I have said it before, and I'll very likely say it again - our verges have never been better kept than since Hughie was given the contract to maintain them. He also does things like the playpark and the graveyards, and he does them with care and pride.
However, if things continue as they are, he'll not have much in the way of grass verges to strim, as they'll all have been reduced to ploughed fields by the large vehicles which seem to have trouble staying on the tarmac. A few years ago we had a couple of road men, employed by Highland Council, who lived and worked locally and who, like Hughie, used to take a pride in their patch: they would give drivers a terrible telling-off if they found one straying from the hard surface.
The previous picture was take just past Glasbheinn Cottages on the road out of Kilchoan. This was taken just this side of them, where a large vehicle has managed to dig a ditch two feet deep ready to trap small cars and anyone tottering home after an evening at the pub.
How we wish that Hughie's contract included the roadsides along Ormsaigbeg, but he only does those sections within the 40mph limits. This corner, on the way up to the campsite, is almost blind, and shows signs of someone having to brake hard. Perhaps the day will come when all road maintenance will be devolved to the Community Council, and we, as a community, will decide for ourselves how we want the sums deployed.
On a more cheerful note, it was reported at the recent Community Council meeting that the Highland Council road team at Strontian, who do their best with their limited time and resources, are now good at filling potholes that are reported to them. This can be done through the Highland Council website,
here.
Jim comments, "I would just like to say that the problems are not totally down to large vehicles although they do give the instant scar or hole which a small car can easily disappear into.
ReplyDelete"There is a more insidious culprit in the driver who refuses to use the passing places provided. Instead of reversing (very few can) he/she pulls over onto the verge and expects you to do the same in order to pass. This is a very dangerous practice because there might just be a hole in the long grass left by a large vehicle. Not only that, it also, slowly, destroys the verge itself.
"I now refuse to pull onto the verge and depending on who is closest to a passing place and how I'm feeling on the day will either sit and wave him/her back or more commonly, reverse to a passing place and wave him/her through.
"But it's always me who gets the funny look. Why did I reverse all the way back when there was obviously plenty of room to pass if I'd only pulled onto the verge ???"
On behalf of Google, my apologies to Jim who was unable to post his comment, but many thanks to him for sending it to me instead.
I am with Jim on this. Too many car drivers think me and my 4wd should automatically go on to the verge because they are too lazy/stupid/unable to find reverse gear. I usually just reverse as it is quicker than waiting for them but not when they are two yards past the passing place. That is when I get the strange looks as I wave them back and refuse to go off the black stuff. Been stuck too many times and had damage in the past.
ReplyDelete