Let’s give contractors a fair go

Geoff Milner

Opinion

I ATTENDED the Infrastructure Services Committee meeting of the council on Thursday to begin to get my head around one of the most significant issues and significant costs facing ratepayers — roads and footpaths.

Of most interest to me was hearing an update from the two main roading contractors in the district — Downer (Western Network including the city) and Services South East (Northern Road Network or the Coast).

When we talk roads, it is largely gravel roads we are talking about. These gravel roads are the type of roads I grew up on and learned to drive on during my earlier farming life. I can still hear my father saying, “Keep the wheels out of the loose gravel!”

Now I will be honest, the committee meeting was hardly a great place to spend my Thursday afternoon with the sun shining outside. But I recognise the importance of roads to those of us who call the district home and therefore I suffered for those of you who have been frustrated with the roads.

The big ticket for me on the agenda was to hear first-hand from the two contractors on how they intend not only to maintain the conditions of our roads but also improve them.

Having heard from both contracting teams at the meeting, alongside feedback I have been receiving from various residents, I came away from the meeting encouraged and having to give credit where credit is due.

I have been critical in recent times of the performance of Downer and SSE but having heard and seen directly what has been achieved in the eight months since they started the new contracts, I have to commend the management teams and ultimately the men and women out working on our roads.

Give them a big thumbs up when you next see them.

Some of the innovations I heard from the contractors included: a strategic assessment of the city footpath network (Downer) for the first time and a plan to respond to the many issues that have been raised; the Mata triangle and Heatmap (SSE) showing the high priority areas and where work is being undertaken at any given time.

I have feedback from residents on the Coast saying progress is beginning to show. It wasn’t that long ago those of us who drove State Highway 35 used to remember resealing going on on perfectly good stretches of road while areas that actually needed repair were left to get worse!

A significant road metalling programme is planned by both contractors to begin in the new financial year commencing July 1, 2016 — having spent a large part of the contract period undertaking a full assessment of the roading network.

Now I’m not saying that everything is hunky-dory with our roads because it is not. What I am suggesting is, let’s get in behind these two contractors and give them some space to show us what they can do. Let’s not work against them and let’s reassess their performance come June 30, 2017 and hold them to account.

Now I drive mostly around the city and am frustrated at the state of our footpaths and the terrible state of our main street from the Derby Street roundabout to Roebuck Road roundabout by way of example. Much of the damage to this infrastructure has been caused by utility providers (power and telecoms) or drainage teams, leading to patchwork.

Perhaps what is needed is that whichever utility provider digs up a path or a road, they should reinstate the entire path or road at their cost and not the ratepayers’!