Dear Editor,
In relation to the recently published ‘Thumbs Down’ and subsequent correspondence in Letters to the Editor section in last week’s paper regarding the poor state of Pride of Oak Road, I would like to add a few comments. I agree with both articles, in my opinion Pride of Oak Road and surrounding roads are not properly maintained by Council and, as a result become a safety concern, especially when deterioration between irregular grading is at its worst, and/or in bad weather conditions.
We bought our property in Pride of Oak in 2004 and the roads at that time were graded by Council infrequently. That may have been appropriate back then but I feel should not be considered adequate maintenance today given the current use the roads now get. There are now many residents in Pride of Oak with new builds going up all the time. There are parents with children going to school, there are grandparents with young grandchildren on board using the road, there are visitors to residences, there is a regular mail delivery, there are maintenance services to properties, there are businesses in operation and there are suppliers and tradesmen, all of whom use
the road regularly.
Several months ago I lost traction while driving my vehicle down Pride of Oak Road because of the poor state of the road at that time. I veered off the road as a result as the steering was momentarily pulled from my control. I might add that I am a lady in her mid-60’s with a 46 year clean driving record, having driven daily in both urban and rural areas throughout my driving history.
Alarmed by this incident I decided it was necessary to contact Council to highlight what had happened and to point out the need for them to more effectively maintain the road as a matter of safety. The council representative I spoke to flippantly and dismissively informed me that there were only a few houses in Pride of Oak, so the chance of more maintenance happening was slim, or words to that effect. I disagreed about the number of houses and explained to him that there were now many more council approved dwellings in the Pride of Oak subdivision with increased traffic on the roads as a result. I note the figure in last week’s correspondence was 30+ residences.
Because of the offhand dismissal I received I then corresponded and sent photos to Council hierarchy and involved our local Member. Consequently, I learned the road was to be graded. The road was finally graded a few months ago but already is beginning to disintegrate and sadly will progressively do so until Council, at their discretion, decide to perform more maintenance.
In conclusion, like last week’s writer, I too cannot understand why the problem of the road is ongoing. It seems like a case of out of sight, out of mind, Council living in the past, or of someone having to bring to Council’s attention every time. We live in the farthest corner from Council’s offices in Cowra, perhaps they are hoping we will go away but that can’t happen if the road condition is unmaintained and becomes in a poor state for drivers.
If anyone has an issue with this road surface at any time I would suggest that you make Council aware of it in the interests of safety for all road users.
With kind regards
Elizabeth Kerr
Pride of Oak Estate.