Budget 2011: Extra £100 million to tackle potholes

The budget announcements weren't just all about tax cuts and increases and motorists in Redland will no doubt welcome Chancellor George Osborne's pledge to stump up an extra £100 million to tackle potholes - but how much of this will help improve the roads in Redland?

I have to admit, I usually take to Redland on foot but on the odd occassion when I drive through I always notice at least one pothole. On some roads it's a real game to dodge all the potholes. But then when there are roadworks to repair these, that's pretty disruptive too. There is often confusion over whose responsible for repairing potholes. Is it the government? The local council or The Highways Agency? People don't know where to direct their complaints. Well, the answer is Bristol City Council - if we're refering to the residential roads around Redland anyway. To report a pothole click HERE.Last year, the council pledged an extra £70,000 for repairing potholes, which became an even bigger problem after the frosty weather. The Department of Transport then awarded the council a £300,000 chunk of the pothole repairing cake - which allowed for the repair of hundreds of potholes. But while that tackled a lot of problem spots there are still lots of roads which need attention. And it's not just drivers who get caught out, with expensive repair bills for their cars but cyclists who run the risk of coming off their bikes and/or ruining their tyres. Let's hope they get an equallt sizeable chunk of this new pot (pun intended) of money as it costs around £80 to fix one pothole.

Hot spots from my travels around the area include Cotham Road, Gloucester Road and North Road, St Andrews. I've seen the council repairing some roads - including Bishop Road, Redland Road and Kingsley Road but there's plenty more to be done. Do you know of any potholes in Redland? It'd be interesting to know which is the worst road in the area for potholes. Please let us know and also please report them to the council (link above) as if they don't know about them, they can't do anything about them. Saying that, they've got enough traffic wardens doing the rounds who should be reporting back to their superiors.

Photo via Wikimedia