The driving force behind a UK scheme to recruit volunteers to help fix that country’s ‘pothole pandemic’ says interest in the initiative is growing quickly.
Newly elected county councillor, Louise Wainwright, says Devon’s Road Warden Scheme is ‘leading the way’ and other jurisdictions could soon follow.
“Other County Councils in this country have begun asking Devon County Council for their guidelines so that they can consider the same approach,” she said. “Devon is the only county in the country with a Road Warden Scheme … other counties, even other countries, are now looking to Devon’s model to solve their problems … we are ahead of the game.”
And Ms Wainwright told the Grey Nomads that she was surprised to hear that the ‘eyes and ears of Australians’ may soon be on the pothole push.
Councillor Louise Wainwright (above right) has written a pothole handbook (above left) to help 'Road warden' volunteers.
She said she had put a lot of effort into reinvigorating the scheme because she believed there was enough community spirit to make it work.
“It’s a strong partnership,” she said. “County Council fixes the bigger potholes on all roads that are a certain specification … and Road Wardens fix smaller potholes on minor roads where the speed limit is not above 30 miles per hour.
She said the County Council supplied training, third party insurance, materials and equipment … with the idea that small potholes didn’t then become big ones.
Ms Wainwright has produced a 23-page manual offering basic road repair training for volunteers, and says they fix roads with cold-lay and bitumen emulsion (sticker), which she says can be a permanent solution if done properly.
“We have many amazing people in Devon who have already signed up to the Road Warden Scheme,” she said. “They are community heroes … these small but agile armies of volunteers will hold back the deterioration of our country lanes.”
The scheme allows for volunteer road wardens to fix the potholes referred to as ‘non-defect’ potholes, which are generally smaller and have a sloping edge. The sloping edge technically makes the hole is less likely to pose as serious a safety risk as ones with a vertical edge.
Ms Wainwright says it is inevitable given their legal obligations that the county council focusses its limited resources on more serious ‘defect’ potholes, which are inspected and allocated a timetabled repair slot based on a risk matrix.
“Whilst Road Wardens are permitted to repair ‘non-defect’ potholes, they should not repair defect potholes that have been reported as defect potholes,” she said.
The Road Warden does not necessarily physically carry out the works in their community, although they can do so if they wish to and have undertaken the necessary training.
The Road Warden is responsible for coordinating the works that take place. This includes agreeing works with their Neighbourhood Highway Officer, ensuring that a risk assessment of any works is carried out, and ensuring that Devon Country Council’s method statements are followed.
Ms Wainwright says that the training and qualification requirements depend on the work that is planned. Expertise would have to include safety measures on live carriageways, encompassing the likes of signing and lighting.
She says that, aside from the danger that potholes pose to road users, there is also the issue of widespread damage to cars … and that it was high time the problem was properly addressed.
“Being angry about potholes, doesn’t fix them,” said Ms Wainwright. “Understanding why we are in this mess and joining the Road Warden Scheme does!”
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I very much doubt it would work here. A few years back a grazier out along the Stanage Bay road probably one of our worst maintained gravel roads within the Livingstone Shire decided to take matters in his own hands. He got his grader out and graded it and did a great job according to his neighbours. Anyway he was taken to court by the powers at be and got fined.