THE recent inquest into the death of a man on the Oallen Ford Road last October has brought the whole issue of road maintenance on the Oallen Ford Road into the spotlight again.
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And road users have recently taken to social media to alert other motorists about a series of potholes on a 14km stretch of the road between the Oallen Ford Bridge and the turnoff to Main Road 92.
Even with constant inspection and patch-up maintenance to these potholes, it appears councils are fighting a hard battle to maintain the road due to the increasing traffic on it.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and Works and Utilities director Gordon Cunningham has said “rain is public enemy number one” to these roads and increasing traffic is also churning up the road base.
Even moderate rain can cause potholes to appear almost overnight on this road – “they spring up like mushrooms,” he said.
But the real reason the 50-year-old road base is failing is due to the increased traffic, particular from heavy vehicles, that are using this route since the completion of the new Oallen Ford Bridge and the sealing of the Nerriga Road.
“It is an old tired road and we are always going to have problems with it under the current funding regime. That said – we are in the business of keeping people safe.”
Until a new road is built out there it seems that constant vigilance and inspection of it will be required, especially after rain. In the meantime, motorists taking to social media to alert others to potentially dangerous potholes in the road is a good warning signal – just like the old bush telegraph.
Rare orchids being saved
IT is great to see that the beautiful and endangered Buttercup Doubletail Orchid (Diuris aequalis) is being protected by dedicated ecologists from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH).
Mt Rae environmental activist Mark Selmes, aka Cranky Koala, has been monitoring the rare orchid population out there in his forest home for over a decade and is assisting the Save our Species campaign.
The scientists say they don’t need much change in land management practice once they are found, even the installation of small wire cages to stop stock grazing them can go a long way to protecting this species for future generations to admire.
Further education of landholders and smart planning by relevant decision makers may help save this species.
