Filling in with JCB
11 July 2022
Potholes are the greatest road safety issue faced by drivers according to a survey carried out earlier this year by the road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, formerly called the Institute of Advanced Motorists.
And an extensive poll carried by the AA in 2016 found that 32 per cent of drivers have experienced vehicle damage caused by potholes in the previous two years, including damage to tyres and bodywork, and even leading to crashes.
It’s a problem that has been discussed earlier on the blog, but drivers in County Louth in Ireland should soon find that highway conditions improve.
Louth County Council has just invested in the country’s first Pothole Pro machine from JCB in a bid to fix potholes permanently on its 1,000 miles of roads.
The manufacturer says that tests with local authorities and contractors have shown that the machine completes a permanent repair in under eight minutes. This equates to an area of up to 250 sq m a day, or 700 potholes a month.
Mark Johnston, senior engineer at the Council, said: “Potholes which often form quickly and randomly, especially in wet weather, overwhelm scarce council resources, disrupt motorists and can cause extensive damage to vehicles.
“Keeping the road in good condition is a priority for Louth County Council and this ground-breaking technology will be vital in enabling us to meet the Council’s strategy of prompt pothole mending with no requirement for further, future repair.”
If more organisations start tackling the issue on a larger scale, perhaps machinery for pothole repair could become a new hire opportunity?
Pictured with the Louth County Council (LCC) machine are, from left: Mark Johnston, LCC; Cllr Conor Keelan, LCC chairman; Denis O’Kelly, from dealer ECI-JCB; Conor Sloan, LCC; Kevin Buckley, LCC; Darius Messayeh, LCC; Phil Turner, JCB; Frank Meade, LCC, and Martin McCreesh, LCC.
● The AA says that in order to apply for compensation in the event of pothole damage, drivers need to collect evidence. The road defect also needs to be a certain size to count, which varies from council to council, but a depth of more than 40mm (about the size of two pound coins) and a width similar to a dinner plate, is usually the minimum.
It also depends on how busy or critical the road is, the organisation says. A pothole on a quiet road might need to be quite noticeable before it gets repaired.
