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Roddy Graham's Blog: 19 February 2009 - Where's the justice?
Date: 19 February 2009
Well the snow cleared last week and the swathes of white icy road surfaces were replaced with the normal black tarmac we are used to. Relief at the prospect of rolling along without hindrance was tempered with the realisation that all not was not quite as it was.
If your eyes had not detected changes in the road surface, then the sudden unexpected jolts must have done. The recent cold snap not only resulted in the worst snowfalls for 18 years but it seems in even worst surface conditions on UK roads. This is not good news, following hot on the heels of news that there was a 13% year-on-year increase in pothole-related accident damage last month.
I certainly don't know what it's like in your part of the world but certainly in Berkshire the number of new potholes, cracks and crumbling road edges has increased dramatically since the snow melted away. Hard-pressed councils will find it even tougher to meet minimum acceptable road surface standards when their budgets have never been under such pressure. Apparently, before the snows even fell out of the laden grey skies, there was a £1bn shortfall in council road maintenance budgets.
If it gets any worse, I can see an even sharper increase in interest in four-wheel-drive transport and it won't be with an eye to just driving out of trouble. It'll be to provide some form of additional protection to potential back and suspension damage. Are we really going to be driven to such ridiculous lengths just to ensure that we can go from A to B in relative comfort without being bucked around like some Wild West rodeo rider?
The economic downturn is not only affecting council budgets it would seem. The police in Wales are threatening to not attend motorway accident come April unless they get paid!
Unbelievable! Do they really mean that when there is a road fatality on the M4 in Wales in the late spring or summer, they will not be in attendance?
It beggars belief!
On the subject of motorway accidents, it was really disturbing to learn the fate of the family of six who stood no chance whatsoever when their queuing car was crushed between two trucks and exploded in a fireball from the resulting impact.
The Portuguese commercial vehicle driver, stood accused of allegedly using his laptop to navigate just prior to killing members of the same family, received a three-year sentence for careless driving and will serve just a year in prison.
Again, where is the justice?
