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According to the RAC pothole related breakdowns were up by 63% over the last year. Between January and March this year breakdown patrols helped 6,500 drivers who were in trouble due to poor road conditions. The problems ranged from punctures and broken suspension through to distorted wheels.

So I was interested to read that researchers at Delft University in the Netherlands may have the answer. They have come up with a self-repairing Asphalt. Normal Asphalt is made to be porous in order to reduce road noise, but the pores allow cracks to build up and eventually turn into a potholes. In order to overcome this the clever people at Delft have come up with the idea of mixing in steel wool into the asphalt.

The steel wool makes the mix conductive to electricity. So if a crack appears a magnetic induction machine is rolled over the surface to heat the mixture that will close the cracks before they become potholes. This system has been under test since 2010 on 12 Dutch roads with none of them requiring any more repairs. The Asphalt mix costs around 25% more but they say the new mix could double the life cycle of roads saving money in the long run.

Personally I have yet to be convinced as firstly they have to identify the cracked roads very early on, then they need to tow to the site a special induction machine on wheels that then sends a current through the wool to heat up the Asphalt. And once a pothole appears you are back to a man with a shovel and a heavy boot to repair it. Let’s face it if we had the ‘crack warning’ early enough and the resources we could dispatch the man with his shovel to fix it just as quick and more cheaply. But what do I know? By Graham Hill

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As I write this item we’re into the first day of the new registration and the first day of autumn, not that you’d notice after a terrible summer. But already I am reading about impending pot hole problems this winter, set to get worse after a Highways Agency rule change. The warning raised by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) highlighted the rules Read more »

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Following on from the news that windscreen replacement company, Auto Windscreens, has gone into liquidation we hear that our roads are in the worst condition ever, despite an extra £600 million being spent on them last year. The information regarding the condition of our roads comes in a report called the Highways Condition Index (HCI) released by the Department for Transport. The report shows that only 68% of the roads were classified as ‘Good’ whilst 26% were ‘Reasonable’ and 6% were Read more »

As I’ve reported on several occasions following the particularly bad winter the roads of Britain are covered in potholes. Our local authority was quick to act and I’m pleased to say that the roads of West Sussex appear to be in pretty good order now which has probably avoided a lot of claims for damaged vehicles. Which is just as well because it seems that getting a payout, as a result of pothole damage, isn’t easy Read more »

Another consequence of the bad winter last winter has been the resulting shortage of windscreens. It is normally as a result of gritting that the windscreen replacement companies become very busy but this year it has been the poor conditions of our roads that has led to windscreen replacement companies, such as Auto Windscreens, running out of screens. In the past a stone hitting the glass has caused a chip Read more »

I know I seem obsessed with potholes at the moment but they are such a pain and costing motorists a fortune. The Germans came up with a solution in the village of Niederzimmern near Leipzig. They sold their potholes for 50 Euros which the council filled with asphalt and a metal plaque which carries the owner’s name or a tribute to a loved one. Of course not wishing to miss an opportunity the Brits are planning Read more »

According to tyre provider, Protyre, pothole damage is increasing whilst local authorities are unwilling to carry out repair work until the bad weather is over, for fear that any work done now will be wasted if the cold weather continues and re-pops out the filler. Protyre suggest that 300 new potholes are being identified in Britain every day with hundreds of pounds of damage being caused to tyres and suspension. Read more »

According to tyre provider, Protyre, pothole damage is increasing whilst local authorities are unwilling to carry out repair work until the bad weather is over, for fear that any work done now will be wasted if the cold weather continues and re-pops out the filler. Protyre suggest that 300 new potholes are being identified in Britain every day with hundreds of pounds of damage being caused to tyres and suspension. Read more »

Following the bad weather there have been reports from all over the country that pot holes, some the size of a small cave, have opened up on not just minor and B roads but also on A roads. Even some motorways have some nasty craters on them as I experienced a few evenings ago on the M25. This is clearly the result of budget cuts and either Bodgit and co – road workers carrying out the work or those gentle folk that Read more »