Terrible road conditions raise safety concerns; a councillor pushes for quick repairs on pothole-filled Blackburn Road.
The road has many potholes between Lomax Street and St Hubert’s Road. Aziz says they damage cars and are safety hazards. He reported the potholes Monday after he drove on that road.
Aziz hit a pothole he reported, and it caused his tire to burst. He wants the road fixed quickly and has pushed for repairs for two years. The road problems affect drivers badly.
Aziz says potholes bit him back. Money exists for road repairs, as the government gave funds to the council. But, he sees no real improvement and thinks the council seems disorganized. Their repairs seem poor quality, which hurts local residents.
Last year, a survey showed road damage, revealing that over 20% of the surface had issues. Crews patch the road regularly in order keep it usable for everyone. A full repair wasn’t approved previously because another project got priority instead.
More recent data shows the road worsened. Almost 8% has grade four damage, and over 28% shows grade five damage. The council may fix it in 2025 or 2026, but Aziz thinks that is too far away.
Aziz wants immediate action taken to fix Blackburn Road, as other roads also need urgent attention. He thinks these roads are in awful shape right now.
A council member, Rupert Swarbrick, responded. He knows potholes are a worry, and they invested money this year already for safety repairs and road work. More money is planned for permanent fixes.
Maintaining all roads perfectly costs a lot. The council needs about £160 million but they only get £34 million from the government. They are considering road projects for 2025/26 and will publish the details once approved.