At Peebles Community Council this month, Cllr. Drummond Begg put the cost of fully repairing roads in the Borders at £123 million, against about £5 million available.
Anyone who drives, cycles or catches a bus here can see the result. Road funding is shared out largely by population, which leaves rural areas like ours with long road networks and too little money to maintain them. Heavy timber and haulage lorries do much of the damage.
What Green councillors would do:
- Fix the roads we have before building new ones.
- Make those who cause the damage pay: large forestry and energy developments should fund repairs to the roads their lorries wear out.
- Agree timber haulage routes with the forestry industry, and move more timber by rail and sea.
- Press for a fairer funding formula that recognises rural road networks.
