A resident of Upper Main Arm, I’m appalled at the attitude of Council’s Director of Infrastructure Services, Phil Holloway, when he says: ‘I’m not making any excuses for the road network, but the same people who are wanting the road fixed are still not driving to the conditions of the road in terms of speed.’
I assure Mr Holloway that myself and my neighbours routinely navigate this shocking excuse for a road at crawl speed, weaving around and through potholes, avoiding precipitous damaged edges, and trying not to hit one another head-on as we meet on barely one-lane stretches.
Where’s his evidence for speeding residents? Does he have a file of speeding tickets issued by law enforcement? Doubtful, because we don’t see Highway Patrol putting their low-slung speedy cars at risk driving around Upper Main Arm.
We do see the occasional idiot, no doubt inflicting damage to their own vehicle, but they are unlikely to be residents.
Despite having reported flood damage to the road, I’ve never heard back from Council. There are no ‘conversations’ and many make-shift repairs have been carried out by despairing residents at their own risk and expense.
Knowing that many valley communities have been badly affected, we have been patient for over a year. But with no funding and no plan, Council has let us down despite taking our rates to pay themselves their nice big salaries.
Victim blaming us for our driving is the last straw.
Shame on you, Mr Holloway.
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. 
