Holey London

[piers2210]

Is there any other city in the world with as many holes in the road as London?

The Beatles sang about the holes in the road over 40 years ago, and it seems that nothing has changed.

We had the diplomatic Olympiad here in London this week, with Gordon Brown masquerading as superman, the "last chance to save the world"....and it was incredible that one of the diplomatic limos didn't disappear down one of London's current 40,000 road holes....

London's Mayor, Boris Johnson, last year stated "Londoners are sick and tired of sitting in traffic jams caused by enigmatic craters that litter major roads. Its time for a holy war on holey streets".

But nothing actually happened......

The problem goes back to the time of Margaret Thatcher, when the 1991 New Roads And Street Works Act came in. The idea was to expedite the cabling and upgrading of London by the (then) recently privatised utility companies.

These utility companies are a law unto themselves, able to dig up roads at will, and all they have to do is give the local council two hours notice in emergencies and a maximum of 28 days notice on other occasions. The council cannot refuse permission, nor require reprogramming to coordinate with other works. If the utility company takes too long, the maximum fine is £5,000...hardly a deterrent.

One day London will move out of the victorian era and have a city with clear roads......is that just a dream???

Anyone else have stories of other cities which have road works as bad as London?? Or is London the holeyest city in the world??

Will you shed a tear for us Londoners??

Or was that just a crocodile tear??

[Truthseeker360]

It's a conspiracy i tell you

We got them here to...in brumie land

Then we have got speed bumps to throw out your tracking or for vertical take of as many seem to enjoy.

Then there is the friendly traffic warden,with which even my smile they evade.

Or cheese for the many traffic calming cameras
Remind me again the reason for road tax

Now we get toll roads and motorways and pay extra to drive on those very streets? of holes left for the taxi drivers, for these are the most ancient of sat nave the HOLE.. (kinda form of brail me thinks for surley some taxi drivers from london must need a white cain)

The Hoey hole for the past present and future generations.

Sometimes we sacred rituals of repair ,
drinking tea
and builders butt
all huddled around pointing and starring at a hole in the ground
The days, weeks, months pass and if by a miracle the hole is no more.
People rejoyce and put your hand in your pocket once more.


Ya gotta love the system

We should all See the light, we were given feet for a reason, why invite such mayhem into our lives


Love Light & little fun

[piers2210]

So its London AND the UK's second city, Birmingham.

That 1991 New Roads And Street Works Act (and Margaret Thatcher/Michael Heseltine) has a lot to answer for.

I saw Heseltine a while back in a trendy Notting Hill restaurant...he stills looks good, i guess he didn't fall down an unmarked hole in one of london's "cycle lanes"!!!

Any other cities have holes in their roads???

[Truthseeker360]

You been to Malta gotta be worst roads in europe anyone beg to differ

These fill in flash floods so dont step in pudde next day for you might end up knee high.

[Czymra]

I went through the joy of driving through London last week end while filming. It was also the first time I drove a a 'right steerer' (wheel on the right hand side) in England which lead to some interesting bumps against the precinct.

Nevertheless, I've always noticed how London is so full of building sites and if I may add, rather random ones at that. It's almost as if they try to identify the spots that will bring the hole traffic to stop as effectively as possible, like they close a lane at a crossing. All they use for it is a bunch of those plastic barriers and sandbags. When coming from Germany this seems rather dodgy, and Piers, I had no clue that the permissions are so at ease. In Germany you probably have to apply for even touching the road two months ahead.

To me it just about feels like this:

Typical London building site:


Typical building sites in Germany:




Vi need ze shtractshure and ze naintee deegreese ankles. Links Zwo Drei Vier!

[scanner]

I hope you got the relivent permits to take photo's of these pulic pothole/roadworks and you didn't intimidate them on doing so lol

[Czymra]

Originally Posted by scanner

I hope you got the relivent permits to take photo's of these pulic pothole/roadworks and you didn't intimidate them on doing so lol

If there's one thing I'm never going to get it's a f*cking permit to photograph something I can see with my eyes.
Of course those pictures I just googled.

[piers2210]

i love the photos of London "roadworks"....

Note there are NEVER any guys actually working......i think there was one workman coming back from the pub though...

Ahh, German efficiency. Turkish/Polish labour??? hehehe...whatever, its good!

[Egg]

I feel for you Piers.

Not.

Any one choose to live in London in these dark days is truely braver or more adventure minded than myself.

[piers2210]

Egg mate, you're a star!

Rimbaud once said, when writing home from Ethiopia....

"what am i doing here?".....

the late great Bruce Chatwin also used that quote as the title for one of his brilliant travel writings.....

My turn now......but i love to come back "home" after travelling......

P.

[Czymra]

Originally Posted by Egg

I feel for you Piers.

Not.

Any one choose to live in London in these dark days is truely braver or more adventure minded than myself.

30 days left and counting.

[piers2210]

C, don't leave us!!!!

[Czymra]

Originally Posted by piers2210

C, don't leave us!!!!

Just physically my friend. Gotta go to the Ave before anyway.

[henners]

Hey Piers, nice thread mate. I don't think you have holes as big as the ones in Guatemala. This one is a biggie..

Henry

[Dantheman62]

I was at this one in Orlando FL. back in 1981, was working Cable TV at the time and we responded to an outage that was phoned in and this is what we found, it swallowed up a community swimming pool and five Porsches from a dealership, oh and a house too!, LOL



It's actually pretty famous, called the Winter Park sink hole.

[BROOK]

Sorry....I could not resist

[piers2210]

Hahahaha!!U guys just crack me up!!

Yeah, i think even Gordon Brown would notice holes as big as that one in Guatemala and Dan's amazing hole in Orlando!!

P.

[rhythm]

This is bloke stuff

right ....

well that nevar stopped me

the town ilive is like a mad house at the moment

as the powers that be have decided

this is a good time


to play catch up

and dig up not one road

but four

I guess that tho there is four lots of road works

there is only one crew

and thay all see to be


enjoying nature

[rhythm]

Originally Posted by Czymra

30 days left and counting.

cym you will miss us mate

why bother stay where your loved and neded !!!

go on you know you want toooo ...

[Czymra]

Whaddayamean? I'm just moving my body from this isle back to the continent. Still on Avalon, what ever it's worth for.

[Carmen]

Piers, Of course they wont be working if its before nine in the morning. Didnt you hear about the guy who applied for a job on the roads. When he was interviewed he had to tell them he had no balls!!!

'Well then", said the interviewer, "You can start work at nine thirty then, we start at nine, but we stand around scratching our balls for the first half hour!!!!!

[piers2210]

Nice one Carmen!

If they were working at all, they probably don't hold British passports!!

Can't remember when the tube ran efficiently at the weekend either, "engineering works" is the usual reason.... (as i discovered tonight on my way back from a great little restaurant in town..).