Construction work on Irish roads.

Archeron

I recently heard a very sad story on the radio about a man who lost his daughter in a car crash. Her car hit some loose gravel on the road, she lost control, and as a result, lost her life.

Strangely enough, later that day, I was coming into the town in which I live. If you can picture it, theres a blind left hand bend coming into the town with a roundabout maybe 200 yards after this. As I am aware of the roundabout, I slowed down in plenty of time. As I approached the r'bout, I was in 2nd gear doing maybe 30KMPH. I braked, as is normal, and at that point realised that the builders who had been cutting up the road for pipe laying, had left gravel and loose chippings (without warning signs) all over the road. My wheels stopped, but I didnt and I sailed out onto the r'bout against my will. Thank the Lord there was no-one actually on it at the time.

This is just one of a few examples I've come across over the past while of roads being left in bad conditions after builders have left the site, as well as poorly placed builders signs and other such problems.

Is anyone actually accountable for this type of negligence, and to whom do you report it? I would guess that raising issues like this with the builders themselves would earn a hearty "go f*ck yourself". I'm not a moaner normally about these things, but hearing about that young girl dying really brought home just how disastrous things like this can be.

kluivert

Road Dressing can be hard to drive in alright, I remember the same thing happened on a corner to me but not as bad as to lose control, you could feeling the car slipping alright.

Sad story, so much for building safe cars these days.

el tel

I've often found that in when it comes to road works, in terms of proper markings, advance warnings, cleanliness and the sensible use of cones and contraflows etc., Ireland is a disgrace and severely lags behind the measures taken in the North or in Britain.

mike65

True enough. I'm going to bat a copy of this thread over to Commuting/Transport where they enjoy a thread like this.

Mike.

Archeron

mike65 wrote:

True enough. I'm going to bat a copy of this thread over to Commuting/Transport where they enjoy a thread like this.

Mike.

Cheers Mike.

smash

it's a disgrace, the roads are in rag order. They cut them up, lay a new pipe, do a really bad pathc up and leave, then there are loose chipping everywhere and as they clar over time, the bad patch up job starts to sink so you have a nice big pot hole!

Seanie M

My advice is to complain. Write a letter to the roads authority in your county council. Write a letter to your local papers editors etc. I have found that too many people rant, but few actally complain. I write letters! Its simple, easy, has to be acknowledged, especially in the council, and usually illicits a response, if not the first time, then the second time.

I have managed to get the council to finally take action and consider prompt resurfacing of the street in me estate after the appalling state it is in since I moved in last September.

And I think the practice of dressing a road with lose chippings can be legally challenged. I don't have my sources, just something I heard, as it is something not practiced (on as large a scale as we have here) in any other EU country, due to SAFETY reasons

Seanie.

loyatemu

Seanie M wrote:

My advice is to complain. Write a letter to the roads authority in your county council. Write a letter to your local papers editors etc. I have found that too many people rant, but few actally complain. I write letters!

you are Victor Meldrew, AICM €5

Saruman

Yes happened to me in Finglas where they are building apartments. Stopped at lights... 2 cars in front of me. As we pull off on green the Polish idiots in fron JAM on the breaks and do a sharp turn left into a building site (looking for work they said!!) The car behind them rearended them of course and even though i saw all this and stopped in time.. the gravel all over the road made me slide in to the back of the passat. No damage done to his car at all.. just a slightly less black on the bumper. Front of my Clio at the grill was all pushed in and the plastic grill was broke.. pulled it out.. glued the grill back and it was hard to even tell.
I do not consider that to be my fault (or the Passats for hitting them). It was the fault of the Polish guys who did a crazy thing.. and the only reason i hit him was the gravel. We are talking 15kph (if even) here just as soon as the lights go green!!

netwhizkid

What really gets my goat going is when those lazy slobs never ever come along and brush off the loose chippings. A piece of road close to my home was resurfaced recently with Tar and Chips and there was loose chips everywhere. My parents have had two windscreens broken this way (not broken but cracked and this then extended in frosty weather)

It caused a NCT fail in one case and in the other the car was old it was parked up in a field and the scrap metal truck took it away about 6months later.

I myself had a luck escape twice yesterday and about 6years ago. When I was younger (6yrs ago) we were travelling and I had my window down and we came into resurfaced road and a big chip came flying in the window and walloped me right into the cheek an inch higher and I would have sight in one eye. Also why the hell do some maniacal drivers decide to overtake on such surfaces, Generally most people would drive slower in attempt to save their car the inevitable stone chip marks, next thing some loser comes along and try to overtake, Generally you have then to floor it to save your car but it puts you at much more risk that way of an accident in the loose surface.

Yesterday Kerry County Council (moron's) came along and decided to dump out a truck load of Chips right outside my house as the Tar was bubbling up in the heat. They Tarmaced with Tarmac (the best surface IMO) last year but could not do it right the assh*les and made it too smooth and Cars were sliding like Baby Oil was put out, they came along and Tar'd and Chipped over it and managed to create the noisiest surface you can imagine.

Cars were sliding like bananas until they done it and I got whacked again while walking next door to my neighbours. I swear I will pour a two feet speed bump some night with quick setting concrete.

MercMad

It is the department of the environment who look after this !

You can report the developers name and site address and they will perform spot check !

I did this out my way because they dragged muck all over the road and I was fed up washing my car twice a day !

Next week, and every week since the area has been spotless !

Seanie M

loyatemu wrote:

you are Victor Meldrew, AICM €5

The add something constructive yourself, instead of being a dick!

Padraig Mor

MercMad wrote:

It is the department of the environment who look after this !

You can report the developers name and site address and they will perform spot check !

I did this out my way because they dragged muck all over the road and I was fed up washing my car twice a day !

Next week, and every week since the area has been spotless !

MM,

Do you have a numer or email for the appropriate person the the DOE? There's construction going on in my estate and the potholes in the road are unreal....