Bury St Edmunds driving instructor shares picture of fresh road markings in Mount Road – but Suffolk Highways says it didn’t do the work

A driving instructor has described fresh road markings on top of repairs as ‘a joke’.

Tim Rice, who runs Tim Rice A.D.I Driving School, shared a picture on social media of repainted road markings on top of repairs on Moreton Hall’s Mount Road – but the area around it, with faded markings, has been left.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk Highways said these works were not completed by Suffolk Highways, but by a utility company.

Residents have been expressing their anger and frustration over the state of Mount Road – and others across the area – with Claire Clements recently describing it as ‘like Mario Kart’. Repairs along the pothole-riddled road were due to take place.

Sharing the photo of the fresh road markings, Mr Rice, a Bury St Edmunds resident, said on Facebook: “This is a joke right? "Repaired" area on Mount Road.

“They have then relaid the road markings but only where the "repair" was...the rest of the road markings have faded. This is getting beyond unbelievable.”

He told SuffolkNews: “That road was closed for a day when that was done. My point was, why didn’t they remark the rest of the road markings? There are actually lanes there that you cannot see that you need to see.”

The Suffolk Highways spokeswoman said utility companies were only required to replace the road markings within the area of their excavation.

She added: “Priority road markings are assessed during routine safety inspections and if maintenance is required, the location will be added to the future works programme.”

More than 80 people reacted to Mr Rice’s post, and comments included: “what would be better is, if they actually filled in all the pot holes, along Mount road. I walked along there today [yesterday], if they did 27 pot holes? There must be another 50.

“There are still pot holes with yellow paint around, why close a road and do half a job? Once again highways, your a Joke.”

Mr Rice, who has been a driving instructor for 18 years, took the picture at Mount Road after the traffic lights up the hill. He says the markings are so faded here you cannot make out the right-hand lane.

Speaking generally, he said he has been getting upset for years over the state of the roads, and has complained numerous times to Suffolk County Council, which runs Suffolk Highways, adding it was a case of ‘neglect’.

Speaking to SuffolkNews, he said: “I’m Suffolk Highways’ nemesis. I don’t want to be telling them they are doing a bad job, but they are doing a really bad job.”

He said compared to Ipswich, the roads in Bury were worse, adding: “Bury St Edmunds is going downhill.”

Mr Rice said the state of the roads made his job as a driving instructor ‘10 times harder’, and he is telling his students where road markings ‘used to be’.

He added: “Pupils will certainly take longer to get to test standard because of the lack of road markings. They are expected to keep out of the potholes on the tests so that makes it harder.”

Phil Robson’s petition calling to ‘Improve and Maintain Suffolk Roads to a Vehicle-Worthy State’ has garnered close to 3,000 signatures.

He said: “How shocking our roads have become. They look like a war zone. All the damage it is causing to our vehicles.

“And why do they do such poor patchwork, often missing out half the potholes on the same road, with many reopening within a few weeks.”