Pothole progress to rid Bucks of damaging potholes?

Our “pothole campaign” to improve the dreadful state of the roads, not only in South Buckinghamshire, but in the UK generally, is making slow progress, but at least we are now getting some responses from the UK authorities.

Hazlemere Window Company Ltd’s Managing Director, Stuart Braham has written to Bucks County Council Highways Agency to complain about the awful state of Wellington Road on Cressex Business Park, where Hazlemere Windows, Doors and Conservatories have their head offices, main factory site and 4,000 square foot home improvement showroom. In his letter, Stuart drew the attention of Jim Stevens, Head of Transportation at Bucks County Council Highways Department (based at King George V Road, Amersham, Bucks, HP6 5BL) to the 3 previous complaints Hazlemere Windows have made since November 2009 about the deteriorating condition of one large section which runs across the entire width of Wellington Road, about 40 yards from the junction with Lancaster Road.

Wellington Road is in constant use by driving instructors and learners drivers as the local test centre is located at the bottom of the road, meaning that learner drivers (as well as heavy goods lorries, company vans and private vehicles), are constantly having to run the gauntlet of an ever increasing number of potholes in this section of the road. As no repairs have yet taken place, even since the snow and ice in January 2010, these potholes are simply getting wider and deeper, rather like the thousands of others you can see dotted around the roads in Buckinghamshire!

I did get an email response back on 29th March 2010 from my email to Paul Goodman MP for High Wycombe which stated “Dear Mr Austin I’ll look into this and will advise accordingly. Yours sincerely, Paul Goodman MP” I also got a letter dated 30th March 2010 from the MP for Beaconsfield, Dominic Grieve QC MP, which confirmed my letter had “been passed to Mark Rowe, Service Leader, who will arrange for a response to be sent”. So, although we still await any action, we have now at least had an acknowledgement that the authorities are aware of the growing number of voters who are dissatisfied with the dangerous state of Buckinghamshire’s roads, as many potholes are potentially damaging to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians alike!