Friday 18 February 2011

Our third world roads...!

Considering the cost of road tax these day are we not entitled to drive on half decent roads? There are holes in the streets of my local town that will damage cars if you drive into them. There are streets where the surface has disintegrated so badly in the bad weather this winter that they require substantial repair. All we are getting are botch jobs when the hole is really serious (you know a couple of guys and a bowl of tarmac).

There appears now to be little appetite to repair the damage caused by the severe weather before Christmas. I know that this will be blamed on the financial situation but I live in a town particularly bedeviled by traffic apparatus. It is clear that for many years the Highway authorities were struggling how to spend their budget so they invested it at our inconvenience.

In my town we got traffic lights, speed ramps, mini roundabouts, bollards every ten yards and parking restrictions. We cannot drive for traffic restrictions. The traffic crawls through and around the town if we are lucky. Mostly it doesn't go anywhere because at every junction there is a restriction.

Last year my wife did a spell of jury service. Every morning I drove her to the railway station and every morning we stopped at the same point while the traffic lights dictated the  traffic crawl. On the Thursday there was no queue and jokingly I quipped, 'The lights must de down'....and they actually were!!  The motorists were so overjoyed that they were being courteous to each other and everyone moved freely. I will never, ever need further proof that traffic lights are unneccesary.

Traffic restrictions cost huge amounts of money. They are unnecessary and expensive and they only serve to ensure that the Highways authorities can rule over you. It is a socialist malaise. They yearn for control. I have a suggestion guys...forget the restrictions and repair the bloody roads. Let the traffic flow! We are all adults and we can make our own decisions. Get off our backs!

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