Commuters stuck in soaking conditions as potholes cause chaos on Tiger Brennan Drive
Crews attended 63 roadside rescues in a single day this week after heavy rains opened up large potholes throughout Darwin. LATEST + WATCH THE VIDEO.
Northern Territory
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Automobile Association of the NT crews attended 63 roadside rescues in a single day this week after heavy rains opened up large potholes throughout Darwin.
An AANT spokeswoman told the NT News half of those call-outs were concentrated between 7am and 11am on Tuesday, with 46 occurring in the Darwin City area alone.
“(The call-outs) coincid(ed) with the period of extreme weather and included the deployment of tow trucks based on risk assessment,” she said.
“Despite the adverse conditions, our team worked diligently to ensure the safety and assistance of our customers.”
Despite reports of people being forced to wait for hours for assistance, the spokeswoman said jobs were attended to within about half an hour.
“Our team then followed safety procedures and deemed it too dangerous to change the tyre at the location, opting instead to organise a tow truck (which was agreed by the members) to ensure the driver’s safety before proceeding with the job,” she said.
“AANT offers three different membership levels that include roadside assistance coverage for 12 months, not one-off call-out fees,” she said.
“The pricing is clearly outlined when individuals join our services over the phone, providing them with various membership options tailored to their needs.
“I would like to highlight the significant efforts made by AANT on Tuesday.”
Several large potholes remained on Gardens Road as of Wednesday morning but had been filled by the same time on Thursday.
A spokeswoman for the City of Darwin said the council had been “investigating the pothole on Gardens Roads” and “working hard to resolve the issue” on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, the wet weather makes it challenging to patch potholes, however, we will make the repair as soon as practical,” she said.
‘Bang’: Drivers stranded in rain as potholes cause chaos
Frustrated commuters have been left stuck on the side of the road in sodden conditions after a series of potholes caused havoc for drivers on Tiger Brennan Drive on Tuesday.
The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics closed the inbound lane following a heavy downpour starting at about 7.30am that opened up the veritable crevasses.
“The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics has been made aware of the pothole on Tiger Brennan Drive and closed the lane as soon as we were notified,” a spokeswoman said.
“Contractors are currently on site preparing to undertake repair works to that section of the road.”
Pang Watanato said he had been waiting for almost two hours for assistance after hitting one of the holes, saying “it was all a bit of a blur really”.
Mr Watanato said he hoped his car had not suffered any more serious damage than a flat tyre, but the Automobile Association of the NT had told him it was too dangerous for them to help and had to call a tow truck.
JP Jasminez from Bellamack hit the same pothole on his way to work, a route he takes every day.
He said he usually tries to avoid the potholes but because of the weather it was too hard to see it until it was too late.
He said he didn’t have an AANT membership so was waiting on the roadside to see if any other assistance would arrive but after an hour and a half he decided to fix his own tyre as the tow truck arrived for Mr Watanato.
Meanwhile, Anggi Oktaviani from central Darwin said she was driving down Gardens Rd after dropping her child off at school when she hit another pothole.
“I just didn’t see it, and then bang,” she said.
Ms Oktaviani said she also didn’t have AANT membership so she rang Goodyear to see if they could help.
“I called Goodyear but I would have to wait eight queues before someone can come and help, so I would have to wait about two or three hours,” she said.
She then rang the AANT anyway but said she was told the call-out fee was going to be $360 so she decided to wait for a friend to come and help.
“Luckily this area wasn’t crowded, otherwise I would have (crashed) into someone,” she said.
Ms Oktaviani said she had lived in Darwin for about seven years and travelled on Gardens Road most days on the way to school.
She said the city council should look at addressing the road condition before it rained.
“They know the wet season is coming, they should pay attention to it,” she said.
“This shouldn’t happen to anyone.
“The hole is not a small one, it’s big, there is also no light here, if there is fog or heavy rain we are blinded as drivers.”
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