POTHOLES NOT TO BE FILLED IN - DISASSOCATED PRESS

irish1967

Just came across this interesting article by Disassociated Press... hmm the mind boggles :eek:

Donegal County Council to Promote Potholes

Lifford, Co. Donegal. Members of Donegal County Council will today vote on a radical plan to actually promote the abundance of large potholes on the County’s roads. An insider has confirmed us that, although the motion was mooted several weeks ago, it was decided to keep the plans shrouded in a veil of gravel until they had been finalised by council engineers.

Although it has been suggested that the cover-up was in order to negate public outcry at the plan this has been denied by council officials who state that the delay in publishing the draft proposal was in order to ensure it was a viable proposition. One councilor, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that the plan was actually considered months ago before the cold spell and has just resurfaced lately.

The main aim of the proposal is that instead of spending the thousands of Euros needed to fill in and repair Donegal’s thousands of potholes that the money should be spent on promoting the potholes as a tourist attraction. A mapped trail would be drawn up where visitors would take a tour of the county’s most notorious potholes. The potholes in question would be strategically placed throughout the county to maximise the area covered by the visitors.

As well as The Pothole Trail, visitors would be asked to take note and photograph any other potholes they encountered on their journey and a prize would be given on an annual basis to the visitors who find the most potholes.

Maps for The Pothole Trail will be sold in tourist offices and shops throughout the county and the revenue from their sale would be pumped back into the council coffers.

According to our source plans for The Pothole Trail are at an advanced stage with many potholes already being allocated their place on the trail. School children throughout the county will be asked in the coming days to suggest names for the important potholes in their area. The winning entry in each school will receive a prize funded by the council and NRA.

It is thought, though not confirmed that the potholes chosen to be part of the trail (in the region of 853 potholes in all.) will be circled in yellow road paint to assist those following the trail. Signs will be erected at each site in several languages giving a brief history of the adjacent pothole. Council work crews will ensure the upkeep of the trail and will drain and maintain damaged potholes on a regular basis.

A spokesman for Donegal County Council said that he was in no doubt that The Pothole Trail will be of great benefit to tourism in the county and would save the council thousands of Euros by not having to repair (albeit temporarily) the potholes which are now seen as a valuable natural resource to the county.

A spokesperson for The General Council of County Councils stated that many other councils in the country would be watching this pioneering initiative with great interest.

Disassociated Press 10-3-10

Domscard

Dissasociated Press omitted to mention in its press release the new sport that has just been recommended for inclusion in the next Olympics - Pothole Dodging. Watching the road as you drive now requires the added skill of avoiding damage to your vehicle, not to mention the risk of disappearing into a 'black hole'!

Enthusiasts of this new sport welcome the council's (lack of) attention to road surfaces, which has resulted in unprecedented new advocates and participants of the sport of Pothole Dodging. It is a joy to behold fellow Pothole Dodgers as they weave over and back across the road in front of you, each battling skillfully for the tiny islands of flat road in their efforts to reach their destination.

Skill levels are guaranteed to increase over the next few weeks and months as these ever-diminishing islands of drivable surface vanish under the stress. The newly formed PDA (Pothole Dodgers' Association) has nominated County Donegal as the sporting capitol of PD and recommended that it replace rallying as the foremost attraction in the area. A spokesperson waxed lyrical on the advantages to be gained by a new circuit of Donegal, with a specially designed 'Black Pot' to be commissioned as the overall prize for the winner.

Beanstalk

I heard there were some objections to this scheme though. Local counciller John Mac Adam has received widespread criticism for his supposed deliberate attempts to sabotage the competition.

Personally I think its ludicrous to tar mac adam with such accusations....

Domscard

Well, you can pitch it however you like, but the bottom line is a black hole

Senna

There's an "attraction" just outside my house, i think i'll name it "Donegals Grand Canyon"

Domscard

We visited Sligo for a few days break earlier this week - and what a roads revelation! We were up and down a few very minor roads that the Garmin sat nav (as it does) took us down for a 'shortcut'. We were expecting to meet quite a few of the Sligo branch of the great pothole family but lo and behold we met nary a one!!!!
Seems as if Donegal has a disproportionate number of these 'intruders' - so what gives I'm pretty sure Sligo weather wasn't hugely better than ours, so there are only 2 possible reasons for their smooth thoroughfares:

1. Their road surfaces were better to start with
or
2. Their potholes have already been filled

Either way, we are being discriminated against here in Donegal :eek: I will very soon not be able to get above second gear on my road and there's NO SIGN of any roadworks in the offing :mad:

coldwood92

Ring the County concil

Domscard

coldwood92 wrote: »

Ring the County concil

And say what? On another note, are you aiming for the Boards record for the maximum number of posts with the minimum number of words record?

coldwood92

No,I am not

coldwood92

Domscard wrote: »

And say what?

Explain the situation

North_West_Art

ok.... the problem is that our government are busy trying to prop up Anglo Irish Bank, so that they can start to fill in this giant pothole that we all now own http://www.thepropertypin.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=16621&p=199841#p199841
and until it has been filled in, the government cant afford to see to all the smaller potholes around the country.... all quite simple stuff really