Dismay at Cambridge pothole repair job that is a ‘hazard to cyclists’

A “badly-done” temporary pothole repair in Mill Road in Cambridge is now a “significant hazard” for cyclists and vehicles, say users.

The road surface on a three-metre section of carriageway close to the junction of Coleridge Road has deformed, leaving it raised and bumpy.

Highways authority Cambridgeshire County Council says the repair is temporary and a permanent fix will take place later in the financial year.

The damage was first reported to the authority in October last year, according to the council’s highway reporting tool.

At that time the fault, which is close to 219 Mill Road, was described as being above the height of the pavement and around 15cm above the road surface.

“Massive deformation of the tarmac next to the north side pavement,” it was reported.

The damage was then reported twice in February, with people reporting that it was a hazard for cyclists approaching the traffic lights and was now affecting a stretch of around three metres.

“Huge curved deformation of road,” one person then wrote in May, adding: “Unbelievably this is a badly-done repair which is itself now a significant hazard.”

Also in May, another user wrote: “The massive linear deformation in the carriageway has re-appeared. The work done to fix it clearly did not fix the underlying issue which appears to be roots or pipe damage.”

The damage section is also missing double yellow lines.

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “This is a temporary repair until we do a larger, permanent repair later this financial year.

“In the meantime, our highways team will visit the area to inspect the work and assess what needs to be completed in the short term until the larger project gets under way.”