priority in the budget, partly because we, the public, told them it was a priority. We would have also moaned about the impact of the inevitable roadworks, when they were being fixed. Why can’t you fix them at the weekends or at night and not when we want to use the roads.
But now the roads are empty. Many of us are in “lock down”. We are also trying to keep the economy working and we have lots of people wanting jobs because they have been laid off. Clearly the current situation is not ideal, but it does present an opportunity that wasn’t there beforehand.
Where are the potholes?
The budget for repairing potholes is provided by Central Government but managed by the relevant local agencies. The knowledge of what needs fixing also seems to be decentralised with solutions differing by location. The reporting of potholes to these bodies also seems quite varied and often based upon making a claim for damage. Wouldn’t it be great to have a unified mechanism, where we can all report problems, visualise where they are, to avoid duplicate reporting and see them being resolved? I think Mapcite can help. I wonder whether we can find anyone wanting to listen?