Earlier this year, when arguing against the proposed merger with Kiama, Shoalhaven City Council said maintaining its expanded road network would become all but impossible. It had been deemed fit for the future, which it would no longer be if the shotgun marriage with its northern neighbour went ahead.
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It won the battle, the wedding was called off, and the time has come to elect a new council.
Ask any motorist and they will tell you that while council might be fit for the future, many of its roads are not. In fact too many of them are not even fit for the present.
Casual conversations with folk across the Shoalhaven bring up the same issue: potholes.
Terara Road, Millbank Road, Hillcrest Avenue, Currarong Road, Main Road, Cambewarra...the list could be endless.
With the opening shots fired in the local government election campaign, shoddy roads are firming to be the hot-button issue, with many frustrated motorists heading to social media to vent their anger. A recurring theme in the barrage of complaint is the suspicion many roads are not properly in the first place. A heap of money is then spent endlessly fixing them up until what was once a smooth surface resembles a rough patchwork quilt of repair jobs.
Ward 1 candidate Graham French, who’s standing with the Shoalhaven Independents, has launched a blitz of videos, among them one deploring the state of local roads. Early in the week Mayor Joanna Gash ridiculed Mr French’s suggestion some council real estate assets such as shops be sold to pay for repairs. She took to Facebook on Thursday, saying council had plans to fix many of the roads he highlighted.
There’s a safety issue here, as well as one of cost to individual motorists, who are forced to fork out for wheel alignments and work on their vehicle’s suspension.
As we count down to the September 10 council election, we’d love to hear from residents about the potholes and roads they want to see fixed.
Elections are always a great opportunity to grab the attention of would-be civic leaders and let them know what needs attention in the immediate neighbourhood.
So when you’re out and about and see roads in a parlous state, let us know. You can send a letter to the editor, an email, comment on our Facebook post about potholes or just pop into our office and tell us about them. Like you, we want to see them fixed.
