Region's third-rate roads are paved in shame: OPINION

REGIONAL roads get a raw deal compared to our cousins in the city and that needs to change.

Signs placed at the southern and northern entrances to Byron Bay making it clear potholes should be fixed. Picture: Samantha Elley

OUR region's roads are a hot topic of conversation at the moment.

The death of cyclist Colin Hadwell last week and his son's extraordinary action in highlighting the role Byron Bay's notorious potholes may have played in it have stirred the debate.

Regional Australia gets a raw deal when it comes to roads.

If you live in the city the roads are (relatively) paved with gold.

In Canberra, even more so, because we wouldn't our politicians to get a bumpy ride to and from the airport and Parliament House, now would we?

Sure, this region has a pretty dual-laned highway bringing millions of tourists our way each year.

Federal and State Government money is used to prop up these main roads, but as soon as you turn off the highway, some cash-strapped council is asked to do the dirty work.

And they simply don't have enough money to fix the problems they have currently have, let alone improve the situation.

It's pretty dire when one family in our region is lamenting the loss of a loved one because of a pothole.

What's the world coming to?

We can send our PM to London and the G20 meeting.

We can expend billions of dollars on new submarines.

We can send millions to deal with humanitarian problems around the globe.

But we can't fix roads in our own backyard?

State and Federal Governments are simply not going nearly enough to help our councils' deal with this issue.