The State of our Roads

Well we are back home; over the last few days we have driven over seven hundred miles on everything from motorways to minor roads. We were doing the final clearance of mothers house, so we were driving a medium sized van. This has the advantage that you gain a better view of the road, and the disadvantage that every bump is felt unlike the comforts of a saloon.

What it did was confirm an opinion that I had already formed. Our roads are in an appalling state; there are huge areas of depressions and just some very big holes. This is also the norm, there are some good stretches of road, but the majority is more hole than black top.

What this illustrates is the way that local authority budgets have been cut over the last few years. Central government has effectively devolved cuts to local authorities. Now the impact on our roads is completely obvious, however at the end of day it makes for a more uncomfortable journey, and maybe some mechanical problems.

What worries me is the impact of cuts on the services that we cannot see. So social services is an example, if the impact there is of the same scale as on our highways then this will put people’s lives at risk, and it will hurt the vulnerable. However unlike the holes that have a direct impact, the majority of us do not see the impact of the real cuts.

So next time your car hits a hole in the road remember that these are not the real impact of cuts. So bear this in mind when you next vote!!