The black hole of local politics

There is perhaps no local issue that unifies political parties so much as the dreaded pothole.

No one likes them, everyone thinks they should be filled more quickly, and there’s no easier way for a local politician to grab a few column inches than by grimly pointing at one. Globally, we are witnessing an increase in extreme weather conditions, which bring the perfect conditions for the formation of even more potholes – so unfortunately, this hot topic will undoubtedly be a continuing burden.

So how exactly do potholes form?

Paved roads typically have a surface of asphalt and a subsurface of compressed gravel. Of course, this can vary with different thicknesses of asphalt and sub-surface and sometimes different compositions of road surface – such as concrete for high volume and high-speed roads or when you really want to get fancy, concrete and asphalt.

No matter how good your road surfacing is, eventually cracks will appear. The simple truth is that no road surface is permanently durable. Once the surface is cracked then it becomes easy for water to seep into the ‘unconsolidated’ subsurface, then when temperatures drop below freezing, the ice expands into the voids creating larger voids and damaging the surface more. Add more water and more traffic and hey presto, potholes!

The pothole dilemma

Some road surfacing is pretty darn durable but very expensive. It’s almost certainly not worth putting concrete roads in residential areas. There will always be a trade-off between durability, resurfacing costs and patching up the holes and cracks. But increasingly, councils are facing the trade-off between repairs and payouts to motorists whose cars have been damaged and cyclists who have been injured or even killed. As a result, already cash-strapped councils are seeing more calls on their budgets as motorists make more compensation claims, which puts deeper holes in highways budgets.

So what’s a councillor to do?

Some councillors have put the onus on drivers to be more careful and take responsibility to avoid raiding maintenance budgets for compensation. Others have gone the opposite way and taken on the task of filling in potholes with their own two hands – of course, not every councillor has that skill set or resources!

Perhaps neither option is suitable to all, but there is a third option other than posing for the local paper with a glum expression and a finger pointing toward the earth, councils need to advocate more strongly for fairer and more responsive funding systems for local services to ensure notorious and pesky problems like potholes are addressed in a timely manner and not left to fester into something much bigger.

Why use nature-based infrastructure?

NBI can contribute to environmental quality and avoid disruption by emulating natural systems. In comparison, traditional ‘grey’ infrastructure (e.g. dams, undersized culverts, seawalls, water-diverting levees and canals) can cause declines in diversity and are expensive to maintain. NBI can also save money and limit natural damage. It is estimated that during Hurricane Sandy, wetlands saved more than $625m in property loss, and neighbourhoods behind marshes saw 20% less property damage.

A combination of built and natural infrastructure can provide additional protection against erosion and flooding. For example, coastal NBI co-benefits include things like new commercial and recreational fish habitats, enhanced biodiversity, better natural aesthetics and improved water quality. In an urban context, nature-based flooding solutions can address the multifunctionality between drainage management, habitat provision, and population health and recreation.