Edinburgh's roads: Resident says pothole riddled roads are not featured on council's repair list

An Edinburgh resident whose road is included in the council’s new £15 million resurfacing programme says it doesn’t need it – while several roads he cycles on regularly do, but have not made it onto the list.

Trevor Buck, who lives in Glenlockhart Valley, welcomed the extra investment in the Capital’s roads and pavements, but questioned the council’s selection of which roads would benefit. This year’s total funding for roads and infrastructure is £21m, up from £13m last year, with the biggest chunk going on carriageways and footways.

Mr Buck said: “It’s great that the council is spending an extra £8m, but will it be spent well?” He pointed to Temple Park Crescent, which does not feature in the council programme at all. He said he used the road a lot and it was riddled with potholes and “looks like a bomb site”. Similarly, Colinton Road and Polwarth Terrace and Gardens, which he also uses regularly, were in a “shocking” condition but are not scheduled for resurfacing.

A "slightly sunken" drain which bothers no-one is the only issue in Glenlockhart Valley, according to resident Trevor Buck - yet the street is included in the council's road resurfacing programme

In contrast, his own road is in the programme. He said: “We live in a swanky Glenlockhart Valley with about 12 vehicle movements a day but it has been marked up for unnecessary repairs. We just have a slightly sunken drain that doesn’t bother anyone. They should focus on the innumerable potholes around the city which are dangerous to cyclists and damaging to cars. The council could appeal to people like Spokes to make recommendations about which are the most dangerous.”

Mr Buck’s street is due for “carriageway surface treatment” – surface dressing with micro-asphalt, less expensive than full resurfacing, but designed to improve the condition of the carriageway and delay the need for resurfacing or strengthening work.

Transport convener Scott Arthur said: “The 480,00 square metres of roads and footpaths included in our capital programme are based on a scheme of careful prioritisation which uses condition assessment scores, prioritisation criteria and weightings. We target investment in roads based on the level of deterioration and their classification in order to achieve the best possible road condition across the network.

“The latest boost in funding for roads and infrastructure projects means that this year we’ll be able to carry out more improvements than previous years, which will have a real impact on the network. By focusing on preventative and lower-cost treatments like that in Glenlockhart Valley, we’ll be able to improve the conditions while also delaying the need for more expensive resurfacing or strengthening treatments. Cleary the condition of Temple Park Crescent means it is beyond the need for treatment, but I have asked for it to be inspected.

Temple Park Crescent is riddled with potholes and "looks like a bomb site", says Trevor Buck who uses the road regularly - but it does not feature in the council's resurfacing programme

“Despite the massive level of extra funding we have allocated to roads and footpaths this year, I accept that there is more to do if we are to meet the reasonable expectations of residents where road and footpath condition is considered.”