3 minute read
POTHOLES IN BRISTOL ARE GETTING WORST LOCAL MAN REPORTS
Recent surveys have revealed that Bristol has the highest number of potholes in England. In a report cond ucted last year, data showed that 80% of Bristol’s roads were in need of repair. Additionally, this issue is much worse than it was ten years ago; back then, these road conditions were four times better than what we are seeing today. One resident remarked that during their journey, they had to take their vehicle to a garage due to the immense size of the pothole they encountered on the road.
A driver shared his recent experience with potholes on social media, he said: “Has anyone had success in claiming for pothole damage to their car? Hit one on St. John’s lane opposite Brewers and now suspected broken anti roll bar, car needs to go to the garage for work.”
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People soon replied to his post with comments on what to do with many pointing the man towards the council’s website which he then shared a link to in the comments. One commenter suggested: “I think you could claim if the council had had the pothole reported to them already.”
Another replied: “Thanks for the link, I will look into reporting the big ones just off the Cumberland Basin.”
The man then shared the result of having to take his car to the garage: “£210 down, just got the car back from the garage.”
Last November when we reported on complaints about potholes on a particular mini roundabout, the man in charge of Bristol’s roads said the number of potholes in Bristol is down by 60 per cent since 2016. Cllr Don Alexander added at the time:
"We’re making good progress across the city but unfortunately, the council doesn’t have the capacity to address all remaining potholes simultaneously, so we have to prioritise repairs based on a matrix which takes a number of factors into account such as the size of the pothole and risk of injury...We’ve reduced the number of potholes across Bristol by over half and will continue to address the remaining ones based on the risk they pose."
Most notorious roads for potholes Some residents have shared their thoughts on the matter with many highlighting specific roads across the city. The roads suggested include:
• Muller Road
• Greystoke Avenue
• North Street/Cannon Street Roundabout
• Christmas Street in the city centre
• Station Road in Filton
• Victoria Street
• The Portway approach to the Plimsoll Bridge
While it is possible to claim for damage caused by potholes you need to make sure you have a substantial amount of evidence. Julie Daniels, part of the car insurance team at Comparethemarket said: “If you’re attempting to claim from the council, you’ll need to take plenty of pictures of both the road and the damage to your car and note exactly where on the road the pothole is in relation to landmarks and get a few quotes from mechanics for how much it will cost to fix.”