the worst potholes in Dublin

laundrygirl

Hi all,
I'm writing an article on potholes and am looking for feedback from cyclists in particular on where the worse potholes in Dublin are located?
any suggestions?

WhisperingDeath

The roundabout at the point O2 - as you come from the East Link towards the East wall road.

Coupled with the train tracks it is extremely hazardous.

Dr_Colossus

There's a real nasty spot on the slip road at O'Connell bridge that joins Burgh Quay onto D'Olier St. The whole top tar surface has gone leaving a couple of 6cm deep craters with really sharpe edges. The only way to avoid these on the bike is to take the lane and cycle in the middle of the road which is fine when you know they're there but to an unexpecting cyclist it means either going through them and possible breaking your wheels or else swerving into traffic to avoid them. They've been there for months and it would only take 2 shovels of asphalt to fix them.

There's also another nasty crater that's about 15cm in diamater and about 4-5cm deep on the corner that joins D'Olier St with College Green. It's right in the middle of the road so guessing it affects cars just as much as cyclists but again no action has been taken to fix that either.

Road surfaces in general are appalling around dublin city centre, I've broken numerous spokes since Christmas trying to avoid some of the hazzards. It's as much a case of pathetic repair works as actual potholes that are causing the problem. For instance the corporations will come along and dig up part of the road and then make a pathetic attempt of covering it back over with some tar tapped down with the back of the shovel. There really needs to be a law requiring people doing maintenance on roads to thoroughly repair the roads after themselves and leave them in a better condition that they found them with smooth joins between the existing road and the repaired section. I always thought the Lower Rathmines Road from the Canal as far as Rathmines village had a disgraceful surface.

DualFrontDiscs

Would it be useful to have sticky documenting these potholes and their location? Perhaps a Google Maps link too?

ISTR that the relevant authority is obliged to remedy said potholes once they are brought to their attention. In particular, the authority is exposed to litigation should any injury result from a previously 'declared' pothole.

Thoughts?

DFD*

*DigitalFotoDefence

Robertd_07

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

There really needs to be a law requiring people doing maintenance on roads to thoroughly repair the roads after themselves and leave them in a better condition that they found them with smooth joins between the existing road and the repaired section.

There is, kinda.
When you get permission to open up the road (i.e. dig a hole in the road/footpath) you have to lodge a bond with the Local Authority (in this case DCC).
This is generally only released when the work is finished, and has been inspected by a DCC area eningeer/roads engineer.
As you can guess, with the amount of works done in the last 10 years, coupled with the number of engineers/inspectors in the council available to do this, things never seem to get checked.
Couple this with a complete lack of pride and the roads are a disaster.
As far as I know, if you report the pothole in writing, you may have some grounds if you later go to sue on foot of damage to bike.

This post has been deleted.

Raam

It's not the city, but anywhere around Oldtown and Garristown. Scary in races. One rider hit one last week and broke his collarbone as a result of the fall.

Closer to the city: The Hole In The Wall Road (between Donaghmede and Portmarnock) has been in disrepair for as long as I can remember. It's at a dip in the road.

The Howth road is in quite a state also.

Explosive_Cornflake

I drive across the Sunday night and I was shocked how bad it was. All the trucks and buses turning have done a number on it.

WhisperingDeath wrote: »

The roundabout at the point O2 - as you come from the East Link towards the East wall road.

Coupled with the train tracks it is extremely hazardous.

The cycle lane along Leeson St. Upper is terrible, really uneven surface. I hate having to cycle along it when there is traffic.
Pembroke Rd, or Northumberland Rd has an awful cycle lane also going into town.

Highway_To_Hell

this site might help http://www.potholes.ie/

EamonnL

From a previous dealing with the city council my understanding of the 'who is to blame' issue is that the council would only be legally responsible for injury / damage if their staff caused the hole in the road. So unless they dug the hole themselves and left it unguarded or botched a repair its not legally their fault.

You should definitely notify them of dangerous potholes but if you subsequently cycle into a pothole you knew was there I don't think you would be in a very good position to blame anyone but yourself.

tunney

laundrygirl wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm writing an article on potholes and am looking for feedback from cyclists in particular on where the worse potholes in Dublin are located?
any suggestions?

The ones you don't see.

ED E

North wall quay itself aswell as that poxy roundabout above.

RE bad filling after works, try orwell park rd. They liad lumpy macadam that looks fine but shakes you to bits.

Harrybelafonte

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

Would it be useful to have sticky documenting these potholes and their location? Perhaps a Google Maps link too?

ISTR that the relevant authority is obliged to remedy said potholes once they are brought to their attention. In particular, the authority is exposed to litigation should any injury result from a previously 'declared' pothole.

Thoughts?

DFD*

*DigitalFotoDefence

I made this suggestion before, I also think we should have somewhere o mention slicks, gravel etc.

Jip

The full stretch of the Cabra Road inbound where it starts at the end of the Navan Road at McDonalds through Cabra itself almost as far as Dalymount. Years ago pipes or something similar were laid but they made an absolute balls of repairing it. Not one bit of the road that was dug is flush with the rest of the road and it's not your usual 1 foot wide pit, it's takes up a fair chunk of road. So if you do cycle it and are not on an MTB you either have to cycle right in the middle of the lane or suffer a very sore ass.
Best avoided.

jimm

Scien wrote: »

That's not so bad I think, although some bright road worker did think it was a good idea to lay one of those drain covers vertically instead of horizontally. I was nearly thrown onto the road last year when I cycled into it.
It's near the Church cycling southbound just in case...

That one looks to be correctly installed. It's the ones which have the grating bars running parallel to your wheel which are extremely dangerous.

Always best to keep 500-600mm out from the kerb if poss. to avoid these.

Slydice

Almost the entire Phoenix Park.

ROK ON

Islandbridge by Clancy Barracks to Coyngham Road is pretty bad surface. Exacerbated as it is downhill thus speed higher than average.

Chesterfield Ave in Phoenix park is a joke.

Blackhorse Avenue is like a minefield with craters and speedbumps.

Jip

ROK ON wrote: »

Islandbridge by Clancy Barracks to Coyngham Road is pretty bad surface. Exacerbated as it is downhill thus speed higher than average.

Is that the South Circular Road from the N4 to Chapelizod Road/Conynghnam Road ? It's a real bone shaker, it's like someone spilled cement in places the length of the road.

km991148

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Road surfaces in general are appalling around dublin city centre, I've broken numerous spokes since Christmas trying to avoid some of the hazzards. It's as much a case of pathetic repair works as actual potholes that are causing the problem. For instance the corporations will come along and dig up part of the road and then make a pathetic attempt of covering it back over with some tar tapped down with the back of the shovel. There really needs to be a law requiring people doing maintenance on roads to thoroughly repair the roads after themselves and leave them in a better condition that they found them with smooth joins between the existing road and the repaired section. I always thought the Lower Rathmines Road from the Canal as far as Rathmines village had a disgraceful surface.

Robertd_07 wrote: »

There is, kinda.
When you get permission to open up the road (i.e. dig a hole in the road/footpath) you have to lodge a bond with the Local Authority (in this case DCC).
This is generally only released when the work is finished, and has been inspected by a DCC area eningeer/roads engineer.
As you can guess, with the amount of works done in the last 10 years, coupled with the number of engineers/inspectors in the council available to do this, things never seem to get checked.
Couple this with a complete lack of pride and the roads are a disaster.
As far as I know, if you report the pothole in writing, you may have some grounds if you later go to sue on foot of damage to bike.

There have been a number of road 'Repairs' around terenure over the last few months that have left the road far worse, but leaving unleveled tar at repair spots, some cases the road surface rises up by 6-8 inches. At first I thought it must be a temporary repair while works continue, but it now seems to be the half ars3d final solution - I have been meaning to complain for ages as it is dangerous, any sort of speed and you could take a serious tumble

JMJR

A lot of speed bumps of a certain type have suddenly degraded nearly simultaneously. The type is a shallow long one which has a shallow, say 50mm, cover of a red coloured cement mortar. The one in particular Id mention is on between Donore Ave and the Coombe at the SCR end. This covering has degraded into a fine sandy material (ideal to skid on) and left a pattern of holes of varying sizes which, if you dont know the story, you do not see until its too late. Its just past the traffic lights and when you are cycling up to it you can be corralled by the following traffic over the worst bits.
This is clearly a design negligence issue as its arguably a system that just is not suitable to be used on those roads with the traffic loads being experienced.

Idleater

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

RE bad filling after works, try orwell park rd. They liad lumpy macadam that looks fine but shakes you to bits.

Kilshane Cross to the "top" at Ballycoolin and vice versa.

To be fair, they (don't know whom so royal they) did fill in many of the potholes some of which were terrible, but were perhaps a bit over enthusiastic on the throwing in tarmac and use of a shovel to "flatten" each individual pothole.

elduggo

Northumberland Road, from Jurys up as far as the canal. Its as if all the damage caused there during the battle of Mount St in the easter rising never got fixed up. A brutal stretch of road.

Also, Mespil Road heading from Baggot St towards Leeson St. Absolutely brutal.

tomasrojo

Emmet Road in Inchicore is very bad, especially heading west.


Incidentally, you can report potholes by email:

roadmaintenance@dublincity.ie

I contacted about a shallow rectangular cut-away in the middle of the road that you had to cycle over going from Kilmainham Lane to Inchicore Road. They fixed it within a week. I mentioned that it was a hazard to two-wheeled vehicles, especially with traffic following, since it was hard to see and too wide to swerve around.

Doctor Bob

You might save yourself a lot of time - and your printers a lot if ink - if you were to draw up a list of the roads that don't have poxy surfaces.

El Tarangu

There's one absolute whopper just where George's St becomes Aungier St, ridiculous given that's one the city's main access routes

This post has been deleted.

Raam

Scien wrote: »

Chesterfield Ave. has a tarmacced cycle track running right through it.

Huh-huh, good one

nitrogen

jimm wrote: »

Always best to keep 500-600mm out from the kerb if poss. to avoid these.

I'd say at least a metre out.

Downtime

elduggo wrote: »

Northumberland Road, from Jurys up as far as the canal. Its as if all the damage caused there during the battle of Mount St in the easter rising never got fixed up. A brutal stretch of road.

Also, Mespil Road heading from Baggot St towards Leeson St. Absolutely brutal.

Ill second that - hold on tight. You have to cycle in the middle of the road to avoid them.
Also Beaver Row coming towards Donnybrook Garage.

cdaly_

JMJR wrote: »

A lot of speed bumps of a certain type have suddenly degraded nearly simultaneously. The type is a shallow long one which has a shallow, say 50mm, cover of a red coloured cement mortar. The one in particular Id mention is on between Donore Ave and the Coombe at the SCR end. This covering has degraded into a fine sandy material (ideal to skid on) and left a pattern of holes of varying sizes which, if you dont know the story, you do not see until its too late. Its just past the traffic lights and when you are cycling up to it you can be corralled by the following traffic over the worst bits.
This is clearly a design negligence issue as its arguably a system that just is not suitable to be used on those roads with the traffic loads being experienced.

These are coming apart all over the place. There are about 20 or so of these scattered around various of my habitual routes and many are breaking up in the same fashion.

The Machine

WhisperingDeath wrote: »

The roundabout at the point O2 - as you come from the East Link towards the East wall road.

Coupled with the train tracks it is extremely hazardous.

+1