POLL: Is the pothole problem a national disaster?

For last week’s poll, we took a look at the decline of the good old community hall.

While scout halls, church halls, Apex halls, CWA halls and community centres remain a vital part of regional life, they rarely form part of the planning for new suburban developments.

Not only are they an important place to meet, celebrate and learn, but they can host micro-businesses such as dance classes, yoga and karate.

The question “Should new residential suburbs include community halls and neighbourhood centres?” was met with an overwhelming yes, with 91 per cent of our readers recognising the importance of continued investment in publicly available meeting places.

This week, we’re looking at the increasingly problematic potholes that pepper our roads.

As the wet weather settles in for another season, driving between towns can be a wild ride and take a serious toll on tyres.

The upcoming harvest will see an increased number of heavily laden trucks adding to the traffic and pummelling the already battered blacktop.

Community pages on social media are ablaze with comments from frustrated drivers despairing at the number and sheer size of the potholes appearing in roads across the Riverina as the rain refuses to let up.

When Region Riverina asked, ”Where’s Wagga’s worst pothole?”, the response was overwhelming.

“Wagga is a pothole ATM!” wrote Brad Cummins.

Fiona Belford described a section of Old Narrandera Rd as “Crumpet Way”.

While Su Bazzana suggested that instead of adding “three teaspoons of bitumen” to each pothole, we should look to history: “In Italy they still uncover amazingly solid roads built by the Romans – maybe we need to see how they did it.” (*probably with slaves)

A month ago, the NRMA reported a 45 per cent increase this year in pothole-related callouts, with 26,440 requests for help in July-August.

Last week, Riverina MP Michael McCormack called on the Federal Government to support local councils with a funding boost to repair the damage.

“I have recently driven on many regional roads and spoken to several regional mayors, and they all agree the streets have never been worse – anywhere you go,” he said, adding that councils were already looking to raise rates to solve the problem.

Wagga Wagga City Councillor Richard Foley said it was a national issue and a “monumental problem” in the Riverina.

He warned that a complete upgrade was required rather than the patchwork approach, and asked whether the revenue collected from the fuel excise was being properly spent.

“Every dollar spent, 46 cents of that is supposed to go into a fund for the roads … that would have to be hundreds of billions a year,” Cr Foley said.

“Where is it all going?”

So this week, as we brace for more wet weather, we’re asking whether this growing problem is in fact a national emergency that requires urgent Commonwealth action.