Okay, let me tell you about my little adventure with what I’ve started calling the “roger roads” mess near my place. It wasn’t exactly planned, more like stumbled into it out of sheer necessity, you know?
So, it started a few months back. My usual route to work, the one I’ve taken for years, suddenly turned into a disaster zone. We’re talking potholes that could swallow a small dog, faded lines, and signs that seemed put there just to confuse you. At first, I just grumbled, like everyone else. Took different streets, added twenty minutes to my commute. Standard stuff.
But then, one rainy Tuesday, I hit a pothole. Hard. Thought I’d busted my tire right then and there. Pulled over, checked it, seemed okay, but I was fuming. That was the tipping point. Decided I had to actually do something, report it.
My Brilliant Plan: Engage the System
First stop, the council website. Found the ‘Report a Road Issue’ section. Seemed straightforward enough. Filled out the form, pinpointed the location on their little map, described the crater that nearly took out my wheel. Uploaded a picture too. Clicked submit. Got an automated email back almost instantly. Subject: “Issue Received”. Body: basically “Roger that, we got your report. Reference number XYZ. We’ll look into it.” Okay, I thought, progress!
A week went by. Nothing. Two weeks. Still driving the long way round because that pothole, and its buddies, were still having a party on the main road. So, I decided to follow up. Found a number for the roads department. Called them up.
Got put on hold, listened to some truly awful music. Finally, someone picks up. I explain the situation, give my reference number. The person on the other end sounds completely uninterested. Lots of “uh-huh,” “yep,” and the occasional “roger.”
This is where the “roger roads” thing really started in my head.
- Me: “So, has anyone looked at reference XYZ? That pothole is dangerous.”
- Them: “Roger. It’s in the system.”
- Me: “Right, but is there a timeline? When might it get fixed?”
- Them: “Roger. It’s logged for assessment.”
- Me: “Assessment? Can you tell me what that means? Will someone go out there?”
- Them: “Roger.”
It was like talking to a brick wall that had learned one word. Absolutely no useful information. Just confirmation they received the message, but zero commitment or detail. Roger, roger, roger. Thanks for nothing.
Hitting the Pavement (Carefully)
After that call, I figured, okay, maybe they just need more reports. Talked to a few neighbors. Turns out, Sarah down the street reported the same pothole weeks before I did. Dave across the road reported the faded lines. Everyone got the same “Roger, we got it” treatment and then… silence. The roads stayed busted.
I even tried driving down there slowly one Saturday morning, just to take more pictures, maybe document the whole stretch. It wasn’t just one spot; it was a whole series of failures. Cracks everywhere, weeds growing through the tarmac at the edges, a couple of signs bent sideways.
It felt completely hopeless. You try to do the right thing, report a problem that affects everyone, follow their procedures. And you just get sucked into this black hole of “roger” confirmations and zero action. It’s like the system is designed to make you give up.
So yeah, that’s my experience with the roger roads. The potholes are still there, mostly. They did patch one, badly, but ignored the rest. I still take the long way sometimes. It’s frustrating as hell. You just expect things to, you know, work. You report a problem, someone fixes it. But apparently, sometimes all you get is a “roger” and have to learn to live with it. Makes you wonder what exactly you’re paying council tax for, doesn’t it?