Your Cardiff, Online February 3rd 2010

Councillor calls for chunk of £2.75 million to fill in Rhiwbina potholes

By

Published:February 3, 2010Posted in: Rhiwbina, TransportTags:cardiff potholes, councillor jayne cowan, potholes, rhiwbina potholes, rhiwbina roads

Pothole on Wenallt Road, Rhiwbina

Councillor Jayne Cowan, Rhiwbina ward, is calling for a share of the £2.75 million announced by the Welsh Assembly Government to tackle the pothole problem to be used on Rhiwbina ward’s roads.

Cowan argues that Rhiwbina is one of the most affected wards in Cardiff by potholes, including many that existed before the bad weather. The ward  still has a number of concrete roads that are more likely to be affected by potholes.

Cowan says:

Any extra money for our Council to tackle the many potholes in our roads is welcome, but the main problem is that the repairs often do not last very long, costing the Council more money longer term. Only proper resurfacing will ensure that the roads of a standard which will keep potholes at bay for many years. Rhiwbina suffers with potholes and some of the old concrete roads desperately need replacing with modern tarmac. Investment by the Council in the short term will keep the long terms costs at a minimum.

Welsh Local Government chief executive, Steve Thomas, said on the announcement of the extra funding:

The greater problem is the general poor condition of the local roads network. The patch and mend approach over many years is leading to significant problems and it is now estimated by the Asphalt Industry Alliance that it will take 15.6 years in Wales to clear this backlog with an average shortfall per Welsh authority of £3.3m. Sadly with the pressures on local authority budgets large scale resurfacing of roads grows an increasingly remote prospect.

yourCardiff users are being asked to help map the extent of CardiffÂ’s pothole problem, by submitting pothole sightings via an online form.