Re your article on potholes in Britain (Broken roads and broken necks: life in pothole Britain, 3 August), having watched substantial portions of the men’s and women’s Tours de France, I was struck by the excellent condition of most of the roads raced on. I gather that it is a matter of local and national pride to have the roads in the best condition, given the international media coverage of the events. So it would be a fairly straightforward matter to address the condition of roads in this country – just offer to stage the tours for a few years, using different routes each time.
Steve Fleming
Claygate, Surrey
• In the narrow streets of Canterbury, potholes can be lethal for a cyclist. Added to this are double yellow lines. Renewed lines often create raised profiles, leaving narrow ruts between them, just wide enough for a bike tyre. When avoiding oncoming traffic, your front wheel is easily trapped in ruts, making it difficult to steer. I’m not drunk, l’m avoiding potholes.
Andy Ashenhurst
Canterbury
• Could we have some thought for pedestrians? This town’s pavements are poorly patched, streets have “dropped kerbs” every few yards, many have steep angles from wall to kerb, and new estates don’t have any pavements. Then there are the cobbled areas, called “ankle breakers”. We walk on the roads instead, potholes or not.
Barbara English
Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire
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