LIB DEMS CALL FOR ACTION TO FIX 'POTHOLE PLAGUE'
The Basingstoke and Deane Liberal Democrats have called on Hampshire County Council to address Basingstoke's pothole problem.
As the town's roads are left to deteriorate further, residents' safety is being put at risk. For example, large unrepaired potholes in Sullivan Road have the potential to distract drivers from looking out for pedestrians and cyclists - including children going to and from nearby Chalk Ridge Primary School. The defects are also a hazard to inexperienced motorists taking their tests at the nearby driving test centre.
Andy Konieczko Liberal Democrat councillor candidate for Brighton Hill North in this May's Borough Council election, said: "More and more residents are telling us that the condition of our roads is getting worse, but Hampshire County Council isn't listening to their concerns. We have to put that right because residents' safety is being put at risk.
"Basingstoke's roads are being left to deteriorate and we're all suffering from the resulting pothole plague. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are risking injury, motorists are experiencing damage to their cars, and Council Tax payers are having to fork out more in compensation. Everybody loses out because the Conservatives on Hampshire County Council are trying to cut costs and aren't looking after our roads.
"Whenever I talk to residents in Brighton Hill, the issue of potholes inevitably crops up in conversations - and it's not hard to see why.
"Large potholes in Bliss Close were marked out by the Council in white paint more than 12 months ago - but the Council hasn't fixed them yet and the markings are now beginning to fade! That's not acceptable.
"Major defects on Sullivan Road haven't been touched since they were reported and marked out back in January.
"Fixing these particular potholes should be a priority for the Council because drivers are focusing their attention on avoiding the potholes rather than looking out for children at nearby Chalk Ridge Primary School. The potholes also pose a risk to those taking their driving tests in the area. If a driving test isn't daunting enough, imagine the extra stress an inexperienced motorist feels when their car thuds along a pockmarked road surface.
"Local residents shouldn't have to put up with this. The Conservatives on Hampshire County Council can't sit back and hope that the problem will go away. It won't. And the longer they leave it, the worse our town's pothole plague will become. Road safety shouldn't be compromised by Tory budget cuts."