While it’s true that potholes can cause damage to cars and look unsightly, they can also be quite damaging to the environment. An infrastructure issue such as this can cause more problems than you imagine, especially if left unattended and allowed to grow over time.
This is why repairing potholes (sooner rather than later) is such an important task. With the best pothole repair contractors able to provide you an affordable quote and get to work right away, there’s no reason to delay!
That said, it’s important to know the exact harm potholes can cause to understand why repair is such a priority. In this post, we’ll discuss how pothole reinstatement can help the environment, by focusing on the damage potholes can cause:
Vehicle Emissions
Vehicles tend to run more smoothly when they’re given smooth, reliable roads to drive on. Engines operate more efficiently, traffic can pass by seamlessly, and motorists can control their cars properly. Potholes encourage drivers to swerve, decelerate and accelerate, and even swerve or hit the brakes without warning. This can increase emissions, especially when multiplied over many cars that use the road over the course of a month.
Road Safety
Of course, potholes can cause drivers to veer off the road or cause traffic incidents, which can sometimes damage the local environment. Road safety helps the environment by keeping the lanes operating efficiently, with no need for obstructions.
Potholes Worsen Over Time
Potholes tend to grow over time as vehicles churn up the hole and break away pieces of the asphalt. This can lead to a larger issue, causing the need for longer, industrial recuperative efforts. It’s good to save your resources by fixing the problem as quickly as possible. The longer a road functions well, the less it has to be repaired and replaced, which itself has an environmental impact.
Water Runoff Is Affected
When potholes are left unattended, they can affect the natural drainage and runoff solutions implemented by private and public infrastructure, causing water pooling, ground soaking and more. If you live in a wet area, this can cause real issues. Sometimes, this pooled water can cause flooding or soil erosion, both of which can impact your natural environment.
Potholes Discourage Cycling
Cyclists tend to dislike riding on unreliable roads as it’s a safety risk. This means those who usually bike to work might decide to drive instead for safety’s sake, and of course, more cars on the road leads to more emissions. It might also mean cars decide to take longer routes to avoid the affected shortcut route, forcing many cars to spend more time on the road. Again, multiply this by the number of drivers on the road that day, and these emissions build up. What may seem like a minor inconvenience can be deeply affecting in various ways.
With this insight, you’ll no doubt see how pothole reinstatement can help the environment. With a reliable contractor and a realistic quote, you can get to work straight away.
