A close friend shared a terrifying story. She was driving in Mullumbimby, near the park where children play. The road was heavily pitted with large potholes. Her full concentration was on navigating these in order to aim for a semblance of smooth driving.
Without warning, a child ran onto the road directly in front of her car. A tragedy was averted but she claimed that had she not been concentrating on pot holes she would have seen the child before it got to the front of her car.
This story will no doubt resonate with many drivers dealing with pot holes.
Prompted by the above and the growing community concern I wrote to Roads and Maritime Services. I received an unsigned letter. I share their response with the community. The issues I raised in my letter are self explanatory in the latter part of the response from the stated authorities.
The letter is worth reading if one wishes to unpack issues related to line of authority, accountability and duty of care in relation to roads in Byron shire.
Its a ‘Yes Minister’ script.
‘Traffic volumes on Ewingsdale Road, taken from the 2011 West Byron Traffic Study prepared by the developer indicate in 2008 the average daily traffic (ADT) was 15,150. Without the development it is predicted the ADT will increase to 18,820 West Byron development is predicted to increase traffic volume by 1,600 vehicles per day.
Ewingsdale Road is a regional Road under care and control of Byron Council. The NSW Government provided funding to the Council to assist in the maintenance of regional Roads, however, priorities are set by Council. As this is a Council Road they are responsible for considering the issues you have raised in your letter such as pollution, health, safety, climate change and evacuation routes in relation to its existing use as well as any planned development.
As such Roads and Maritime Services has not planned any studies or modelling on Ewingsdale Road, as the West Byron development does not impact on State Roads and Maritime Services does not have the authority to instruct Council or the developer on these matters?’
There seems to be a smudging in relation to fiscal accountability and the legal issue relating of line of authority.
Council gets wads of community money for roads, but ‘priorities are set by council’. How much money does council currently hold for road maintenance? This is community money. It is not a donation to a corporation.
The RMS correspondent advises that council maintains roads and that the RMS funds it. hat they didn’t say was that they and West Byron should fund its upgrade. The road currently is viewed as beyond capacity. The work needed is beyond maintenance.
In relation to community safety the current corporate councll is totally derelict in its duty in relation to roads, community and human safety.
We have heard of councillors climbing sand dunes and lamenting fears of big storms and rising seas and the need to spent money on rocks to save a couple of precarious (in every way) houses.
Have any representatives travelled onsShire roads and considered the likelihood of real tragedy and council accountabillity in relation to unsafe roads? It seems not. That is a side of effect of the corporate mentality. There is no space for duty of care.
Councillors should not be influenced large amounts of money and undemocratic influence. They are elected to use community money in a manner required for community health.
Democracy is corrupted when such corporate imprints have power over the lives of communities. Currently it seems that corporate influence has replaced representation.
But the bottom line is this is community money held by council and as such should be immediately spent on road safety for the community who have paid, and continue to pay their taxes and want to see safety and community health issues upheld and executed.
DJ Faith, Newtown
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
