Potholes on Britain’s roads could be much easier to spot in future, thanks to a design idea created by students in Italy.
The initiative was uncovered by road maintenance campaign website, Potholes.co.uk, as it continues its efforts to improve the state of the UK’s roads.
Domenico Diego and Cristina Corradini have designed the “Street Safe Initiative,” which comprises a brightly-coloured layer of asphalt a few inches beneath the surface of the road, which becomes visible when the road surface breaks up, making potholes easier to see and avoid.
The unique design will be trialled later this year in Rho, a small town close to Milan, to determine if the project is viable and cost effective, after which Diego plans to market the product across Europe.
Milan Polytechnic student Diego said: “We have compared the road surface to the human skin - when we are wounded, we start to bleed. So our idea is to put a layer of yellow asphalt beneath the tarmac, which appears and creates a high chromatic contrast that is visible from a distance.
“This way, the potholes are signalled as they appear and road users have enough time to react safely.”
Duncan McClure Fisher, Managing Director of Potholes.co.uk, said: “This is an innovative way to make potholes more visible to road users and to help reduce the damage caused to vehicles. We’re all for pothole solutions that protect the motorist from potential car damage or personal injury, but the solution is not entirely practical and it doesn’t tackle the real issue of preventing potholes in the first place.”
The trial in Italy will help Diego evaluate the cost implications of his design and its production across Europe.
Mike Conway, Managing Director of highway maintenance and construction firm, FM Conway, said: “It’s a novel idea but it’s not the right solution for the UK right now. To make layers of tarmac stick together we use a bituminous coating that acts as a glue and you’d have to go right back to the manufacturing stage and work out how to make it bright yellow.
“We should be looking at how to reduce costs by doing the job right in the first place, rather than creating expensive solutions that only have an effect once the pothole is already there.”
ENDS
Potholes.co.uk offers motorists the chance to report pothole locations, seek advice about claiming compensation and has contact details for councils across England, Scotland and Wales.
Potholes.co.uk has case studies from across the country of people who have suffered damage as a result of potholes. Any media interested should contact Andy Bothwell or Paul Rayner at Performance PR on 0208 541 3434
For further information please contact:
Andy Bothwell
Tel: 0208 5413434
Mob: 07825 703505
E-mail: andyb@performancepr.co.uk
or
Paul Rayner
Tel: 0208 541 3434
Mob: 07929 344082
E-mail: paul@performancepr.co.uk