Submission Details

Roading

What do you think we should do?

Alternative option: Keep roading renewals at the current level?

Any other comments on roading renewals:

There is a wide range of potential impacts when road maintenance levels of services are reduced. Reductions in road maintenance is likely to see less vegetation control and street cleaning and a decline in the repair and renewal of road assets including street furniture, footpaths, cycle facilities, carriageways, bridges, kerbs, and berms. In turn, this can lead to wider issues for our communities, which includes: • increased crash rates; • greater wear and tear on vehicles; • increased journey times/reduced journey reliability; • increased noise and vibration for adjacent properties; • increased fuel consumption and emissions; • greater impact of interventions by others (e.g. utility companies); • increased risk of asset failure; • flooding from inadequate drainage; • unsightly street furniture, signage and unkempt vegetation. Timely treatment of assets can keep them in a good state of repair and reduce or delay further degradation. While this incurs earlier costs it can avoid greater costs in the future and therefore, in the longer term, reduce costs to Council. Also, planned programmes of work can allow for more efficient procurement and consequently reduce unit costs. Any assessment of the costs and benefits arising from changes in road maintenance spending needs to take these effects into account. I would support keeping roading renewals at the current level.