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)on't blame :he heavy boys
Page 59
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,CEPTICISM should rightly be ontinually directed towards at assumption in some uarters which blames the state f many of our roads on tã eavier goods vehicles. That ,olated cases of such damage xist cannot be denied, but roof of wholesale deterioration , lacking.
Recently a case was reported the national Press concerning "considerable mistake" in the onstruction of the M5. Transort Minister Norman Fowler isclosed that a five-mile stretch the motorway near Taunton eeded £.2m worth of repairs ve years after the section was )mpleted at a cost of E7m.
Further, Edward du Cann, onservative MP for Taunton, )id the repairs were needed ecause concrete was misikenly used instead of bitumen s an "'economy measure". Jater had seeped under the pncrete slabs, damaging rainage and foundations.
Considerable traffic delays lay well be expected when the )propriate remedial work is uried out. Whilst hoping this is -I isolated case, and without Itroducing sour grapes or )eking to apportion blame in iy way, I do feel that here is ie concrete case (no pun innded) which does point to the ct which many of us have been laking for a long time.
Some of our roads have not en built, and some have not lbsequently been maintained, the standards which modern 3ffic subjects them.
If only more of the tax we 3id over past years had gone Ito proper new roads, we ould be in a far better situation ,day. Despite cries for cuts in Ablic expenditure, I would iggest that it is of paramount iportance that more money is )eedily made available for .gent maintenance work on ir road system.
A half-hearted attempt at patching-up measures will be disastrous in the long term. More of the taxation levied from road users must be used on the roads.
I have nothing against mechanisation. Indeed, it is part of our future prosperity. However, I have noticed on some sections of roads where road surfacing abuts the gutters, that much dislodging of the road surface is taking place. This seems to be the case where mechanical road sweeping machines are used.
The loose material often gets left behind, is subsequently edged into the centre of the road by passing traffic, ahd becomes a positive danger to windscreens. The human roadsweeper might well have gathered up the offending missiles. He might further have reported the problem.
Mechanical sweepers do a grand job. Without them, little sweeping would take place nowadays, but surface edging needs to be properly consolidated in the first place. Room for improvement?
NIGEL BREEZE Southend-on-Sea Essex