Pavements pose pedestrian pothole danger

12.00 | 19 December 2012 | | 4 comments

Pedestrians are in danger of becoming the new victims of potholes, according to a study by the AA (Telegraph).

An inspection by 800 AA ‘street watchers’ found that the condition of pavements and footways has worsened over the past year, while roads have marginally improved.

Each street watcher found an average of 10 holes and crevices on walkways, compared with 7.6 last year.

Even where repairs had been carried out the quality was poor, while an increasing number of poorly replaced inspection covers poses another growing hazard to those on foot.

In particular, London’s pavements have deteriorated significantly over the past year, with each AA inspector finding nearly 19 faults, compared with fewer than 11 in October 2011.

Luke Bosdet, of the AA, said: “People who get out of their car and walk are in as much danger of falling in a pothole than if they stayed behind wheel.

“This is particularly bad news for cyclists who stray onto the footpath thinking it is safer, when they are just as likely to be capsized off their bike by a pothole.”

Edmund King, the AA’s president, said: “Only recently, the Local Government Association warned that potholes may again become a serious problem this winter with local authority budget cuts biting.

“Our survey has found that, although patching up the roads after last winter’s ravages has brought some improvement, their condition is on a knife-edge and drivers are still likely to have to dodge potholes.”

Patrick McLoughlin, transport secretary, said the Government has allocated an additional £215 million to tackle potholes.

He said: “It is ultimately up to councils to determine how they prioritise their funding, but we want to help them get the best value for money.”

Click here to read the full Telegraph report.

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    I have reported police drivers more than once for parking on pavements, often directly outside police stations!

    This from Transcom’s report 2008:

    “According to a survey by Help the Aged, some 2.5 million people aged over 65 have fallen on damaged or uneven pavements in 2007. Of those, one third had to visit a hospital as a result, at a cost of around £1 billion to the NHS.

    Poor quality pavements are also particularly hazardous to visually-impaired pedestrians. Poor road surfaces are estimated to cause 7% of cyclist casualties.

    These appear in hospital casualty statistics but only rarely in the STATS19 data. The CSS highlighted “increasing concern amongst local highway authorities about the level of funding for road maintenance, not just for ensuring the structural integrity of the network, but to maintain safety standards.”

    And how much notice has been taken of these staggering figures since 2008, until the report here? Virtually none.


    Idris Francis Petersfield
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    Perhaps the cause is the prevalence of cars and other vehicles including heavy delivery vehicles deliberately driving and parking on pavements. Something the police turn a blind eye to.

    Without a police presence on the streets people, being lazy, park as close to their intended shop/bank and disregard yellow lines, thus causing several traffic violations knowing they will not be reprimanded or reported for the offences.


    bob craven Lancs
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    It’s not just ordinary pedestrians that have to be careful on pavements, it’s the cyclist as well but more importantly it’s the elderly and infirmed who may be partially sighted and cannot see the hole.


    bob craven Lancs
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    “stray” onto the footpath!!!


    Trevor Heywood Stockport
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