Wednesday, March 8, 2006

Can the Routine Road Management Plan work?

The Routine Road Management Plan has now been finalised and adopted by council. It is to be made available on the RCoW website.

"The Routine Road Management Plan defines the targets for the road inspection program, the defect intervention levels and the maintenance target levels of service for Council’s road infrastructure assets.

The Road Management Plan and supporting documents, that includes the Routine Road Maintenance Plan, provides Council with the protection from liability offered by the Road Management Act 2004 by setting standards for inspection, maintenance and construction of Council managed roads. The standards nominated are on the basis of being both reasonable and affordable.

This document details a number of targets for service delivery, with emphasis on safety and maintenance.

It is anticipated that under normal circumstances, the proposed inspection and maintenance regimes will deliver a well maintained road infrastructure network and that the vast majority of maintenance issues are found and rectified before the designated defect intervention levels are reached.

The Routine Road Management Plan addresses the most common road and road infrastructure activities. Other activities do not have designated defect intervention levels, and would be treated on a case by case basis through requests and inspections."


Now, let us look at the reality of unsealed (gravel) roads throughout the municipality.

The major area of concern to roadusers is the safety of roadside vegetation and trees. The plan allows for, "The cyclic maintenance of trees and shrubs within the road reserves (outside of urban areas) to maintain vehicle clearance limits of 4.9m vertically and sight distances at intersections and curves."

The plan does not look at the risk of falling trees and dead branches at all leaving a gaping hole in their emphasis on safety and liability to road users.

The stated level of service is to:
  • Provide safe clearance for large vehicles.
  • Provide sufficient unobstructed view to ensure vision and safe entry to intersections.
  • Provide unobstructed view of regulatory and cautionary signs.
  • Fire Access Roads within Limited Access roads will be maintained to the standard necessary for the passage of a high clearance Country Fire Authority (CFA) fire truck during the ‘Declared Fire Danger Period’.
    This photo shows the cautionary sign at the southern end of Cook's Gap Road almost totally hidden behind trees and scrub.

    You will have to click on the image to enlarge it if you cannot find the black and white arrow sign in the undergrowth.

    It has certainly not been noticed on the prescribed inspections. Now that it has been made public, the plan demands that it be made visible within five days.

    It is one thing for the RCoW to have a defined plan. It is another thing to overcome the long standing problem of the field staff implementing that plan.

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