Up here in the valleys behind Mullum, in Wilsons Creek, Huonbrook and Wanganui, we are obliged to drive a slalom course around ever-increasing potholes every time we go out in the car.
It takes months for our over-worked Byron Council to get around to filling the holes with hot-mix.
The trouble is, avoiding potholes means we have to meander all over the road and when we meet a vehicle doing the same thing coming the other way, there are some really close calls.
On top of this there is a deadly cocktail of speed, kids, trucks, joggers, stoners, school buses, distraction, dementia, booze and dizzy sunday drivers.
So it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed or badly injured.
I understand there are public liability insurance issues around non-council people filling the potholes. So, maybe a solution would be to allow local contractors who live up these valleys to fill the potholes with a temporary hot-mix (circled with yellow paint) until the council gets around to doing it to spec.
This would be a better solution than leaving them open, like time-bombs waiting for accidents to happen.
Michael Balsom, Upper Wilsons Creek
