Motorist Takes it Upon Themselves to Fix Pothole
A mysterious motorist in Cornwall, England, has taken matters into their own hands by filling a massive pothole in the road with cement. This act of vigilante road repair has sparked both praise and anger among locals and the authorities.
The road, located at Tanhouse Road and Bodmin Hill in Lostwithiel, had been officially closed since the beginning of April due to drainage issues that caused the road surface to deteriorate. Frustrated by the lack of action from the government, an anonymous individual decided to fill the pothole themselves over the first weekend of May, successfully reopening the road temporarily.
However, the joy was short-lived as the Cornwall Council’s road repair company, Cormac, closed the road again since the unauthorized repair work hadn’t been done officially. The council is now searching for the person responsible and criticized the removal of the signs without consent.
Cornwall Highways, responsible for road maintenance, stated that the road was scheduled to remain closed until June 9th for the backlog of pothole repairs to be completed. In a plea to the community, one of the managers for Cornwall Highways said, “If information regarding who carried out the works becomes known in the community, I would be grateful if details could be shared.”
Local councilor Colin Martin sees this incident as a metaphor for the underinvestment in the public sector as a whole. He expressed his concerns, stating, “Over the past two years, the council has reduced the budget for road resurfacing and proactive maintenance. As a result, potholes are appearing across Cornwall faster than they can be fixed.”
This kind of citizen action is not unique. In 2017, a resident of Toronto built a set of park stairs for a community garden for a fraction of the estimated cost given by the city. However, in that scenario, the city reacted differently to the citizen’s intervention.
It’s clear that there is a growing frustration with the pace of official road repairs and the impact it has on communities. While the actions of this Cornwall motorist may have been unauthorized, it highlights the need for timely and effective solutions to address the pothole problem.
