Ellen Smith fatality free Friday

Councillor addresses residents’ feedback that local road works tend to deteriorate within months of completion.

Cr Ellen Smith.

Councillor Ellen Smith said she had "complete faith" in Rockhampton's civil operations team when it came to ensuring the quality of local road works.

Speaking during the Fatality Free Friday launch on Gladstone Road, Ms Smith said it was up to drivers to drive to the road conditions.

"A lot of young people get their licences in town then they go driving on unsealed rural roads," she said.

"They don't know how to handle the gravel and they're driving too fast."

Cr Smith said the council spent about $4 million each year upgrading local roads, and she was "grateful" for the duplication works between Gracemere and Yeppen.

"We're aware that there are peak hour problems in Lawrie St near the Gracemere school, and we will spend millions there to ease congestion," she said.

"But people are still taking silly risks; they need to slow down and take care."

Rockhampton road conditions

 

The Morning Bulletin asked the councillor to address residents' feedback that local roadworks were substandard and tended to deteriorate within months of completion.

In May, we asked where was the worst pothole in CQ was, and answers ranged from Quay Lane to the Gracemere swimming pool carpark to "outside Southside Maccas".

"It would be easier to name the roads that aren't sh..," replied another reader.

But Cr Smith put the deterioration down to the increase in driver numbers and the weather.

"Our civil operations team strive for top quality in overseeing the contractors," she said.

"It's just the increase in traffic that's to blame; there's a lot of people coming here to live and work.

"We welcome them with open arms but more people means more peak-hour traffic."

Cr Smith also said that Central Queensland weather conditions played a role in "breaking the roads up quicker".

"We have drought then we have heavy rains and that all takes its toll, especially on the rural roads."

Originally published as Ellen Smith fatality free Friday