THE ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH DRIVERS
IN SCOTLAND
Is modern technology keeping us in the past?
Road Building Costs
Many roads in current use are virtually the same as they were when built 40, 50, or even 80 years ago. Yes, the odd corner smoothed our, better surfacing and drainage, lots more white lines and signage and so on, but in essence they are the same roads as when they were built in the '30s or whenever.
And, though we may grumble a bit, and call for their upgrading, they are well able to be driven on.
Now consider even older roads. Here in the Highlands, we have many 'A' designated trunk roads which are still single track with passing places. Local people and their councillors have long campaigned, to no avail, for their upgrading. Communities cannot survive, never mind prosper, with such antiquated lines of communication, but the big 'put-down' always comes from on high that there is no way we could possibly afford to upgrade them to modern standards.
And there's the rub - "Upgrade to modern standards". But why not upgrade to 1960's standards, or whatever decade you wish. Because we are all quite prepared to drive along roads built then, and the authorities are quite happy for us to do so, as are insurance companies and everyone else. But government dictat says roads must be built to current standards, So we have to spend about £4 to £5 million per mile to achieve this.
Consequently, and particularly in remote and therefore poorer areas, we are denied a road of 1960's standard and have to make do with the existing one built in 1920 - 30. Our county (Sutherland)_ has four significant radial routes from south-east to the west and north, covering about 300 miles. At current rates (assuming you would ever get anyone to give you a 'ball part figure') of say £4m per mile, this would cost billions, and so will never be done.
Never? No, never.
So are those in the poorer areas of the country (and consequently the world) destined to fall further behind instead of catching up? Are they not permitted to even try to keep up, a bit behind perhaps, but keeping pace instead of lagging further behind.
These people pay the same taxes as those living near the M25 for much less in the way of facilities. Taxes in general are universal, but the return is not. The rural dweller pays the same Income Tax, National Insurance, Stamp Duty, Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax as anyone else. They even pay the same or more Council Tax (rates here are higher than in most London boroughs)
Road building in general came to a halt in the mid / late nineties, another fact which, if you were to go to your county roads engineer and ask for a nice new stretch of tarmac from A to B, you would be laughed out of his office. (After all, we do live in Britain, not France or any other EU country where new road building is flourishing). But if you asked him for that same stretch of new road at a tenth - or hundredth - of the current cost, might he be interested?
He wouldn't be allowed to consider your idea, naturally. Roads have to be built to current standards. Drivers are irrelevant, they can drive on 80 year old roads if they wish, but life would be much easier if they didn't.
So why can't we have a little bit of improvement? Does it have to be all or nothing?
Alasdair Wood
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