Canterbury’s pothole pitfall

words by Nicole Muller

A cyclist who lost four teeth after crashing into a pothole has joined a growing list of people condemning the state of Canterbury’s roads as dangerous.

As well as losing his teeth, Rubi Sheffield grazed his face and even came close to being paralysed after being thrown over the handlebars of his bike when it hit a pothole on Saturday. The ambulance was called and upon arriving at the hospital the 61-year-old was advised to remain still to avoid further neck injury.

“It was unbelievable how fast it happened," said Mr Sheffield.

"I was only doing about ten miles an hour at the time. If I had been going faster I would have been paralysed or more likely dead.”

This is just one of the many examples of accidents that have occurred involving a potholes on main roads. Mr. Sheffield commented that when cycling he was often forced to ride through potholes to allow overtaking cars to pass him, but its not just cyclists who are getting frustrated by the situation.

Laura Abbey, 20, lives in Canterbury’s city centre in a street that she describes as “full of potholes”. She said: “ I really dislike driving in Canterbury, and to be honest I avoid it if I can. The road I live on is in such bad condition, I find it shocking that the council has not noticed the extent of it.”

Luckily, she hasn’t experienced an accident nearly as horrific as Mr. Sheffield’s but she does not think it will be long before another incident like this occurs.

“It’s a very busy road and people can drive at quite high speeds down there, so it wouldn’t surprise me if people don’t notice the potholes when their driving,” she adds. “Already, I have managed to damage one of my tires driving over one of them. It’s ridiculous!”

The council is aware of the issue after a rise in complaints concerning potholes in Canterbury was reported. They blame the severe snow and ice conditions of the winter months for the decrepit road surfaces, but with spring on its way many are losing patience with their excuses. Daniel Furr, a freelance writer and blogger, describes the situation as “a truly horrifying, shocking and an utter damnation of Kent County Council”, and it appears that his opinions are growing more popular amongst Canterbury’s occupants.

The KCC have assured us that they are in the process of tackling the problem, but for now its seems we’ll have the play the waiting game until many of the worst affected roads are restored.

If you have any significant road damage to report you can call the KCC report line 08458 247800 or alternatively you can visit their website by clicking HERE.