The system for getting road sings replaced and drains cleared in Gloucestershire is “broken” according to opposition councillors.
Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Hodgkinson asked why Gloucestershire County Council is taking so long to respond to requests from the public to get these “simple things” sorted.
He said it took three years for the council to replace a broken sign in his area and it was eight months before a blocked drain was cleared despite frequent flooding.
“What are you doing to fix the highways system so that it works in a timely and efficient way on behalf of taxpayers?,” councillor Hodgkinson asked.
“It’s the tip of the iceberg. For me, the point is the system isn’t working.
“The system is broken. The inspection process isn’t working there’s stuff that is not happening.
“It’s not just me, it’s other councillors.
“Will you acknowledge that for us and will you look in depth at what is going wrong with the inspection process and the follow which means that things are simply not happening at highways.”
Highways and flood cabinet member Vernon Smith said he would need more information to look into any specific issues councillor Hodgkinson was aware of.
“I’m concerned if you are telling me things are not going forward as they should be in the maintenance system,” he said.
“Obviously you refer to signs, broken drains. If you could put forward to me the details so I can check them out with you and I will chase up all the issues you are highlighting.”
The county council has a risk-based highway safety inspection programme which they say is in place so that the hazardous defects can be repaired in a timely manner.
And highway safety inspectors determine which defects should be repaired.
Councillor Smith said: “With regard to signs, before deciding to erect a new sign or replace existing signs that have been damaged, officers will take into consideration the need to reduce sign clutter and will aim to keep the proliferation of signs to a minimum.
“In most cases only mandatory and safety related signing will be considered for replacement. Maintenance of direction and advisory signs will be limited to the replacement of knock-downs only.
“Regulatory signs will be replaced and maintained across the network as appropriate with the legislative framework.
“If the councillor can supply specific details regarding the location, then an officer can investigate and feedback their findings.
“With regard to drainage, again, each report will be prioritised depending upon the level of risk to either highway safety or property flooding.
“We do carry out cyclical cleansing of gullies, but some issues may be related to the carrier drain rather than the individual gully pot so may need specialist equipment or even excavation.
“If the councillor can supply specific details regarding the location, then an officer can investigate and feedback their findings.”
