More than a few people are complaining this year about driveways and stretches of road that are virtually impassible this spring.
If anyone thinks snow is the toughest thing to get through, try a foot of mud in April.
After a tough winter with plenty of snow, it only stood to reason we would have an old-fashioned spring. Thankfully the snow dissipated slowly and flooding was kept to a minimum.
“Soft road” signs dot the landscape on our way to work. Although a marvel for people new to Wellington, the spring thaw has gone on for generations. This spring might be more typical of a few decades ago.
In our youth we recall one farm lane on the way to our aunt’s that was so muddy and so treacherous it required a tractor to pull four wheel-drive pickups in and off the road. Back then, times were pretty tough and the notion of pouring thousands of dollars into a good driveway wasn’t in the cards. So they suffered through the seasons.
Expectations today are quite different, as are the economic realities that people simply have to get to work. The option of staying home until the thaw is over is not possible for most, since country people generally have employment off the farm. Smaller, fancier vehicles don’t lend themselves to rural living, so it isn’t unreasonable for the public to be a bit annoyed replacing parts and fixing scrapes from roads that aren’t up to standard.
Folks from Yatton recently approached Mapleton council about their road woes, with the notion of improvements to the base of their road being required. This of course makes the job more costly, but like most projects, doing it right the first time nets benefits in the longer term. Scattering gravel on top and hoping that appeases the travelling public isn’t going to cut it anymore – not that it ever did.
We were mulling over that story and relating that to an additional story from the same council where tenders for gravel were higher than initial budgeted amounts. The extent of increase was confirmed through a contractor friend that showed us how bills have increased some 15% over last year (part of the increase was in the fee per tonne, plus an almost-equal amount in regulatory fees).
This led to a discussion on inflation and the fact that government regulation continues to drive increased costs for the public and government bodies. It isn’t until bills become due that people really begin to grasp the consequences of legislation. Environmental fees sound great, being “green” and all, but all such fees have unintended consequences.
So, as governments tweak the gravel guys with higher assessments, higher taxes and more fees, the public of course has to bear the price. Somebody has to pay.
While various levels of government add on to the costs of doing business, it seems to us it could easily result in less being done – according to the math above, about 15% less, unless more money is allocated.
As spring moves into summer, memories of desperate bids to traverse bogs or of chattering teeth from driving over heaved pavement will fade as road beds settle out. With summer and its distractions, the heat will provide a cool down for councils facing criticism at this time of year.
The point that won’t go away, however, is infrastructure costs money, and far too little emphasis is placed on taking care of this core part of government business.
