ONE of Oxford’s most high-profile rutted roads needs to be repaired as soon as possible, according to the city's Lord Mayor.
But work to complete the repairs could have to wait as there is major backlog of work which would cost millions of pounds.
Colin Cook, Lord Mayor and Labour city councillor for Jericho and Osney, has highlighted the poor state of the road surface in Becket Street, which links Oxpens Road with Frideswide Square.
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Mr Cook, a keen cyclist, pledged to alert city council officers as the road surface deteriorated over a year ago and has not yet been repaired.
He said: “The county council is the highways authority but it has an arrangement with the city council for the city to look after the repairs for some roads while it takes care of the main routes.
“Becket Street is in urgent need to repair and because of its proximity to the rail station and Frideswide Square it could be one of the first roads visitors get to see.
“But there is a major backlog of road repairs in the city - the last time I looked the backlog of repairs would cost about £30m and we get about £1m a year.”
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Mr Cook said he would lobby for Becket Street to be ‘moved up the priority list’.
But he added: “Becket Street is in a really bad state - drivers have to steer around the pothole outside the entrance to the station car park - but it’s by no means the only road that is badly in need of repair.
“There are potholes in Hythe Bridge Street which make life very difficult for cyclists and need fixing as soon as possible.”
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The city council took over responsibility for potholes in Oxford (via Oxford Direct Services) from Oxfordshire County Council from September 1 last year.
Before September, the city council only had to deal with claims regarding side roads and not major roads.
Despite facing 44 claims since 2013 and widespread anger about the state of the city’s roads during the period, most claimants have not been victorious.
One successful claim, made between October 2013 and September 2014, cost the council £407.86.
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In December Oxford taxi driver Marius Perijoc hit out about having to repair his taxi because of potholes in Oxford and said the work, which cost him around £500, should have been paid for by the council.
City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association secretary Sajad Khan said: “We appreciate that the council has a backlog but the road surface in Becket Street is a nightmare right now and needs fixing urgently.”
City council spokesman Tony Ecclestone said earlier that the council would consider pothole claims from drivers if the correct details were provided.
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