When something goes bump on the road it’s rarely good. For Sydney’s Andrew Ezzy, it was two tyres giving out as he drove across the Northern Distributor and the Ophir Road roundabout.
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Mr Ezzy, a mechanic, was left on the side of the road in the rain trying to repair two tyres and get his family to safety.
“I had three kids in the back, I wasn’t that far off the road because the side of the road was mud and we would have gotten bogged,” he said.
“While the road is washed out like that, it should have been closed.”
He limped the car to the nearest service station five kilometres way. Quotes to replace tyres and repair damage have reached nearly $2000.
“I blew out two right-hand side tyres on the same pothole, there were two buckled rims and two destroyed live pressure monitors,” Mr Ezzy said.
“I want council to be held accountable and maybe pay for some of the cost.”
With record rainfall exacerbating wear and tear on the roads, several residents have requested claim forms from Orange City Council.
“Drivers are within their rights to submit a claim under council’s public liability policy,” council’s community relations manager Nick Redmond said.
“In order to receive a payment for compensation, a driver would have to prove negligence in relation to damage caused by a pot hole.
“In the last few months, the council has sent out 11 claims forms to residents who have asked for them. Only one has been returned to be processed and that claim was denied.”
“I want council to be held accountable and maybe pay for some of the cost.”
- Andrew Ezzy
Mr Ezzy has owned a property in Molong for the past seven years and critcised the handling of Orange’s roads – especially the Northern Distributor.
“There’s potholes on each roundabout, I know for a fact that the road has been done up four times since we’ve been coming here,” he said.
Mr Ezzy has spoken to a solicitor about the damage to his car. While admitting getting compensation for the damage would be tough, he was more interested in making sure the roads were brought up to scratch.
Once the rain has stopped and the ground has dried out, council has committed to spending $15.2 million before June 30.
It includes re-surfacing the section of bypass from the Mitchell Highway to Icely Road and completing the final layer of hotmix between the Escort Way and Molong Road.
“There is also a system for receiving details from residents of locations where pot holes have happened. When reports are received there is a system for prioritising repair work,” Mr Redmond said.
“Orange City Council has its own system for routinely assessing the condition of every road in Orange.”
Declan Rurenga
Declan Rurenga was the editor of Griffith's Area News and Leeton's Irrigator until September 2023. Before landing at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, he reported news in Junee, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Cootamundra.
Declan Rurenga was the editor of Griffith's Area News and Leeton's Irrigator until September 2023. Before landing at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, he reported news in Junee, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Cootamundra.
