Three, 3, things we need to do because:-

The Potholes don’t know you are a Big Girl

A Tale Infrastructure and Deteriorating Local Governance

Our daughter, when asked if she had a tablemat to put her bowl on her lap and continue eating her breakfast in the car, said:-

- I don’t need one now. I am a big girl and won’t spill anything.

The response from her Mum was direct

- The potholes don’t know you are a big girl

Sadly, the exchange highlighted the issues we seem to be facing across any number of cities, towns and other governance areas. The paucity of maintenance as previous generations quality infrastructure is not maintained. Where there is new investment, they appear to be creating new roads rather than addressing the wider issues we face with regard to the standard of roads already in existence. We can drive faster on through ways, bypasses and across overpasses to only end up spending more time at the old old blockages.

Say’s Law states:- Supply Creates Its Own Demand

In other words, the better roads we build, the more cars are attracted on to them. If there is no control on the quality of the cars, we have slow moving or no moving traffic as old machines, long since the efficient use in better-legislated places, are on the roads.

Alongside Say’s Law, Crook’s Law:- Weak Procurement Produces Weak Results

Now, the new roads are smooth; at least for the first couple of rainy seasons. But when the drainage is specified to averages or, worse still, is not set out in procurement documents and results requirements. Guess what the results are?

It is also very apparent, if the company, set up to make a profit and not bothered by having to use the infrastructure it is building, is not told to do something — it is not going to do it. Thus, we have the situation where overloaded trucks have destroyed existing roads in building the new roads. Where the new road finishes, the old road, now even worse, begins. And the potholes have grown to the size of craters.

There are some potholes now so large, rumour has it crocodiles are in them. Or so the tyre guy said to explain why we should put new, stronger, tyres on the 4x4.

The lessons:-

1 — Never work to averages

Nature does not believe in averages; maybe medians but plan for the extremes within our planning horizon (set by lifetime of infrastructure and the frequency of extreme weather events)

2 — Always think twice

Then ask someone else to go through and think again.

Procure against the ‘what if?’ question

3 — Listen to your Mum. Mums know best.

Perhaps more Mothers should be running governments and businesses?

No further explanation required

Post scriptum — Do not believe all you read: the tyre guy did not say crocodiles live in the large potholes; but I swear, caught in the headlights, I saw a large grey creature or creation moving down the road with tiny beady ‘eyes’ — hippo or very slow moving truck?