Capital's pothole repair team on the right road with award

Published on Friday 27 November 2009 08:40

IT is hard to believe, but Edinburgh's roads, or at least those who fix them, are award-winning.

Workers who carry out pothole repairs on the Capital's streets have picked up a top public service award, beating off competition from across the UK.

&#149 What do you think of the award for Edinburgh's team of pothole fillers?

Staff won praise for their Right-First-Time project, which helped improve the way the council handled public complaints about winter potholes.

During the pilot project, 140 pothole repairs were carried out every week in the south-west of the city, reducing accident claims by half, down from 148 to 70 in three months.

News of the award was today welcomed by the council's environment leader, but met with derision from motoring groups.

Edinburgh currently faces an 86 million backlog of repairs to fix the city's defective roads and pavements after decades of neglect, and the council is now spending more money than ever before on maintenance.

David Legge, a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, said he found it difficult to accept that Edinburgh had scooped the award.

He said: "I dread to think what the state of the roads are like elsewhere.

"Edinburgh's roads are still full of potholes and you have to be careful when driving around that you don't lose any wheels. Hopefully, after the tram works are finished Edinburgh's roads will be put back together properly."

The council's roads project, which picked up the Frontline Engagement gong at a national public service awards, led to repair times for potholes being cut from 144 to 23 days, while the average response time for cleaning gullies fell from 48 to 17 days.

Radio 2 DJ Jeremy Vine, who hosted the awards ceremony, said: "With full management support, Edinburgh's Right-First-Time project was created by frontline staff to improve their own services to customers and communities.

"As a direct result, Edinburgh has seen vast improvements in their mail and road services, increasing staff morale and development."

Earlier this year the Evening News revealed that more than 2.5 million has been paid out in compensation for Edinburgh's damaged roads and pavements in the last ten years.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the council's environment leader, said: "I would like to congratulate the team for their enthusiasm, teamwork and forward-thinking."