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Road Crisis Up Ahead


Davie P
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Can just imagine the headlines, "Council digs up perfectly good road"

 

The roads are not all going to disintigrate at a certain time and date.

 

As for getting oil/gas companies to do it, I doubt it very much. House building can get some of the work done

as well as other developments. No council has the capacity to replace all its roads at once, though, I would guess if they all had to be done over a few years there would be a better saving on a job lot.

 

I wonder where the money could come from?

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VE will do it, eventually....After they've destroyed them carting their trailer loads of oversized, over weight hellery all over the place. Best thing that can happen in my book, its the only way the common (wo)man will ever see a penny of good from the CT funds ever again.

Edited by Ghostrider
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Odd folk should mention some but not all vehicles. In 1976 there were 5,076 cars/light goods vehicles trundling Shetlands roads at a reasonable speed. In 2010 there were 13,340 travelling at greater speeds (according to some). The average weight of a car is about 1.3 tonnes, but the figure includes <3,5T vans and 4x4s which can weigh in at  <3T

As for lorries/agricultural vehicles, in 1976 there were 640 where as in 2010 there were only 288. Mind, these have got heavier, but the load is better distributed and suspensions are far better. There were also 75 less public transport vehicles on the Islands though motorcycles have increased 397 to 503 over the same years. It could be worth noting that public transport (the bus) in 2010 carried 106,000+ passengers, a drop of 11,000 from 2008, and 5,000 from 2009.

 

 

 

All these figures are vehicles were taxed or registered via the DoT.

 

Now, with 140 miles of A road, and some I know are newer than others, there will be some time to work with. I would guess it would be the 224 miles of B & C roads that may cause the headache.

 

It does seem though folk are preferring the car nowadays rather than the bus, even before any budget cuts.

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With the number of cement lorry's hurtling up and down the main A970 from Brindister to Sumburgh it's only a matter of time before the ancient road above Levenwick gives way and then there will be great weeping and wailing as to why the road was never upgraded......

 

Dat dir will!

 

Dey canna send dem aroond da idder side whin it happens idder, da coonty hed ta ban Amey's trucks fae comin sooth wi saand fae da Isle idda 70's, fur dey wir plumpin idda Scousburgh Muddoo, an pat dem oot da Teavlix. Dir dun neest ta sausage all ta mak da wast rod muckle better since den idder, da mile is sittin upoa a potch o' moor laek jeely - hit flatches, fills da drains, dey tak up da drains, hit flatches mair, an dey lay doon anidder sae mony inches o' tar, ad infinitum.

Edited by Ghostrider
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VE will do it, eventually....After they've destroyed them carting their trailer loads of oversized, over weight hellery all over the place. Best thing that can happen in my book, its the only way the common (wo)man will ever see a penny of good from the CT funds ever again

Sorry to be nitpicking (not really, this is Shetlink!) but could you please explain how the the size of a load affects the wear and tear on the surface of the Shetland roads?

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I would also like to know why VE contractors would over load stuff, and the size is also a puzzler. As vehicles that carry heavy loads generally have many more wheels to even out the load, I do not see how this is an issue. When organising any heavy load, a full risk assessment is actioned on the logistics. We have had 300 tonne loads down streets and lanes here abouts without any problems.

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VE will do it, eventually....After they've destroyed them carting their trailer loads of oversized, over weight hellery all over the place. Best thing that can happen in my book, its the only way the common (wo)man will ever see a penny of good from the CT funds ever again

Sorry to be nitpicking (not really, this is Shetlink!) but could you please explain how the the size of a load affects the wear and tear on the surface of the Shetland roads?

 

In and of itself, size won't necessarily have a direct impact on wear and tear, and that comment was not intended to give the impression that it would.

 

What I was intending to convey, is that VE will generate significant additional heavy traffic, much of it oversized and/or overweight, that traffic, whatever size or weight it is will contribute to an earlier demise of the roads they use than would otherwise occur from "normal" levels.

 

Whatever way you choose to look at it, VE is going to end up costing the Council a bigger/earlier roads bill than would otherwise happen.

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