“We are expected to zig-zag through this unnavigable assault course,” says Hannah Sindall about the B2082 to Iden. “I’m angry about the perpetual state of neglect and inadequate repairs.”
Hannah and Clare Pasieka-Bloomfield are cataloguing the potholes that mark the road from Playden to the Kent/Sussex border.
“I have been reporting the state of this road for over two years to East Sussex Highways,” she says. “I take regular (almost weekly) photographs of these fissures, crevasses and potholes risking life and limb in a hi-viz vest. Contractors repair one hole and leave us with gaping holes right next to the one they’ve repaired.”
Her daily journey from Wittersham to Rye confirms her view that places along the B road are forgotten when it comes to road repairs. “Why have other roads which serve Rye been repaired? It connects Tenterden to Rye and serves so many rural communities, but the gaping holes mean not knowing whether I’ll reach Rye or get safely into Kent.”
Both sides of Iden are affected, she says. “The sloped section just as you fork right onto the B2082 toward Iden is horrendous, there has been one particularly deep pothole on the opposite side of the road with two bollards placed in the hole. Going through Iden there is a patchwork of potholes necessitating judicious steering. As you descend to lower levels on the approach to the bridge crossing the River Rother the road has been patched but there are lethal potholes abutting the verges and mid lane. The road surfaces are ‘corrugated’ in places.”
Hannah has started a petition demanding action is taken now. Sophie Toby has started another. Hundreds of people have supported both petitions.
Iden Parish Council has been expressing its concern about the condition of the B2082 for many months. Last year it sent a comprehensive letter to the Head of Highways with photographs, but received a standard reply explaining the resurfacing cost was unaffordable.
Chairman Michael Miller said, “Bearing in mind the considerable anger, the road condition continues to deteriorate, despite regular patching. The Parish Council welcomed the petitions in recent weeks which had tremendous public support.”
East Sussex Highways has confirmed part of the road is scheduled for repair, but it is yet to appear on the schedule of upcoming work.
“We are aware of the condition of some stretches of the B2082 between Playden, Iden and the Kent/Sussex border,” said a spokesperson. “In the past six months we have carried out 49 pothole repairs with two outstanding which are due for completion within the next few days. We plan to resurface the worst affected areas of the road including the 150-metre downhill section of the B2082 closest to the A268 in the new financial year.”
But there’s no news on the section through Iden and towards the Kent border. “We prioritise our repairs based on the size and location of the pothole, among other criteria, and details about when and how we carry out these repairs can be found on our website. To repair every pothole regardless of whether it meets our intervention levels would cost about four times the amount currently spent and would place an even greater burden on council taxpayers.”
That’s not good enough, said Michael Miller, “Whilst at least this small section is being addressed, it is by no means the worst and the campaign for a complete resurfacing or the entire section of this road will continue.”
East Sussex Highways is urging local people to use this online link to report potholes.
Image Credits: Hannah Sindall & Clare Pasieka-Bloomfield , Google Maps/Hannah Sindall & Clare Pasieka-Bloomfield .
The only way the people if Iden will get this fixed is to get in touch with Keith Glazier at ESCC and tell him you are putting your own team together to fix the holes, then you will send him the bill. I did exactly that in Market Street Rye. Tell him he has one week to get contractors on the job or you will start work with your own contractors. It’s all excuses, ineptitude and laziness, call them out and act, moaning on and on will get you nowhere.
If you want some help, let me know.
Yes, I holiday in Rye generally twice yearly, have done for many many decades. I live in Wiltshire, but East Sussex certainly suffers from lack of attention to smaller roads. The government bestow tens, perhaps hundreds, of millions of pounds on schemes abroad, often to countries I’ve scarcely heard of but here we receive short shrift, very short shrift. Thats why there is not enough funds in the UK. The other (big) problem is outsourcing road maintenance to the private sector, but once every council had their own maintenance depot with permanent staff who had for many many decades taken a pride in their work and would check different stretches of road on a regular basis. Rather like my mother, she was a knowledgeable and keen gardener, she would say, “see a weed – pull it” and those teams of Council road menders evaluated stretches of roads daily/weekly and the system worked. Now its all thrown in the air and its completely and utterly broken. The road to Tenterden is unusable especially by my little sportscar with “rubber bands” for tyres, its far too dangerous, and expensive (I’d need an Army vehicle to traverse that road safely). Its a shame as it dictates where I can’t select a B&B to stay, its impacting by creating no go “no travel” routes and the worse it becomes then holidaymakers will simply go elsewhere.
The pothole saga has been going on for Years, this Year as we all know the rainfall has been exceptional. I join the many who are frustrated and annoyed, flat tyres, and car damage.
The detail in the road contract awarded by County, and the process in addressing road issues,e.g. potholes, how big they have to be?, and their depth etc. and how they are dealt with? Is what needs to be addressed.
Would it not be better for local residents to report to their local Parish Council, at the monthly meeting, report the total, with details to the County representative, or County Highways itself.
The existing situation is fragmented, and as has been mentioned you can have one that has been filled, and one next to it left. The process has to be better co-ordinated.
County would benefit, as well as the public.
As I told the Rye Town Meeting recently, last year I had to pay £1,000 for new wheels and tyres for my car after it suffered accumulated damage from potholes in this area. The B2082 is notoriously bad: I’ve seen better roads in developing countries. Apart from vehicle damage, the problem is that people drive defensively to avoid potholes — scanning the road surface — which adds to the road safety risk. Another terrible road is Rye Harbour Road, where the surface has broken up in some parts, exacerbated by numerous HGVs using it. In fact, someone (perhaps an incensed local resident) has painted “This road is s***” on the tarmac surface. Also, the A268 between Playden and Peasmarsh is showing serious signs of damage, with potholes even forming along the centre of the road. Please note that ESCC’s online pothole reporting service apparently does not work properly if you are using the Firefox browser on your computer. I’d urge ESCC to address this issue asap.