Omnimoan: Road Conditions

If Thatcher and Major kickstarted the decline, the New Labour government certainly helped it along, and late Labour/early current government slashing council budgets means less rescources to even patch things.

Problem is that "Fundamental rebuilding of the entire road network moving and upgrading the utilities underneath" would be a highly expensive and cucially deeply unsexy national infrastructure project.

In an ideal world, we'd not just carry out such a project, but we'd use it as an opportunity to have the roads redone to modern dutch standards whilst we were going about it... perhaps install better integrated public transport facilities (more trams, better bus facilities) and rid us of level crossings at the same time. Anyone got a few spare £10billions we could use? Maybe mug the likes of Bill Gates?

We are also a slave to a rather ridiculous historical hangover whereby utilities are laid underneath the roadway and not, as in many countries, under the pavement or parallel to the road.
The cost of properly paving our roads doesnt compare to how much it would cost to shift all the utilities from under the roadway.

Roads in the NE have really suffered after the winter. Loads of holes, gravel etc.

Yep, there's nothing that can't be blamed on Thatcher.

In fact the roads really improved under 13 years of Labour, now the Tories are back in,.they've gone bad again

Seriously though, and politics aside, id recommend going to 25 or even 28 tyres if you can fit them on your frame

Potholes are not my main gripe - but poor, broken surfaces are, and wider tyres really help with this.

Also where possible I plan my routes according to surfaces I know are good. Yes it is a bit limiting and you shouldn't have to etc but it's worth it to hear the hum of tyre on smooth tarmac...

Short of that, move to France.

The state of the roads is definitely getting worse, especially with poor maintenance/repairs, the recent pretty harsh winters and general increase in traffic.

The worst thing I find is trying to avoid massive potholes near the side of the road when a motorist is trying to overtake as they either haven't seen or don't care about the pothole, meaning I have to move out when they are not expecting it.

Thatcher.

She deregulated digging up the roads, so that in the UK any one of about a million companies can just turn up and do it, install their fibre optic / water / gas / custard piping whatever, then run away.

In Europe digging up roads is much more tightly controlled, and if one company wants to do it, all the others get in and lay any pipes etc at the same time.

Ever been to Sheffield? The pot holes are occasionally interspersed by poorly made up sections of what may once have been a paved road.

Have you ever used the CTC's Fill That Hole website? You use it to report pot holes and the local authority is obliged to take a look and repair them if they are above a certain size. My local council responds very well to it.

Same here in North East Wales!! Just been up to my home village for a ride and Tai-Nant Road above Rhos and into the top of Penycae is really bad. I only mention as this is on the Etape Cymru route in September, but in general there pot holes and ridges that could ruin you bike and your day everywhere around here not just on the small single tracks but on the main A roads too, We also have to put up with some misguided attempt to traffic calm by the use of rumble strips that can upset the the bike and threaten if you are not aware to put you in the hedge (B5102 the descent to the Ffrwd pub is one example!)

everywhere is that bad. including London (barring the road race route?). certainly around Cambridge you need to be very vigilant for wheel destroyingly horrible pot holes.
They're actually in the midst of resurfacing a major street here (full weekendclosure of half a mile of very busy inner ring road) but they're just planing and surfacing, not digging deep down to sort the fundamental structure of a road that wasn't built to take the pounding it takes, so whilst the tarmac will be nice and smooth for a bit, it will quickly statt to get undulatioms, especially where the buses turn across the road.