Bad, bad roads

cjcp
cjcp Posts: 13,345
edited May 2009 in Commuting chat
Inspired by Londonbairn and El Presidente's exchange in another thread about the state of some of the roads in The Big Smoke, perhaps we should start a "name and shame" list of poorly surfaced roads just to see how many there are (you know, those where you're rattling around in your saddle as you riding over them, or where you're dodging pot holes/canyons/cracks with alarming frequency).

Those in other parts of the country should feel free to add to the list so this isn't London-centric :)

Here goes:

London

1. Cannon Street
2. New King's Road
3. Putney Bridge
FCN 2-4.

"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."
«1

Comments

  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Single-carriage bit of mortlake high street. Ridges across the entire carriageway every 10 metres or so. Some of them are patched but that has just made them worse.
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    The List! The List! Add to The List! :lol:
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • tardington
    tardington Posts: 1,379
    Oh, is there a SCR stats type thing to click on?
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    You need to speak to the IT Geek Dept.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • tardington
    tardington Posts: 1,379
    So, so far I'm inputting my list into... cyberspace? :lol:

    Cjcp you are my dad and I want more pocket money :P
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    The List! The List! Add to The List! :lol:
    *mutter, mutter, mutter*

    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • Bhima
    Bhima Posts: 2,145
    I think it's possible to set up some kind of thing with google maps, where you can put markers at certain places.

    Maybe setting something like that up will show some kind of pattern if you put all the dodgy roads in...
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    tardie wrote:
    So, so far I'm inputting my list into... cyberspace? :lol:

    Cjcp you are my dad and I want more pocket money :P

    :P I'm considered old before my time at work.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • tardington
    tardington Posts: 1,379
    Just give me enough for the Halo Skewers! I'll cut the grass no problems!
  • londonbairn
    londonbairn Posts: 316
    edited May 2009
    Great idea!

    My most hated roads...(my commute is Ealing -> Acton -> Shepherd Bush -> Notting Hill -> Oxford Circus -> Holborn -> St. Pauls -> Bank -> Bishopsgate)

    1. Bayswater Road (cycling away from Oxford street towards Notting Hill)

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sourc ... 1,,0,28.67

    This road is awful not because it has potholes but it literally is like someone poured tonnes of cement and sprayed stones all over it. With high pressure and thin tyres, it feels like someone has put you on a vibrating platform. Not particulary dangerous but uncomfortable

    2. High Holborn

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=high+holborn&sll=51.511587,-0.292372&sspn=0.006243,0.016479&ie=UTF8&ll=51.517676,-0.108147&spn=0.012485,0.032959&z=16&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=51.518001,-0.116402&panoid=8KCCA2HSTD-ptbY7xaMD5g&cbp=12,204.15,,0,1.78

    Absolutely shocking array of potholes here. You can't cycle straight here without hitting one!

    3. Lombard Street

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=lombard+street&sll=51.517676,-0.108147&sspn=0.012485,0.032959&ie=UTF8&ll=51.512348,-0.086925&spn=0.012486,0.032959&z=16&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=51.512161,-0.086029&panoid=xT3liFWWbVy7WdDZAUNMUA&cbp=12,315.85,,0,3.01

    The problem here is this road has more or less turned into one large sidewalk for pedestrians. People walk out in front of you and curse at you if you don't stop, despite it being the cyclist's right of way. Think of Oxford Street condensed into this small street, it's always busy in the mornings.

    Obvious mention

    4. Oxford Street

    Absolutely shocking asphalt not helped by suicidal tourists. This road is an absolute disgrace, not only is it a bit narrow but has more potholes than a teenager with acne. I absolutely hate going home on this road but it makes my route shorter. The mornings are easier as its quiet (I usually hit around 7am) but home time is a right nightmare!
  • spursn17
    spursn17 Posts: 284
    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    5. Upper Thames St
    6. Constitution hill (rough surface. westbound, towards HPC)
    7. Bayswater rd
  • londonbairn
    londonbairn Posts: 316
    Another one that needs mentioning...

    Bloomsbury Way

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=high+holborn,+london&sll=51.512348,-0.086925&sspn=0.012486,0.032959&ie=UTF8&ll=51.517536,-0.124444&spn=0.006242,0.016479&z=17&layer=c&cbll=51.518141,-0.123011&panoid=lsquPBd1zNErPx4wjZqyMg&cbp=12,33.73,,0,30.49

    This road is shocking like High Holborn, tonnes of pot holes which means I cannot get to top speed on this road unless I want to risk destroying my bike. Can be mitigated by cycling on the bus lane white line but this will more often than not confuse and annoy taxi drivers. Verdict: needs relaid, nothing can save this mini Beiruit.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    5. Upper Thames St
    6. Constitution hill (rough surface. westbound, towards HPC)
    7. Bayswater rd
    8. Chiswell street

    Chiswell street, near liverpool street... honestly one of the worst city streets I've ever had the displeasure of cycling on. Fortunately I don't have to do so twice a day any more...
  • Eau Rouge
    Eau Rouge Posts: 1,118
    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    5. Upper Thames St
    6. Constitution hill (rough surface. westbound, towards HPC)
    7. Bayswater rd
    8. Chiswell street


    Not London
    1. B3055 from Brockenhust to Beaulieu in the New Forest

    I could not believe how bad chip-seal could be. The Belgians think their cobbled hills are bad, they haven't seen anything...
  • PBo
    PBo Posts: 2,493
    Eau Rouge wrote:
    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    5. Upper Thames St
    6. Constitution hill (rough surface. westbound, towards HPC)
    7. Bayswater rd
    8. Chiswell street


    Not London
    1. B3055 from Brockenhust to Beaulieu in the New Forest

    I could not believe how bad chip-seal could be. The Belgians think their cobbled hills are bad, they haven't seen anything...

    Sheffield
    1. Every bl**dy road I coomute on. talk about "The hell of the north!!" (and I commmuted for years in London.). Secondary is just not an option due to rutted, cracked, rough surfaces


    OK, a bit of a silly response - feel free to edit it out of the proper list....

    PBo
  • sicknote
    sicknote Posts: 901
    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    5. Upper Thames St
    6. Constitution hill (rough surface. westbound, towards HPC)
    7. Bayswater rd
    8. Chiswell street
    9. Markhouse rd E17

    It has a cycle path ( if you can call it that ), that for a good part of it is not in anyway flat and is just about 19''/480mm wide.
    Not good to use at all.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    tardie wrote:
    Just give me enough for the Halo Skewers! I'll cut the grass no problems!

    Sorry, son; no pocket money for you this week. I'm sorting myself out with new tyres. :D
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    You know you can report these to: http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ mind you I don't know how much good it will do.
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Ha ha - just posted that on Bhima's thread. :)

    Unfortunately, some of the roads can only be improved through complete re-surfacing because they're in such an appalling.state. :?
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    IN my limited experience, that fillahole website is quite effective. It provides a record of reported problems so local authorities risk being sued if they don't act on the reports. Now the quality of the repairs that appeared two days after I had finally got round to submitting a report were questionable but better than the original chasm...

    TBH, your time would be much better spent on the fillahole site than this thread

    J
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    I came on here to mention High Holborn - it's appalling. But it looks to me like the poor state High Holborn is to some extent a result of all the very poor patch repairs the road has had for years.

    Where I used to live in Camberwell - on a road that was half in Lambeth and half in Southwark - the road, already in a poor state when I moved there, had nothing but patch repairs for nearly ten years. Those patch repairs did not last long - months, not years, and of course only the worse ones got done. They were never completely level, and ended up distorting the road surface, creating bumps as well as holes.

    This patch system just doesn't work - especially as local authorities do the cheapest crappiest repair possible.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    The patching method is exactly what's wrong with Chiswell street - looks like a bl00dy quilt.
  • st199ml
    st199ml Posts: 63
    Bromley Road just past the Catford Gyratory is appalling.

    http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=53 ... 73321&lm=0
  • Roastie
    Roastie Posts: 1,968
    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    5. Upper Thames St
    6. Constitution hill (rough surface. westbound, towards HPC)
    7. Bayswater rd
    8. Chiswell street
    9. Markhouse rd E17
    10. Borough High Street
  • Porgy wrote:
    Where I used to live in Camberwell - on a road that was half in Lambeth and half in Southwark - the road, already in a poor state when I moved there, had nothing but patch repairs for nearly ten years.

    If you're talking about Camberwell Church Street / Peckham Road - this has been gloriously resurfaced now and is amongst the most enjoyable stretches on my commute as a result....

    However, Lyndhurst Way, in Peckham is a total disaster (yer fiyerd), the worst bit of my commute where I have already had a puncture and another mechanical failure in a few short weeks. :evil:
  • Roastiecp wrote:
    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    5. Upper Thames St
    6. Constitution hill (rough surface. westbound, towards HPC)
    7. Bayswater rd
    8. Chiswell street
    9. Markhouse rd E17
    10. Borough High Street

    +1 for Borough High Street. Fillthathole isn't the right website - is there one called "resurface the whole stretch of road"?

    And Bermondsey Street is pretty ropey as well. Utility companies are the culprits here. :evil:
    Never be tempted to race against a Barclays Cycle Hire bike. If you do, there are only two outcomes. Of these, by far the better is that you now have the scalp of a Boris Bike.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    London

    1. Cannon Street
    2. New King's Road
    3. Putney Bridge
    4. Mortlake High Street
    5. Upper Thames St
    6. Constitution hill (rough surface. westbound, towards HPC)
    7. Bayswater rd
    8. Chiswell street
    9. Markhouse rd E17
    10. Borough High Street
    11. Priory Lane, Roehampton

    I remembered as I bumped along there this morning. Heading in the direction of the Park is even worse.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Those are the worst roads? Are you sure? There are some absolute killers - Goldhawk Road, for example - that make King's Road look like an ice rink. And most of London between Wandsworth and Catford resembled a concreted Somme.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Well add them then! :)
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    edited May 2009
    Porgy wrote:
    Where I used to live in Camberwell - on a road that was half in Lambeth and half in Southwark - the road, already in a poor state when I moved there, had nothing but patch repairs for nearly ten years.

    If you're talking about Camberwell Church Street / Peckham Road - this has been gloriously resurfaced now and is amongst the most enjoyable stretches on my commute as a result....

    However, Lyndhurst Way, in Peckham is a total disaster (yer fiyerd), the worst bit of my commute where I have already had a puncture and another mechanical failure in a few short weeks. :evil:

    No - I mean some of the roads around Myatts Field Park - the northern side.