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Bleedin' roads
1
(41 posts, started )
#1 - Bob Smith
Bleedin' roads
Was driving to work this morning in the usual fashion, came up to the roundabout on to the dual carriage way, when suddenly wee, lots of (very gentle and progressive) oversteer turning left on to the roundabout. Thought that a) has never happened on that roundabout before, even if the surface is a little bumpy and b) was all so smooth it feels just like low tyre pressure.

Indeed the last couple of miles of the journey did have a floaty feel, but I took the car hard into a right turn (edging up to the limit) and all seemed normal.

Once parking outside work and inspecting the right rear, the obvious issue was confirmed, I had a flat tyre.

Closer inspection, however, revealed a nice two inch long gash into the sidewall. Bah. No repairing that. Although in fairness the tyre was due for replacement anyway, so it's not really a wasted tyre.

I can only think it was the bad pot hole I hit between the last set of lights and the roundabout of oversteer. The cut is quite near the top of the sidewall when at the top of the tyre, so close to the road.

I'm going to take a photo of the tyre tonight and try and get a snap of the pot hole tomorrow lunchtime (while all the time nannying around on a 50mph space saver).

What's my chances of getting the council to refund my new tyre cost? I've heard if the pothole is large and deep enough it should be filled, thus they are liable for any damage caused? Any truth in that?
#2 - Bose321
If you can prove there actually is a pothole there, and you hit it, and damaged your tire, you get a chance, But I have no idea how it is in teh UK tbh.

So how long was the drift?
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(Jakg) DELETED by Jakg
#3 - Jakg
Some threads that might help.

Best guide is this one though.

The basic premise is, you have to prove they knew about it, and were negligent in not fixing it. They aren't culpable if it appeared overnight as they can't check every road every day, but if it's been there for months and lots of people have issues then they are.
#4 - tristancliffe
But at the moment you'd struggle to win a claim, as they are having to work overtime to sort out all the potholes from the cold weather. It's unlikely a court would decide in your favour if contractors in the area could been shown to have been working hard fixing other (perhaps more serious) problems.
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(shaun463) DELETED by shaun463
#5 - Bob Smith
Lost the front bumper? Sounds like a bit of a serious pothole!

Close up tyre photos (click for full size versions):


Thanks for the links Jakg. Looks like it might be too much hassle to consider claiming if I've a slim chance of getting anything. I'll still photograph, measure and report the pothole though. And make sure I avoid it in future!
#6 - shaun463
Aye, I think the lorry was riding a bit low for the limit aswell.
#7 - sinbad
We're paying the price for their half-baked, short-term "money-saving" patch-up jobs and bodged surfacing.

Round here about 5% of the roads are of good quality (one piece of smooth and well layed tarmac/asphalt, whatever it might be). Those roads have no potholes.
#8 - Intrepid
eerrmm... all I can say guys is - get used to it!
#9 - sinbad
Quote from Intrepid :eerrmm... all I can say guys is - get used to it!

Yup. It must be a golden age for the road-patcher. Loads of potholes to fill, and every patch job is a prime candidate to reopen whenever we get another cold spell.
#10 - Xaid0n
Quote from sinbad :Yup. It must be a golden age for the road-patcher. Loads of potholes to fill, and every patch job is a prime candidate to reopen whenever we get another cold spell.

Not even with a cold spell, got pot holes on my road that have reopened at least 4 times through heavy use. :/.... Ridiculous to be honest, they need to resurface roads rather than patch them up... but then again that'll solve the issue and then they'd be out of a job.
#11 - danowat
Our whole road system is a mess, must cost them a damn sight more to do the crappy "patch up" jobs than it would to repair them properly.

European roads aren't a great deal better, was in France and Belgium a little while ago, and their roads are almost as bad with regard to potholes.
#12 - Bob Smith
Right well I've taken a few photos next to a foot long ruler, so the size, depth, and location of the pothole is unmistakeable. I didn't bring the usb cable with me to work so you'll have to wait until I can get them off tonight to see.

As for my flat tyre event, I was wondering, is it possible the tyre managed to stay airtight after the pothole, but then opened up during the hardish left turn at the roundabout, as the sidewalls began to stretch and tuck under?
#13 - shaun463
Possibly. Quite unlikely though.
#14 - Bob Smith
I only ask as the car felt fine until then, and in fact I had even been in the corner for a second feeling understeer before the rear broke loose. Hmm, makes me think, maybe there was something on the roundabout that cut the tyre? I'd imagine under hard cornering the top part of the sidewall where the cut is would probably be on the ground.

I think I need somone with a high speed camera to film me acting like a boy racer at a roundabout so I can have my very own slow-motion tyre deformation video.
#15 - need
If I recall correctly, you can make a claim against the local roads authority, if you can show the pothole was known about, but they either didn't fill it, or mark it out via a traffic cone, etc...
A friend of mine got a replacement alloy wheel when he buckled his on a pothole in Glasgow.
#16 - tristancliffe
Quote from need :If I recall correctly, you can make a claim against the local roads authority, if you can show the pothole was known about, but they either didn't fill it, or mark it out via a traffic cone, etc...
A friend of mine got a replacement alloy wheel when he buckled his on a pothole in Glasgow.

Yes, normally that is the case - you need to show negligence basically. But if the repair contractors are working flat out to get through all the potholes, then the council can claim (and would easily win by doing so) they were doing all in their power to fix the problems.

So drive AROUND the potholes - it's a lot less hassle in the long run. Hell, I keep having to drive around small frogs on the road, so spotting a pothole isn't exactly tricky.
#17 - piggy501
#18 - Osco
how big/deep was the pothole Bob?
#19 - Bob Smith
#20 - keiran
Tell me about it, thinking of investing in a rally spec car the way Aberdeens roads are. King Street, a very busy main road through Aberdeen has one lane with a pothole the length of my car and the width of the lane!! Will have to snap up a shot when I pass it on Saturday.
#21 - mr_x
#22 - Agniz
lol, that pothole is nothing, if compare to our roads. for example:



#23 - piggy501
#24 - mrodgers
Quote from piggy501 :Thats a CRATER!

I'll say.

As for Bob's hole (that doesn't sound good.....) that would just be a little dip around here. There are sections of road that it would be impossible not to hit the hole because they stretch across the road and extend for several feet beyond the first hole. I can't believe you sliced a tire on a little dip in the road such as that, especially since you would have been turning onto that road, thus wouldn't be flying 100 mph.
#25 - piggy501
Quote from mrodgers :I'll say.

As for Bob's hole (that doesn't sound good.....) that would just be a little dip around here. There are sections of road that it would be impossible not to hit the hole because they stretch across the road and extend for several feet beyond the first hole. I can't believe you sliced a tire on a little dip in the road such as that, especially since you would have been turning onto that road, thus wouldn't be flying 100 mph.

Depends. Theres always that chance you could hit it really awkwardly and that could kill it. I once hit a small pothole on my bike but it put a huge bulge into my tyre. Glad it just didn't blow the tube and send me down.
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Bleedin' roads
(41 posts, started )
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