Bloody pot holes!!!

[dvb247]

I'm driving along my usual route home through the country lanes and BANG BANG what the f@#+!!!!!! then my dash lights up like a Christmas tree, I pulled up in the little lay-by 200 yards up only to find 3 other cars all changing their front passenger side wheels!!!!
Thought I’d used the run flat repair juice and pump the tyre up to get home 7 miles away, failed, white fluid poured out the rather large gash in the tyre, then I noticed the rear was also flat
I managed to drive home at 15mph on my Contact 2's only to be told this was an extraordinary achievement given the fact that they are not run flat's!!!
To cut a long story short, I have the claim form from the council, my car is on axle stands, my wheels are at Rimstock, 2 weeks already!, Contact 3's all round on their return, probably have tyre pressure valve issues to sort and tracking.
We all hit pot holes but this one was huge, the next morning the hole was filled and the bush 20 yards up can only be described as a kind of wheel trim Christmas tree, it had 10 different wheel trims in it!!!!.
Oh well, hopefully a week on Friday I will get my rims back and can get started with getting it back on the road, missing it now, especially as I am now driving my works Ford transit lwb!!!!!

 

[JOB-BLACK-RAT]

Glad you have been able to claim against the council, just makes you blood boil when when we pay 30 billion in automotive tax (fuel and road fund etc)...we should'nt have to! the roads should be paved with gold leaf!

 

[dvb247]

My worry is I simply don't know if my claim is accepted and if the amount claimed is disputed? do they have a maximum claim for instance?
I'm going to be very fair about it, but should I claim for 4 tyre's or 2 tyres, I could argue that all tyres should be the same tread depth for safety reasons, also should I claim for 2 refurbed damaged wheels or all 4, I could argue that you can't refurb 2, it has to be all 4 otherwise the car will look odd????

 

[JOB-BLACK-RAT]

Yes claim for all 4, and if they start to grumble, mention that your back hurts.....

 

[StevenN]

I would ask your servicing garage to check all is ok underneath.
tracking suspension springs etc.
Afterwards you will not be able to prove that the damage was not normal wear

How is your back?

A bang that hard on a strong car might have done more damage than you think!

 

[Fizzer]

Your lucky if they pay out. 2 weeks after I collected my car I was taking my son to the hospital when I hit the deepest pothole that I've ever seen. I got out and checked the wheel because I was sure that it must be cracked. It wasnt but from then I had a vibration on the steering (very slight but annoying).
I ignored it for a few weeks but ended up asking the dealers if they would have a look.
They took it into the workshop to balance the front wheels but the tech was back after 10 minutes and said he had managed to balance the wheels but that the nearside had a flat spot.
I went back to get a photo of the pothole, needless to say it had been filled in (yes I know hind sight is a great thing!) Council not interested as they said that they hadnt had any reports of a problem in the area
So I am looking at buying a new front wheel in the summer (not gonna risk bending another before then). Stealers quoted me £350 (TBH I was surprised that they were so cheap) but council should be paying.

 

[BardLucyHume_XI]

The roads at the moment are a joke. I didn't know it would be so simple to apply for compensation - good luck!

 

[Spinal]

Potholes?

 

[Fizzer]

WOW!!! I'll never complain about the potholes around here again...So thats Uxbridge eh?

 

[Spinal]

WOW!!! I'll never complain about the potholes around here again...So thats Uxbridge eh?

"Highway" in Mauritannia actually... funny part is, the speed limit there is higher than the national speed limit in the UK (and the speed I was doing was roughly that )

There's a better picture somewhere... I'll dig it up when I finish removing the lens-dust marks!

M.

 

[davidjpowell]

Our roads were truly awful. The road in particular that we use for the school run had pot holes down the 'main track' as such. I was concerned that sooner or later oncoming traffic would force us into one of the craters.

I did in the end report it, just so that I knew they were aware.... They came and bodged the road fairly soon after. Next snow it will need doing again of course.

 

[A140driver]

My father bent an alloy in a pothole last winter,but despite photographing the hole and the damage, as well as providing a thorough description he received nothing. Often councils will only pay for the first claim or two, and then, only when detailed photographs are shown along with a thorough report. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you are able to reach a satisfactory conclusion as regards this matter.

 

[brucemillar]

So when the Council write bank and reject your claim send them this letter. I was paid in full within 7 days of this letter. After I broke an AMG rim and ruined the tyre.


There is a website potholesuk I think that offers advice on this. Try Google.








Dear Miss XXXX


Your REf: MA

I refer to your letter dated 20th May 2009. I do not accept that in this incident Kent County Council has discharged it's duties under the Highways Act 1980.

1) As you accept in your letter: Kent County Council was aware of this defect for a minimum of twenty days prior to me reporting my incident. It is apparent that no substantive action(s) to avoid any further incidents were taken by Kent County Council. This was self evident given the lack of any warning to passing traffic or pedestrians.


2) At the time of writing this letter (seven months after the original incident report) the pot hole remains marked with a white number 8.


Given the above points and photographic evidence plus sound legal advice I intend to pursue my claim for damages of £XXX not excluding my costs.


I will accept payment or a statement of intent to settle in full within 7 days of this letter. (3rd June 09).


If no such payment or letter of intent is received I have instructed my solicitors to recover all costs including my expenses for storing (at your request) the damaged wheel and numerous calls plus time spent.





Cont/...
To assist with my claim could you please supply me under the Freedom of Information Act the following documentation:

· Dates of all safety inspections undertaken on the carriageway in the two years preceding the 20th December 2008.
· Details of all carriageway defects identified during safety inspections in the two years proceeding 20th December 2008.
· Details of how carriageway safety inspections are undertaken, including whether walked or driven, the speed of the inspection vehicle and the number of persons in the vehicle.
· The intended frequency of carriageway safety inspections.
· Details of all complaints and/or enquiries relating to the carriageway, received in the two years proceeding December 2009.
· The hierarchy classification.
· The road/section number.
· The defect intervention criteria adopted in relation to the identification of all categories of carriageway potholes (how you define a pothole as requiring attention)
· The time period(s) adopted between identification and repair (temporary and permanent) of all categories of carriageway defects.
· Whether or not Kent County Council has formally adopted all or part of the standards contained within the national code of practice for highways maintenance management.


Yours Sincerely






Bruce H. Millar

 

[orientdude]

Hello Bruce,

Brilliant letter! - I must use this template when the call arises.

Thanks!
Steve

 

[brucemillar]

Steve

I was really p*ssed off at the time as I had a brand new car (to me) with brand spanking new wheels and tyres.

As I understand it from my research at the time. The majority of Councils will try their utmost to avoid paying out. However they do not like the Freedom of Information act as this usually costs more to adhere to than the cost of your claim.

Remember that the Council have a duty to inspect the their highways and ensure the safety of the users. Claiming that they were not aware of the Pothole is not a defence if you can challenge that they had not inspected the road on a regular documented rota.

This took me seven months of posturing from the Council to get to this point.

Have fun.

Bruce

 

[Satch]

FixMyStreet

For some time now self and people in our area have been pressuring our local council via this site over potholes as well as lodging issues via the normal routes.

Soon see trends developing and, surprise surprise, it is always the same bits of heavily used road that are a problem and they are just badly patched up, not resurfaced.

The pathetic fobbing off tactic now being employed is that there is claimed to be "no problem" unless the damage goes through the wear layer and into the underlying road surface.

Another source of problems are the leading edges of speed humps breaking up. These are claimed to be "not part of the road surface" and so not a priority for repair.

All BS of course.

 

[Aoraki]

My worry is I simply don't know if my claim is accepted and if the amount claimed is disputed? do they have a maximum claim for instance?
I'm going to be very fair about it, but should I claim for 4 tyre's or 2 tyres, I could argue that all tyres should be the same tread depth for safety reasons, How many were damaged by the pothole?
also should I claim for 2 refurbed damaged wheels or all 4, Again, how many were damaged by the pothole? I could argue that you can't refurb 2, it has to be all 4 otherwise the car will look odd????

How are you being fair if you claim for twice the amount of damaged caused? If all four wheels need to be refurbed, surely all four needed a refurb BEFORE the incident or the other two DON'T need a refurb . Whilst I agree that someone may be at fault regarding the pothole, I really don't like to see folks taking the p!ss, it's my council tax as well!

 

[mika]

Hi bruce
thank you
good post

 

[BardLucyHume_XI]

Nice work Bruce

 

[Paul Dawkins]

I hope the potholes are sorted before March.
I get my bikes out when the roads are clean from salt.
I could lose my bike down the potholes around here.