Outrage as potholes take over Glasgow
A rise in pothole-related road accidents across Glasgow has sparked demands from campaign groups calling for urgent council action.
A woman and her four children were left shaken as a pothole caused her car to crash into mental railings.
Carly McLean was coming off the Shieldhall roundabout when she went over a pothole which caused her to lose control of her car and crash into metal barriers.
She said: “I felt a thud and a loud bang which threw my steering off to the right. I didn’t have time to think. I put my foot down onto the brake and my car flew into the barriers.”
No one in the car was injured but Mrs McLean had to write the vehicle off.
The crash is one of several recent pothole-related road incidents reported in the city.
Two weeks ago, a large road crater positioned just after the Cumbernauld Road and Alexandra Park Street junction burst several car’s tyres and left multiple road users stranded.
Nicole MacDougall, who was in an affected car, said: “I’ve noticed the roads have been getting a lot worse. I think we were lucky that it didn’t cause a more serious accident. The council need to get it sorted.”
There is a protest organised by the campaign group Potholes Make Glasgow that is set to take place outside the City Chambers on February 24 to pressure the council into taking more substantial action.
Jamie Canavan, 34, Potholes Make Glasgow campaign organiser, said: “Things are pretty bad, there just doesn’t seem to be any sort of progress being made.
“It’s just getting worse and worse because the repair jobs [the council] are doing just aren’t adequate.
“I hope the council will see we’re not putting up with it, we’re actually making a stand to get them to do something and make safer roads in Glasgow.”
Mr Canavan is also the administrator of the Potholes Make Glasgow facebook group which has gained significant traction with 13,000 members joining the page.
A contributor to the Potholes Make Glasgow Facebook page commented: “No one should be terrified to drive their car in this city. It’s absolutely diabolical, Glasgow is sinking into total disrepair.”
Last month, Glasgow City Council announced its commitment to investing £6m towards road surfacing across Glasgow in a bid to reduce potholes and improve road safety.
A spokesperson from the council said: “We always seek to undertake first time permanent repairs wherever possible and we currently have four crews dedicated to repairing potholes on a daily basis.”
Just last month Glasgow was named the “pothole capital” of the UK following analysis by Smart Survey that revealed there is one pothole for every 86th person living in the city.
