I've been getting out and about on my bike over the past few weeks since I got back from university and Grimsby seems to be getting a makeover of its roads. The work is being done at night to not disturb traffic during peak times. The result is a nice new roadway that is free from divets and snow / frost damage.
The work to repair snow damage is greatly overdue in many parts of the country and as a result, a simple drive down the road turns into a slalom event with weaving to avoid road-craters becoming ordinary. This is another example of the continued ignorance of government towards the transport infrastructure of the UK. Roads laid down years ago have seen little to no maintenance. That which is seen is usually just a round of patch-and-mend. This is done by two council workers shovelling tarred grit into the holes, maybe patting it down for good measure, only for it to be excavated by the next lorry that drives over it. This lack of proper care for our roads increases the likelihood of collisions as road users are constantly swerving to avoid potholes. A great example of the inability of council leaders to see the problem is more pronounced in York.
A great, ancient city, York is home to around 150,000 people and has some great historic monuments but its roads are awful. The trend in York is to simply pave over the Victorian road cobbles in the older quarters with a couple of inches of tarmac. This makes the road surface smooth and good to drive / ride on but after not very long, the frost comes and attacks the road. The tarmac degrades and is removed by traffic driving over it, exposing the cobbles below. This makes a dangerous situation for cyclists as there's no safe way to ride into a pothole and in narrow city streets, there's little room to compete with motorists for space.
That said, York is an excellent cycling city and it's drivers have a really good appreciation of cyclists. This cannot be said all over the country and I'm glad that the roadworks are being done in Grimsby as the motorists here have a really selfish attitude and occasionally, no insurance, license or tax disc. This goes to show the regional variation and exemplifies the difference between council approaches to the same problem. I hope that this investment in roads continues and ramps up as it'll cut down journey times, increase traffic flow and give budding cyclists a safe surface to ride on. The last point is especially important as many new cyclists are put off by the sight of bumpy, unsafe roads with cycle lanes that are filled with glass and debris from the road.
