The Roads of Scotland Island

Road Maintenance - Scotland Island

A Submission to the Scotland Island Residents' Association.
by Graham Vick
Historical Perspective

I make observations and recommendations based on 17 years of experience watching the cycle of road works and road degradation on Scotland Island. In 1988 while I was president of the SIRA we put to the Warringah Shire Council a written set of guidelines for the maintenance of the roads on the Island. To some extent those guidelines were followed and resulted in two major shifts in the council's ideas towards the Island's road maintenance. They were:

To discontinue the use of the council employed road maintenance gang and to cease simply grading the roads flat at periodic intervals.

To sub contract the work of road maintenance with a view to improving the condition of the steeper sections so as to reduce the continuous effects of erosion on the Island.
What that council and subsequently Pittwater council failed to do was to implement a program for continuous maintenance of those improved sections of road and we now have a position where much good work has been lost because the principle of 'a stitch in time' was not applied.
In 1988 a questionnaire was issued to all residents and landholders and the return rate was about 40%. Although I no longer have access to the results of that questionnaire I can remember that essentially the Island residents were split equally as to whether they wanted sealed or unsealed roads. Warringah Shire Council was made aware of this.
The engineering section of that council set about prioritising a series of major drainage works, the first on the list being to establish the major easements at the bottom of the Island. It was anticipated that they would then work their way up the Island in an effort to ensure that erosion was minimised and that road work would not be jeopardised by overflowing drains and large amounts of water using the roads as their course. The first stage has been accomplished but the drainage of our roads is inadequate for two reasons:

The installation of drains is not anywhere near complete.
There is no regular program for the maintenance of drains, such that many become ineffective during periods of heavy rain.

Scotland Island's Road System.
What is a road?

The Island has a road system which comprises a main ring road, an incomplete higher ring road and interconnecting roads from the public wharves and between the two ring roads. All of these roads are apparently gazetted as public roads. Because of the incomplete upper ring road residents at the top of the Island make use of an unofficial road through Elizabeth Park to access their homes. This is often referred to as the 'fire trail' but I am not sure that it is officially recognised as such. The fact is that it has become a defacto access road because it has been used for the last 30 years for that purpose.
Some of the road system has never been used for vehicle traffic and some has been converted such that it cannot be used for vehicle traffic, but has been landscaped to improve pedestrian movement and access and to prevent further erosion in the area.
It must be acknowledged that the Island's main means of transport is by foot. Because of this the 1988 guidelines gave preference to creating a road system that would provide "safe and appropriate pedestrian access to homes". This argument seems to have been lost in recent times.

Appropriate Use of Roads.

At present a small number of four wheel drive vehicles ply the roads for private and commercial purpose. A larger number of pedestrians use the roads because there is no provision to separate pedestrians from vehicles. Trucks are being used more often to convey building materials and provide the recycling service, and other heavy vehicles are brought to the Island from time to time to service the electricity and telephone system and move furniture on, off or around the island. The use of trucks in bad conditions has increased because of the improved access at the Cargo Wharf.
It is apparent that where sections of the road are steep or do not have an adequate base trucks and two wheel drive vehicles sustain the most damage to roads in conjunction with water runoff. The provision of a fortnightly recycling service has undoubtedly increased the wear and tear on the Island's roads and the effect is particularly visible on the road through Elizabeth Park.
Rationalising the Road System.

Already many parts of the road system do not provide vehicle access, however in meetings between the Rural Fire Service, SIRA and the Pittwater Shire Council in 1988 it was agreed that there was no need for further opening up the road system to vehicular traffic. At that point Elsie Street was closed and it was agreed that either Hilda Avenue or Cecil Street could also be closed without adversely affecting fire service access. Fire Captain Darcy Nicholson and other members of the fire service visited all the sites for appraisal.

Recommendations for a Plan of Maintenance of the Road System.

It is apparent that the present plan for maintenance, if indeed a plan exists, is inadequate to maintain the roads suitable for either pedestrian or vehicle access where they now exist. It is apparent that the idea of prioritising areas for restoration has not worked in the sense that areas that are restored are not maintained adequately and so they are in need of restoration again before the list of works can be completed. Given that finances are limited to tackle this problem the following are some suggestions for an approach to solving it.
Restrict the use of trucks and two wheel drive vehicles wherever possible. Suspend the recycling service to those parts of the Island where the road is inadequate for the truck that is used, or use a more appropriate vehicle for that purpose. i.e. small 4WD with trailer or tray.
Employ or contract a permanent part time worker (preferably a local) to constantly clear drains and gutters and to fill small potholes with appropriate materials. If this is not possible then use open concrete culverts to divert water over roads rather that under the road using pipe drains because these are so quickly blocked up.
Budget over a long term, say 5 to 10 years or more. Aim to restore those sections of the road which are used by vehicles to a condition where the aforementioned employee can maintain these sections. Give priority to providing adequate drainage.
Provide safe pedestrian access, where possible separate from the vehicle access, to all properties on the Island. This would include the provision of steps and non slip and water shedding surfaces where appropriate. Continue working with Landcare in this regard.
Use environmentally responsible techniques in construction. For example the use of concrete instead of bitumen or recycled bitumen as a road surface. Although concrete is more expensive it also lasts a lot longer. This is why long term planning only can provide feasible results.
Take more notice of, and work in conjuction with, Landcare recommendations. Remember Landcare was not set up by the Federal Government just to give a few people a warm and fuzzy feeling. Legislation brought about its existence to protect the environment from serious soil degradation, a major problem on the Island.
Conclusion:

Scotland Island is a unique place of great natural beauty, a place where people can live with nature. It is worth making a special effort to keep the 'nature' of this place by taking a biased approach to the use of vehicles on the Island. There is no need make the car "king of the road" here as it is in other suburbs and cities.
The challenge is to provide natural and durable access to homes on the Island. If this means a reduction in the convenience created by the use of large capacity delivery vehicles then so be it. If this means having to take your recycling further than your front door then so be it. If this means spending a little more of our rates on a better product then again I say I approve.
The pedestrians and the environment have priority on this Island so let's see how we can accommodate them within a sensible road system that still provides for the essential services. Do not be tempted to open up even more unmaintainable roads simply for convenience.