Roads to ruin

Here we are once again at the time of year when we are all dodging potholes in our roads. Potholes are, however, only a small part of the main problem, which is that roads are disintegrating exponentially. Tractors will soon be the required mode of transport.

Trunk roads are maintained to a reasonable standard (with the obvious exception of the A82 between Tarbet and Inverarnan), but spare a thought for we poor souls in rural areas who are forced to use roads which were never properly designed and have only been upgraded from cart tracks.

Over the years they have been widened with no proper road base and inadequate drainage, and are now being used by huge vehicles carryingharvested timber from our forests. These factors, along with the effects of snow and ice, have caused the road edges to dislodge from the main body of the road.

The resultant narrowing of the roads has rendered them dangerous and unfit for purpose. Vehicles are incurring damage to wing mirrors, wheels and springs due to narrow sections.

It comes as no surprise that council expenditure on roads has fallen by 20 per cent since 2011, the only surprise being that they have actually spent anything at all; it certainly hasn’t been spent here in South Ayrshire (even though the Ayrshire Roads Alliance has been voted the most improved service in the country by that august body The Association for Public Sector Excellence). It is only a matter of time before serious accidents occur due to this lack of maintenance of our infrastructure. A serious programme of upgrading has to start very soon and the cost will be billions. We are entitled to roads which are safe to negotiate. RICHARD LYON Portcheek Terrace Kirkmichael, South Ayrshire