Another ‘Carbreaker’ pothole joins the Salisbury Road Slalom Course…….

Driving up or down Salisbury Road, particularly between the Cherry Orchard junction and the old Railway Bridge near to the Tesco roundabout few drivers follow a straight course. Many observing might assume that these drivers were either drunk or in some other way incapacitated. They ain’t. Their ‘slalomings’ are attempts to spare their vehicles from damage – to wheels, tyres, suspension and possibly more as this stretch is a real ‘Pothole Alley’ and yet another new hole has made this even more acute.

Car damage is expensive to repair and no guarantee that Wiltshire Council will pick up the bill, for which in many cases they will be (in)directly responsible. Not actually their teams leaving the road in that state, but not ensuring that the contractors / utilities make good.

Wiltshire Council have recently been trumpeting about how they have dealt with potholes. How good they were (are?). Obviously none of their officers or officials have driven along this stretch of Salisbury Road.

This bit of road has been almost a ‘training ground’ for the diggers across the past year or so. The standard of the surface that drivers now face is so poor that it could only have been a ‘training’ area as no experienced or knowledgeable road worker would leave it like that. Trenches, holes and more have been dug and (supposedly) filled into the standard that they were originally. Utilities, Giga Cos. etc., they’ve all left their mark(s). Some are just where the ground under the patched road has subsided. Where insufficient ballast was put back in. And others where an inspection cover or piece of metalwork has sunk. All pretty basic stuff……

The question is – what is Wiltshire Council doing about it? And also, what is the Town Council doing about it? More, we hope, than ‘we’ll write to Wiltshire Council’ as was their public response to the question about what they would do regarding the recent Thames Water traffic gridlock of the last weekend (Sunday 11 January).

The ‘Slalom Course’ also isn’t just related to the road. Pavements along the same stretch as well with three large holes (albeit fenced) now present, which means that anyone trying to navigate this pavement must walk on to the road. Prams, pushchairs, mobility scooters….. How does anyone navigate this stretch of pavement in safety? And this is on what is probably one of the country’s main North-South trunk routes (particularly for HGVs), although no-one in authority will recognise it as such.

So a nightmare slalom course for all – vehicle drivers, pedestrians, pram/buggy pushers, mobility scooter pilots – everyone…. All members of Marlborough’s ‘Salisbury Road Slalom Team’.