City in a hole lot of trouble
AN “unprecedented” spike in the number of potholes on Gold Coast roads is causing major damage to vehicles and headaches for motorists.
Roads riddled with potholes are fast becoming tyre graveyards, and the problem will only worsen as the La Nina weather event continues to dump record-level rainfall.
Gold Coast City Council said there had been an “unprecedented” number of potholes reported across the city since October last year.
“In that time we have attended more than 4100 sites for pothole repairs – in many cases several potholes were repaired at these sites,” a council spokeswoman said.
“This is about 1000 more than for the same period in the previous year and is a citywide issue.”
The council has seven crews dedicated to filling potholes seven days a week across its 3200km road network.
But the unrelenting rainfall has hampered efforts to fix the
problem. In some cases, repaired potholes were damaged again within days.
“The continued weather has posed challenges with the repair work not able to settle before the severe weather has returned,” the council spokeswoman said.
Bulletin readers and Gold Coast residents have given their feedback on the worst roads for potholes across the city.
They included Tamborine Mountain Rd, Worongary Rd, Canungra-nerang Rd, Olsen Ave, Ormeau Ridge Rd, Old
Coach Rd, Thrower Dr and Edmund Rice Dr.
RACQ spokesman Andrew Kirk said drivers should always stop in a safe location after they have hit a pothole to check wheels and tyres for signs of damage.
“If the tyre is damaged in any way, or if there are any bulges or gouges, replace it with the spare tyre,” Mr Kirk said.
“If there is no visible damage, you can drive the vehicle but check if there’s any abnormal noise or the steering pulling sideways. If you do notice any abnormalities, arrange to have the vehicle towed to a repairer.
“If everything seems OK continue on your trip and have the vehicle checked by a mechanic when convenient.”
He said the most commonly reported damage from potholes were damaged wheels and tyres, as well as unbalanced wheel alignment.
Anyone who spots a pothole should report it to the council via phone, website or the app.