Shropshire Star

Cyclist's Bridgnorth pothole plea after friend's broken arm

Damaged roads in Bridgnorth are causing a 'hole' lot of trouble for cyclists, who have ended up with broken arms and battered bikes.

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Cyclist Nick Morris says potholes on Shropshire’s roads are an accident waiting to happen for people travelling on two wheels

Now road racer Nick Morris hopes the state of the roads don't put people off from getting in the saddle in one of the county's most picturesque areas.

One pothole on Stourbridge Road caused burst tyres and bent wheels on 20 cars just before Christmas, and lumps of tarmac have been coming up off roads in the town centre including Cartway and the A442 on the way to Quatford due to what appears to be blocked drains.

Friends of Nick have been involved in bad cycling crashes on local roads, and he believes it's time for the highways to be sorted out properly.

He said: "There have been a few lads who have come off on the roads around here. There was one who hit one in front of him and broke his arm. Then two people went into the back of him.

"The state of the roads is pretty horrific really. It's pretty easy to get punctures and broken wheels. There's potholes and broken tarmac in a lot of places.

"We kind of know the roads around here so know where most of the bad areas are. But we do still have to point them out to each other.

"Riding at night now is a no-no because you just can't see them. And they're not ones that you can just hit and get away with it.

"They're not just going to puncture your tyre or break your wheel, you're going to come off."

He added: "The Highley road is bad, and on the way to Corvedale. The Kidderminster road before you get to Quatt is another one, there are a couple on the left hand side.

"If you hit that it would probably trash a car, let alone a bike.

"The Stourbridge road is still bad. They did fill some of it in after a load of cars hit it but there's still broken tarmac."

Nick is concerned that potentially expensive repair bills and the possibility of sustaining nasty injuries could put riders off from using the town's roads and either hanging up their helmets or going riding elsewhere.

"It's expensive when you do damage your bike," said Nick. "The days of being able to pick up a decent bike for a couple of hundred quid seem to have gone, and it can be expensive to replace parts.

"The thing is it stops people wanting to go out on their bikes. I know people that have just stopped riding because of the state of the roads and the British traffic."

Shropshire Council has been contacted for a comment. Councillor Steve Davenport, cabinet member for highways, said in December that the council is "struggling with the budget but will do what we can.”