Roadworthy cars require 'carworthy' roads, not pothole plague

They're the scores of drivers, pulled over on emergency shoulders across the capital and changing tyres punctured by the proliferation of potholes around the city.

While the recent heavy rain is to blame for this increasingly common sight, the ACT government's response to the issue leaves something to be desired.

The government has said it tries to fix "potholes of immediate safety concern" within 48 hours, while City Services Minister Chris Steel said a year ago it took an average of 10 business days to fix potholes.

Put simply, that means drivers are usually required to contend with a potential hazard for two weeks in a territory where the roads are already arguably as unsafe as they have ever been.

With nearly two months of 2022 to go, 18 people have died on ACT roads in the equal second-worst yearly toll of all-time.

And, as magistrate James Stewart noted in a recent decision: "It is clear that aggravated dangerous driving involving offenders and police is becoming more prevalent in this jurisdiction."

The scale of the dangerous driving problem is such that the ACT Legislative Assembly is conducting an inquiry into it.

The last thing drivers in Canberra need as they try to stay safe from criminals fleeing police, speeding in stolen cars and the like is to be dodging scores of potholes and changing tyres on the sides of busy roads.

Aside from safety concerns, potholes also prove costly for those motorists who are unlucky enough to hit one and either wait to receive compensation or have their claims rejected.

New tyres are just another expense on top of the money required to register vehicles and maintain them to a standard at which they are considered roadworthy.

Given the ACT government demands this of individuals, it is surely fair for citizens to insist authorities maintain roads to a standard at which they are "carworthy".

Right now, the territory's roads clearly do not fit that bill.

In fact, they are in the worst shape Canberra Mobile Tyre Service owner Warren White has seen in his 62 years.

"It doesn't matter where you go, there's potholes," he said earlier this month, following a night with so much demand his mechanics were only able to attend two-thirds of the job requests they received.

Driver Sam Taylor, from Denman Prospect, perhaps summed it up best after a pothole on Parkes Way punctured two of his vehicle's tyres in early November.

"It's a bit ridiculous at the moment. It's unsafe dodging potholes everywhere you go. It could lead to more accidents," he said.

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