Council says majority of roads in ‘good or fair’ condition
‘Large proportion’ of remaining 14 per cent in Kintyre and Campbeltown, suspects councillor
Campbeltown’s Esplanade must be prioritised in Argyll and Bute Council’s roads maintenance programme, a South Kintyre councillor has said, amid news that more than 86 per cent of the authority’s roads are in a “good or fair” condition.
It was revealed to councillors at a meeting of the environment, development and infrastructure committee last week that more than 50 per cent of the 2,000-kilometre roads network maintained by the council is within the “green” or “good condition” band, with 36 per cent amber.
This is the first time in the last eight years that the results of the Annual Status and Options Report have reported more than half the area’s roads network as green; the survey of the roads network takes place annually to provide information about which sections the council should consider for maintenance.
After details of which roads are set for treatment as part of the council’s roads reconstruction capital programme were presented to the committee, Councillor John Armour voiced concerns that the Esplanade road was missing from the list of planned repairs.
He claimed that he and fellow South Kintyre councillor Donald Kelly and former ward councillor Rory Colville had raised the issue of the “appalling” condition of the road for some time.
“I fully appreciate that it might not be in as bad a condition as some other roads mentioned, but it is a main thoroughfare through the town and is one of the first areas visitors will see,” he said.
“This road is in an appalling state, and with it having been highlighted for so long, it should have been taken into consideration.”
Fears were also expressed about the condition of the road through Machrihanish, where the Kilypole timber route is planned for resurfacing and drainage.
“I worry that the road, with constant timber traffic on it, will be damaged and end up with far bigger repairs than required,” said Councillor Armour.
“I agree it is badly in need of repair, but for timber to be extracted that way on a single-track road in the summer, it is not the road to take.”
Jim Smith, the council’s head of roads and amenity services,
responded: “Across the whole of Argyll and Bute, we have a timber extraction plan, setting out a number of routes that have restrictions.
“What it allows is for a management plan to be put in place which will ensure timber is extracted at times of least impact.”
Councillor Armour’s fellow South Kintyre councillors are also members of the environment, development and infrastructure committee.
Of the claim that more than 86 per cent of roads are in “good or fair” condition, Councillor Kelly said: “I suspect a large proportion of the remaining 14 per cent will be in Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands.”
He added: “Yet again, the proposals for the roads reconstruction capital programme were presented to the environment, development and infrastructure committee last week, by-passing all the area committees.
“The area committees should be the first port of call and all elected members must be given the opportunity to feed into the process in terms of putting forward areas of concern regarding road maintenance in their respective areas. For the environment, development and infrastructure committee to rubber stamp this year’s programme of road repairs for South Kintyre without taking into consideration our priority roads, such as the Esplanade, is absolutely disgraceful and totally unacceptable.”
Councillor Tommy Macpherson added: “We are talking about 14 per cent of Argyll’s roads, and we have a blackhole pothole to the sum of £120 million and deepening; that’s a decade of quantified mismanagement.
“It’s absolutely shocking the state of our roads and the mythology used to annually prioritise the spending of taxpayers’ monies.
“If being head of roads is just about doing sums, then most of us qualify to run the department.
“The latest £250,000 purchase of an additional ‘Jetpatcher’ will just about paper over the cracks.”
Valerie Nimmo, convener of Campbeltown Community Council, called for a definition as to what constitutes “good or fair” condition.
“As far as Campbeltown is concerned, there are very few roads and footpaths that could, in our opinion, be classified as in good condition,” she said. “Campbeltown Community Council has constantly brought the state of our roads to the attention of our local councillors and council officers.
“For three years, we have been requesting something be done about the Esplanade with little success.
“We appreciate that Argyll and Bute is a large region with many miles of roads.
“Roads elsewhere may be in good condition but the Campbeltown public will not concur with this claim.”