HELLO COUNCIL –
YOU WORK FOR US! (I THOUGHT) 

When will Council do something about lower Cedar Party Road Wingham? 

The section from Hailes Rd. to Youngs Rd is a disgrace! It is a goat track! In fact the dirt portion further on is in better condition than the bitumen and gets fairly regular maintenance. I have been in the area for 5 years, and when I first came, I asked locals how long the road had been bad and their unanimous answer was about 10 years! That’s 15 years of neglect. It is not for nothing that the Taree district has been identified as having the second worst roads in the state.

     It only has to spit, and the road surface deteriorates into a succession of potholes. The Council’s answer is to send a team out with a shovel and some pre-mix – more bumps for the car suspension to cope with! It is completely unacceptable!

     For some reason the Council steadfastly refuses to do anything about it. They have just received road funding, yet Cedar Party Roadd. doesn’t appear on their list of priorities. Yet it is a main by-pass when Wingham Road is blocked, as was the case the other week when a truck accident occurred near Mayo, and when the Comboyne Rd bridge was being constructed.

     I understand Council has also approved expansions to the chicken farm on Cedar Party Road which means more traffic – probably trucks.

     On two occasions crews have been out to repair small sections on the edge of Youngs Road near Linga Longa, which while perhaps needed doing, were nowhere near as bad as Cedar Party Road. 

     So what’s the problem? The Council can spend $6 million or more on the Masters building and a further $18 million plus on refurbishing it to build up their little kingdoms with plush air conditioned offices, while we, the ratepayers who employ them – yes our rates pay their wages and allowances so they are our employees – are left with sub-standard roads. The ineptitude of Council to manage our affairs and provide us with the basic services our (high) rates demand is truly incredible, and they apparently feel they are not accountable.

     Perhaps we should start sending invoices to Council for the wear and tear to the suspension of our vehicles, or all residents of Lower Cedar Party Road and Youngs Road withdraw our rates payments until such time as Council get off their backsides and does something about it!

Brian Adams 

(resident Youngs Rd., Cedar Party, Wingham)