Agenda item

This report provides an update on the Council’s approach to tackling potholes.

Councillor Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, Streetscene, and Flooding, alongside Samantha Howell, Director of Highways and Transport, Dave Thomas, Head of Highways Assets & Commissioning, Chris Clark, Head of Local Highways, and Adrian Hampton, Head of Highway Operations, updated the Committee on Wiltshire Council’s approach to tackling potholes.

The significant challenges faced from a weather and resourcing perspective were reiterated and it was stressed that officers had experienced an unprecedented rise in the number of potholes reported. In January 2023 there were over 4,000 potholes reports compared to historic numbers of approximately 700-900. The two ways of identifying potholes were detailed, one of which being the MyWilts app, with officers acknowledging that there was a level of dissatisfaction with the functionality of the platform. As such, Members were encouraged to continue providing feedback in tandem with continued engagement with the public to help inform any necessary improvements to the app. It was confirmed that Milestone were using their own pothole repairing machine know as the Dragon Patcher, but officers were also exploring other machinery such as JCB Pothole Pro. Dedicated additional investment for pothole repairs had been received and so officers were continuing to review these different repair methodologies and emphasised to Members that no one single approach was an appropriate solution to deliver the desired outcomes. As such, officers were working alongside delivery partners in assessing innovative approaches to achieve these objectives.

During the discussion, points included:

·       Issues with MyWilts were raised and Members highlighted the difficulties that members of the public were experiencing when using the app. It was additionally noted that the app would record a case as closed before any repairs had been made and therefore, Members suggested that further signposting or details needed to be provided on information such as the requirements for a defect to receive interventions and how the inspection process worked. Officers informed Members that they were anticipating an update on the progress made in improving the functionality of the platform and confirmed that the team were working hard to integrate MyWilts with the Highway Asset Management System to achieve a higher level of connectivity with and for contractors. Furthermore, officers were committed to addressing the feedback received and were continuing with a communications strategy aimed at helping residents to better understand the process. It was confirmed that alongside proactive inspections of the network, any reported potholes through the app were then inspected by an officer who measured the defect and would ultimately decide on any interventions required and the priority of that defect.

·       Members requested that an officer responsible for MyWilts attend a future meeting to present an update on the progress to date.

·       JCB Pothole Pro was raised, and it was noted that the machine was too wide to use on the narrower roads across the network. Officers reiterated that no one single methodology would be suitable for Wiltshire, however trials were ongoing, and all approaches were being considered.

·       It was confirmed that a number of vehicles were fitted with an automated detection system that recorded the network while driving and allowed officers to compare previous footage and flag new defects. Furthermore, the operative driving the vehicle also had the ability to manually flag defects. Officers were seeking to roll this system out to the wider fleet in the future but noted that further understanding on the full functionality of the system and how best to make use of the data was needed before initiating any further launches.

·       Officers highlighted that the additional investment received would allow officers to undertake further preventative measures for more durable repairs to reduce repeat visits and provide the opportunity to explore more sustainable material systems such as reusing tarmac.

·       Officers noted that sustainable travel, encouraging alternative modes of transport, and the safety of these active travel routes were a priority, but due to the extensive geography of Wiltshire there were times in which carriageway reinstatement and repairing potholes were more difficult, particularly in the more rural areas of the County.

·       Members queried the lack of a Freight Management Plan and noted that road conditions were deteriorating more rapidly due to the increased size of vehicles and road usage in recent years. It was noted that the Local Transport Plan 4, associated with the Wiltshire Council Local Plan, would include a Freight Management Strategy. Furthermore, there was a Freight Management Strategy as part of the Strategic Transport Body which was a collection of Local Authorities that represented the South-West; however, it was confirmed that this would be reviewed and made as robust as possible.

At the conclusion of the discussion, it was:

Resolved:

a)    The Committee noted the contents of the report and the progress and methodologies being pursued to address pothole repairs.

b)    The Committee requested an update on the development of the MyWilts pothole reporting functionality early in the new year.

c)    The Committee requested a further update on tackling potholes in September 2024.