One visit, more impact: Lib Dems trial new approach to pothole repair

Fixing more potholes, more quickly. That’s the aim of a trial scheme introduced by Liberal Democrats who lead Hertfordshire County Council. The trial will involve crews repairing *all* the potholes - not just the worst ones - within a troublesome section of road.

Under the standard approach, the county council only fix holes which are at least 300mm wide, and 50mm deep. This can leave residents frustrated, when repair crews visit their street but leave other faults untouched.

Lib Dems - who took control of the council last month - have pledged to improve pothole repair across Hertfordshire. 
The trial scheme is a first step, as part of the administration’s action plan for their first 100 days in office.
Dubbed ‘one visit, more impact’, the new approach could improve efficiency - by getting more repairs achieved for each crew call-out. This should reduce disruption, save money, improve the service for residents, and keep roads in a better and safer condition for longer.
 

As part of the trial, engineers will also identify and repair minor lesions in the road surface - to help prevent potholes forming in the first place. Crews will deploy Roadmender machines, which use asphalt to fix potholes and then seal the area, like a plaster.

Lib Dem councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, cabinet member for highways at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Many of us have felt annoyed when a council crew turns up and repairs one pothole but ignores all the others. They’ve travelled all the way to that street but achieved very little.

“There must be a better way, and this trial will explore methods of fixing everything in one section of road, on a single visit. The results will help demonstrate whether it’s effective and cost efficient, and how it could be adapted for roll-out across the county. Lib Dems are determined to improve Hertfordshire’s roads, which is why we’re cracking on with our plans just weeks after forming the new leadership."

The trial will run in residential areas in North Watford from 23rd June to 4th July.