Widow of pothole death cyclist to sue council

I take a pic of bad potholes on my phone, the ones that are in line with cyclists at least and then report them. If they are dangerous enough to unsaddle a rider on a carriageway they are dangerous enough to kill.

When I report them I always add the comment "likely to unsaddle a rider into the path of moving traffic." They get fixed pretty quickly where I live, although the roads nationally are terrible. The repairs I've seen carried out I think a 10 year old could do with a seaside bucket and spade...

Errr …….. the process for obtaining compensation for her loss is through a civil action against the NY council. Why is this such a surprise to people on here? Are people stupid? The council aren't suddenly going to dip into their back pockets unless a claim is made. It is that simple. People don't seem to be able to grasp this. I hope she gets millions, she should if her hubby had a good job with excellent benefits which obviously has been lost as he was killed by the council's negligence and incompetence.
She needs a good solicitor though who will get as much out of the Council as possible for her and her family. Good luck to her.

We can but hope that Kate Uzzell's litigation is successful and that NYCC have to pay substantial damages (Yes! I am aware that the councils money comes from local rate-payers).

Maybe other councils will then take note and decide that it may be cheaper to repair the roads than wait to be sued.

“Our sympathies remain with the family of Martyn Uzzell following his tragic fatal accident.”

It wasn't an accident, it looks like the multiple failings of a local authority !

I'd have to agree with litigation. Unfortunately you can sign petitions all week long but they are ignored, especially when it concerns tax dodging red light jumping lycra louts like us whom it seems all need to work harder so we can afford cars...groan.

Money talks, reality of the world. Ask and you'll get nowhere, sue and they can't ignore you. If enough sue we'll strangely find that road safety is bumped up the agenda, not because it's getting expensive of course, but because the authorities care about your well being

i will mention that a bad surface is not just a risk for the cyclist but also results in drivers paying attention to the road surface rather than their surroundings. So the drivers are more of a risk

As long ago as 2007 I was writing to Edinburgh council trying to explain to them how dangerous some of the roads around here were becoming to cyclists, and that it was only a matter of time before someone lost their life because of them. Well it has happened; not here in Edinburgh, but it has happened.

I'd echo other comments made on this and the earlier story, to the effect that I think councils really don't understand that a road surface considered "passable" for vehicles with 4+ wheels, shock absorbers and large, comparatively low pressure tyres, is a death trap for cyclists and, to a slightly lesser extent, motorcyclists.

The danger many road surfaces pose is also hugely compounded by the requirement to look out for and avoid the worst bits. When you're constantly dodging potholes and ruts, you are much less aware of other developing hazards.

I saw a picture of the pothole in question on the BBC news last night. Not exactly a pothole as we usually understand it - it looked like someone had very neatly cut out the tarmac for about six inches around a road drain and about six inches straight down. No crumbling or anything like that, just a very neat, sharp edge.

My money's on "unfinished road repairs" rather than the weather and "general wear and tear".

(PS - Mr Uzzell must have been very close the kerb, to hit it, IMO).