We supposedly live in a rich and affluent region called the Byron Shire.
If you are visiting from outside the region, the first thing you might notice is a loud bang coming from your car’s suspension.
With the ongoing poor road management, and now disrupting roadworks on the road leading into Mullumbimby, you’d think the Shire has slipped into the Third World.
Even the streets in the millionaires’ paradise, Wategos, are diabolical.
I have travelled extensively throughout the developing world and never witnessed roads and mismanagement as in this region.
The roads of the Shire resemble a lunar landscape. You can’t blame the high rainfall and sub-soil structure.
Look at the Netherlands – it is pretty much built on reclaimed land. There, roads aren’t full of potholes. Maybe we need to contract some Dutch engineers to solve the problems effecting this region.
The purposed four-month closure of Mullumbimby Road is definitely a backwards idea, especially in a First World country. The loss of revenue, and the inconvenience that will be put on Mullum’s local residents, businesses, hospitality industry, schools, delivery services and visitors is massive.
I know staying on budget, penalty rates, weather and logistics all play a key role.
Before starting the roadworks project, Council should have set a higher contribution rate – that the developer on McAuleys Lane would have to pay.
So then in the budget nighttime work could take place and free or supplemented public transport could commute on alternative roads between Brunswick and Byron to reach Mullumbimby. After the Mullumbimby Road works are finished, I wonder how long it will take before the first pothole appears?
In South East Qld you can travel on public transport for 50 cents. In Victoria, you can travel anywhere in the state for a flat rate of $10.
In the country of Luxembourg you can travel anywhere for free.
Maybe in the end if there are no improvement we will all have to resort to walking on foot or riding a horse.
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. 
