How bin lorries could save Herefordshire from pothole plague

Whatever our differences, everyone in Herefordshire can agree on one thing: the county’s potholes are a major problem, says the Green Party's Ellie Chowns, who is set to go up against Conservative North Herefordshire MP Sir Bill Wiggin at the next general election.

Rutted road surfaces can cause costly damage to cars, endanger cyclists and motorcyclists, and make it harder for wheelchair users and pedestrians to cross the road.

Before a pothole can be fixed, its location first has to be logged. Currently, this first stage is done either by a Balfour Beatty locality steward visually inspecting the road, or by a local resident reporting it online on the council website.

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Main roads are inspected by Balfour Beatty every month, but many rural roads are inspected only once a year. 

But MP candidate Dr Chowns has said the answer to all our road woes could be the council's bin lorries.

Dr Ellie Chowns says bin lorries are the answer to Herefordshire's problems (Image: Ellie Chowns)

“Bin lorries travel pretty much every single mile of our roads, every single week," Dr Chowns said. 

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"Wouldn’t it be brilliant if they were fitted with a camera to scan the road surface and automatically detect, map and report potholes?

“This would mean that all potholes would be reported within one week of appearing – and could be fixed straightaway before getting any worse."

Dr Chowns said she started lobbying the council to try the idea more than a year ago and has asked the current leader to support the idea.

There are examples of this technology already in use, with local authorities in parts of Australia and Sweden using their bin lorries to scan local roads for repairs, Dr Chowns said.

"Using bin lorries to scan the road would save time for everyone by logging them automatically every week. The cameras could also help inform decisions about which roads are a priority for resurfacing – as well as spotting other issues such as drainage problems."