NAVESTOCK: Potholes ignored in bid to cut drivers' speed
POTHOLES will be left to ruin for a year in a bid to save money and kill motorists' speed.
The decision, taken by Navestock Parish Council, has been labelled as "crack pot" by some.
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UNSIGHTLY: Potholes in Kelvedon Hall Lane. Navestock. bg pm 080409 07 02
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SHAMEFUL: Pothole in Mores Lane, Navestock.
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HAZARD: A crater along Navestock's Snakes Hill bg pm 080409 07 05
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DISGUSTING: Potholes in Navestock's Howard Lodge Road.
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WATER FEATURE: A pothole near the Green Man Pub, Navestock.
Although responsibility to fix roads falls to Essex County Council, members of the parish council have decided not to pass on details of road repairs needed for a whole year.
Potholes along the village's numerous small country lanes are a recurring problem say motorists and residents.
Roy Tyzack, who lives in Navestock Side, said: "It beggars belief that the people who are supposed to be acting on behalf of the parishioners think it a good idea to put people at risk, particularly the elderly, cyclists, motorcyclists and horseriders by coming up with such a totally crackpot idea.
"Potholes, and we have a great deal of them, are very dangerous.
"They cause accidents, damage to vehicles, even at slow speeds, personal injury to pedestrians, particularly at night in our unlit lanes, and the consequences of one of our many young horse riders falling foul of a pothole does not bear thinking about."
Navestock is the largest parish in the Brentwood borough stretching from Pilgrims Hatch to Stapleford Abbots.
The controversial proposal has been given further weight in a parish council newsletter under the headline New Thinking Please, published by the parish council.
"I wonder in this new world whether we should stop complaining about the verges and potholes in our Navestock roads," the author writes.
"Potholes cost a lot to repair and that's our rates. Coupled with potholes there is an ongoing cry for speed limits.
"Well, potholes are the original traffic calming measure.
"So what with saving much time, rates and calming the traffic, potholes seem quite friendly."
The writer added: "Am I mad or should Her Majesty's Government change the law which obliges councils to repair potholes so that our country lanes can get pot-holey and thus slowing traffic to our ideal way of life, save hedgehogs, and rates and possibly keep people out."
Roy Tyzack added: "If the writer of this drivel really wants to keep people out of Navestock, a view definitely not shared by the residents who welcome visitors to our very pleasant village, perhaps they should allow the roads around their homes to fall into such bad repair that they are unable to leave them."
Vice chairman of Navestock Parish Council, Cllr Adrian Enkel, said: "It's worth a shot. We'll see how it goes.
"We are not going to badger borough and Essex highways.
"We'll see how it works. The roads here have a natural speed limit because of the state of the surface."
Not all parish councillors back the scheme though.
Cllr David Williams said the plan was a dereliction of duty.
5 Comments
by allan, chelmsford
Friday, April 17 2009, 11:49AM
“Absolutely appalling. Friendly potholes?. Certainly not to cyclists & motorcyclists. If somebody dies in an accident caused by them then the council should be charged with manslaughter at the very least. Where do these people come from and what qualifications do they have to make decisions on this sort of matter? Name an shame?”
by Alan, Shenfield
Thursday, April 16 2009, 5:50PM
“In answer to my own question, I think that Navestock parish council have put this story into the national domain in order to get the County Council to repair the potholes ASAP, and it is working. Repair gangs have been out and about all day today.”
by Alan, Shenfield
Thursday, April 16 2009, 8:13AM
“This has just been picked up by Terry Wogan this morning (How did he get hold of this item so quickly?
In his inimitable mocking way he said the roads of County Cavan have been like that for years. He also added that the logical extension to this policy would be to leave broken down cars where they are, fallen trees and also dead bodies!”
by Alan, Shenfield
Thursday, April 16 2009, 8:05AM
“The Parish council must indeed feel itself powerless to control speeding around Navestock. But they are the people on the ground in the district and they know exactly what goes on on the roads in their area.
On occasions I have been harried whilst driving at a reasonable speed through this district, by people desperate to roar past at dangerous speeds, including drivers of white vans (what is it about these types)?.
If they now wont be prepared to risk damage to their precious tyres, or dont like the idea of getting muddy water splashed up their doors then maybe it will be a good thing.
On the other hand how will the local authority react when it finds itself subject to financial claims for damage sustained by vehicles as a result of this policy.
I say repair the roads and campaign for speed humps whcih I think are still the best way of slowing up traffic. At least you know they are there and any damage sustained to vehicles is your own fault for gioing too fast.
The opposing argument that they slow up public service vehicles is greatly exaggerated in my opinion.”
by peter, brentwood
Wednesday, April 15 2009, 11:18AM
“This is an abdication of responsibility by the parish council and can only lead to anarchy. What are they going to stop doing next, will they close the schools because some kids play truant. These councillors should be fined and barred from office. they are a disgrace and dangerous to the community.”