Rapid Response Team takes Committee Chair on the road

On Tuesday 1 July 2003, County Councillor Ian Stewart, Chair of South Lakes Local Committee, hits the road with one of the County’s highways Response Teams to experience a typical day repairing and maintaining South Lakeland’s roads. Ian joins the team at 9.00 am at Storth Road / Coast Road, Storth.

The County’s highways Response Teams deal with the largest network of roads and gullies in the county and this included the largest unsurfaced unclassified roads (2185 km) plus over 30000 gullies/drains. County Councillor Ian Stewart says,

“I am spending time with the Response Team to get a clearer picture of the work they do and the type of problems they deal with on a daily basis. The Response Teams deal quickly with emergency faults reported to them by the public and act as an `emergency service’ for road repair. There are two teams operating in South Lakeland with areas split into ‘safety inspection zones’. The teams undertake fault repair work, carried out as a result of routine inspection of specific areas, and more urgent work requested through the Highways Hot line. The Hotline is a freephone number enabling members of the public to report Highways problems.

The teams also work on kerbing, edging and channels; standing water, debris and obstruction cleaning; traffic signs; cutting back vegetation saplings and overgrown hedges on rural verges and damaged or dangerous structures including overhead wires. They also attend accidents to clear debris and I’m sure my time with the Response Team will be extremely varied and interesting. I am looking forward to working with the team, seeing the work through from hot line reporting by a member of the public to emergency repairs by the team.”

Anyone wishing to report a road maintenance issue can contact the Highways Hotline on 0845 609 6609