Fed-up Aussies take to the roads to express outrage
It’s a common occurrence—driving around in your car and coming face to face with yet another road needing serious repair.
From huge potholes to uneven surfaces, we have all been victims of bad road infrastructure at some point, much to the dismay of hardworking taxpayers.
Recently, Aussies across the country have been expressing their outrage, and it appears that someone has finally had enough.
‘Fix it you lazy p****s’ was spray-painted on an Adelaide road, with an arrow indicating an uneven kerb at a roundabout.
Efforts were made to smooth the surface, but the job remained unfinished, leading to a blunt call for action.
MP Blair Boyer, the South Australian Minister of Education, Training, and Skills, posted an image of the road message on social media.
While he made it clear that he doesn’t endorse graffiti, he did take the responsibility of alerting authorities about the road conditions.
‘I don’t agree with spray painting the road to make your point (and just creating further work for the council in the process), but nonetheless, I have written to the City of Tee Tree Gully council about the kerb,’ he wrote.
Thousands of locals commented on his post, with some pointing out that it’s telling when representatives only seem to pay attention to such issues after a drastic measure like this is taken.
‘If the council fixed it in a timely fashion in the first place, people wouldn’t have to resort to spray painting a road,’ one shared.
According to data obtained by The Adelaide Advertiser through a Freedom of Information request, South Australians face a hefty $3 billion price tag to fix their deteriorating roads.
The figures indicate that approximately 2039 kilometres of roads are in significant disrepair.
‘People are sick and tired…we have to put up with bad roads and bad footpaths,’ another Adelaide local said.
The issue is not exclusive to South Australia; several La Niña and flooding weather events in recent years appear to have significantly impacted road conditions across Australia.
Additionally, it seems federal government funding is not keeping up with the resources demanded by local councils.
Local councils, overseeing 75 per cent of Australia’s roads, only receive four per cent of national taxation for maintenance, according to the Australia Local Government Association.
This underscores the challenges in sustaining and improving the country’s roads.
‘The research shows that over the past 20 years, federal Financial Assistance Grants have failed to keep pace with the rising costs of constructing and maintaining roads,’ Australian Local Government Association President Councillor Linda Scott explained.
Members, what are your thoughts on this story? How should the government address problems with distressing road conditions? Share your views in the comments below!
From huge potholes to uneven surfaces, we have all been victims of bad road infrastructure at some point, much to the dismay of hardworking taxpayers.
Recently, Aussies across the country have been expressing their outrage, and it appears that someone has finally had enough.
‘Fix it you lazy p****s’ was spray-painted on an Adelaide road, with an arrow indicating an uneven kerb at a roundabout.
Efforts were made to smooth the surface, but the job remained unfinished, leading to a blunt call for action.
MP Blair Boyer, the South Australian Minister of Education, Training, and Skills, posted an image of the road message on social media.
While he made it clear that he doesn’t endorse graffiti, he did take the responsibility of alerting authorities about the road conditions.
‘I don’t agree with spray painting the road to make your point (and just creating further work for the council in the process), but nonetheless, I have written to the City of Tee Tree Gully council about the kerb,’ he wrote.
Thousands of locals commented on his post, with some pointing out that it’s telling when representatives only seem to pay attention to such issues after a drastic measure like this is taken.
‘If the council fixed it in a timely fashion in the first place, people wouldn’t have to resort to spray painting a road,’ one shared.
According to data obtained by The Adelaide Advertiser through a Freedom of Information request, South Australians face a hefty $3 billion price tag to fix their deteriorating roads.
The figures indicate that approximately 2039 kilometres of roads are in significant disrepair.
‘People are sick and tired…we have to put up with bad roads and bad footpaths,’ another Adelaide local said.
The issue is not exclusive to South Australia; several La Niña and flooding weather events in recent years appear to have significantly impacted road conditions across Australia.
Additionally, it seems federal government funding is not keeping up with the resources demanded by local councils.
Local councils, overseeing 75 per cent of Australia’s roads, only receive four per cent of national taxation for maintenance, according to the Australia Local Government Association.
This underscores the challenges in sustaining and improving the country’s roads.
‘The research shows that over the past 20 years, federal Financial Assistance Grants have failed to keep pace with the rising costs of constructing and maintaining roads,’ Australian Local Government Association President Councillor Linda Scott explained.
Key Takeaways
- An Adelaide road user expressed their frustration over the city’s road conditions by spray painting a message calling for action.
- An image of the written message was posted online by MP Blair Boyer, the South Australian Minister of Education, Training and Skills, who subsequently notified local authorities.
- South Australians face almost $3 billion to fix their crumbling roads, with up to 2039 kilometres of roads in major disrepair.
- Despite councils collectively managing around 75 per cent of Australia’s road network, only four per cent of national taxation goes toward road maintenance and repair.