Roads and other challenges

Topics of conversation in Highland are often based around three topics – the weather, Calmac, and the roads. Roads are the classic subject that so many people have raised as a priority for years. While I’ve been out canvasing, the subject of roads has taken to a whole new level.

We are all aware of the potholes. From the little ones that are emerging to the ones that are all the way down to the shore stone base. I spoke to one retired roads worker on Skye that told me a story of one a time they were sent here to Raasay. They were here for another job but told to take over a tub of tarmac to fill in some pot holes. They did their main job, stopped at the first pothole along the road, poured in all the tarmac they’d taken, and it did not even fill half of the hole.

Technically, someone was over and was working on the roads. Which is fine if someone is asked when work was last done. But the real impact of that effort, ignoring the cost of coming over on the ferry, is minimal. As he said to me, “we couldn’t win”.

Sending road workers to fill potholes might work in the short-term, especially if they are properly filled. What is often overlooked, or ignored, is the cause. Blocked culverts, overflowing drains, no off-lets. Without investing in maintenance, the potholes come back, some times in only weeks. Worse still, is when the water stays on the road. Water on roads causes accidents.

My solution is simple, we need more roadworkers employed by Highland Council. By working with the previous model that had workers in each community council area, there was much better communication, responsiveness to issues – this lowers the costs by bringing the work back “in house”. Add to that, all workers should be able to take the initiative to not only fill the pothole but clear the off-lets when noticed, not only as directed by management. Give them the option to fix problems that they know are going to cause significant damage in future. Yes, budgets are tight, but that is the best time to let those doing the work prioritise what needs done.

However, infrastructure is not just the roads. It includes the public toilets, the public transport network, and much more. The state of the roads are just one more obvious symptom of the erosion of our infrastructure that we face. I want to see investment in our amenities – not just the parking. Funding is limited and we need to make the most of it. I will work for long-term improvements where we invest our time and efforts in the right places.

Passing responsibility to community organisations needs to stop. We need to find ways to stop seeing these facilities as liabilities for the council and develop them as the assets that they are. With better toilets, there wouldn’t be the mess being left at the sides of roads. With better public transport, fewer would be relying on cars and then lower the number of vehicles on the roads. With better paths and safer cycle routes, more people can take their time to appreciate where we live. Taking our time to appreciate where we are should not be due to needing to avoid potholes. Stopping to look at the view should not just be when you’ve hit a pot hole, knackered the suspension, and are waiting to be rescued*.

*Yes, that happened to me near Uig – I was annoyed, it looked like a puddle.