Dudley Green candidate claims 'potholes forced his children off their bikes'

A leading figure in Dudley’s Green Party says his children stopped cycling because of the poor state of the region’s roads.

Stephen Price, who is standing for a Dudley Council seat in the local elections, believes potholes are just one problem caused by high volumes of traffic on borough roads.

Mr Price is co-chair of Dudley’s Greens and is fighting the May 7 election in the Norton ward.

He said: “I was a cyclist when I came here but the way the roads are sometimes – that’s potholes at the side of the road – it’s not a great place to cycle.

“My children were both cyclists when we came here but they never get on a bike any more.

“Potholes are not good regardless of the vehicle you are in but we are not managing traffic here – there seems to be no strategy in the long-term to deal with the volume of vehicles moving around; no suitable alternatives.”

Dudley Council says it repaired more than 25,000 square metres of road in 2025 and faced tough conditions at the start of 2026 following prolonged heavy rain.

Speaking in March, Cllr Simon Phipps, Dudley cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, said: “This is a national issue that councils up and down the country are having to deal with, not just here in Dudley, but that hasn’t stopped our team getting out there to carry out repairs.

“They are working in all weathers and even overnight to prioritise and repair the most dangerous potholes.

“We also have a long-term programme to try and improve the overall state of the roads right across the borough that we have put more money into over the last few years, moving away from short-term fixes that were the only thing the council did ten years ago.”

Mr Price said the Greens believe in making walking and cycling more attractive while bigger public transport projects like Midland Metro are delivered.

He said: “One of the problems is the amount of traffic on our roads, I would like to see people having choices about how they move around which means they are not always choosing their cars.

“Investment in public transport is a win win but the problem with these type of projects is they are very slow.

“You need a long-term strategy but there are other ways you can deliver alternatives faster.

“I would love to be able to influence a more layered strategy but where is the money?

“You have got to ask wealthy people to pay more.”