|
<br />f~
<br />1 .
<br />, "
<br />.i .
<br />Ii
<br />.']
<br />t,
<br />I,~
<br />II
<br />It
<br />l'
<br />I~
<br />,.~
<br />k
<br />N
<br />l1
<br />~
<br />
<br />-.""
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />~. ,
<br />
<br />\ ~:~ ~'. ::/:::) So J
<br />
<br />L-by Michae! J. E. SheWn, P.E.,
<br />I Transportation Commissioner,
<br />Ottawa-Corleton, Canada
<br />
<br />j
<br /> I
<br />~;I
<br />"1
<br />.
<br />1
<br />.~
<br />
<br />1
<br />l
<br />i '
<br />
<br />.,.
<br />l
<br />1
<br />1
<br />
<br />r
<br />II
<br />
<br />_J
<br />..;,
<br />
<br />\,.....
<br />
<br />\ n fe often say goed roads cost
<br />\i V less, but thanks to a pro-
<br />gressive Council in the Regional
<br />Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton,
<br />WG can prove it.
<br />The 1980 current-budget re-
<br />Quests wlll be 14 percent less
<br />than the 1977 budget received;
<br />that is, equivalent to 43 percent
<br />less in cor:stant collars over
<br />1977, or a $6.8 million saving
<br />this year alone.
<br />The savings are possible be-
<br />cause the Council a few years
<br />ago approved a program of re-
<br />surfacing and repair at the right
<br />lime as determined by testing
<br />rather than waiting until after the
<br />roadways deteriorated beyond re-
<br />pair. Today, the citizens enjoy a
<br />high fitandard of roadway, lower
<br />user costs and reduced tax re-
<br />Quirements.
<br />The first and most important
<br />area for improvement was in
<br />funds to carry out the proper
<br />program. If this seems to contra-
<br />dict our previous statement. re-
<br />member the old saying, "You
<br />have to spend money to save
<br />money."
<br />How do you get these "extra"
<br />funds? If there is one area in
<br />which the public works profes-
<br />sional has failed, it is in educat-
<br />ing citizens in the basic econom-
<br />ics of road maintenance.
<br />This has to change. You are
<br />the person responsible for this
<br />activity. You must find the way.
<br />The key is communication. The
<br />best communicators are the polit-
<br />ical leaders. They have been
<br />elected by getting their story
<br />across to the public. The leaders
<br />need c1ea~, credible facts to give
<br />to the public.
<br />To say "we need the funds to
<br />keep the system in shape" is to
<br />put your agency in 8 tong line of
<br />olher government s~rvices with
<br />the ~ame statement.
<br />The road officiars respnnsibili-
<br />
<br />--""---"
<br />
<br />.". ~,~ ~
<br />
<br />C~ . --,.~ ,~3 \_::
<br />
<br />,....,
<br />
<br />l ~ C) L .~ ~:;
<br />
<br />~ :.i "~.~,~~ f~" : :" ,
<br />1-.,: _~....; ..:. \ .."
<br />
<br />. ~-. .~
<br />""
<br />1\ .,
<br />
<br />.
<br />...... ~-~,. ._--".
<br />
<br />ty is to say and sh'ow "we need
<br />this amount of funds to provide a
<br />system tl1at will usa the leasi
<br />amour:t of our community's and
<br />country's resources while provid-
<br />ing the greatest return'" Good
<br />roads are the corn~rstone of the
<br />local, regional and national econ-
<br />omy. Road agencies do not deal
<br />with a product that is difficult to
<br />sell--everyone uses it.
<br />The difficulty in road main'8~
<br />nance is not to sell the need to
<br />the pub!iC; the difficulty is in get-
<br />ting across the b2sic economic
<br />facts of how to arrive at the low-
<br />est total use of funds. The public
<br />wanls road maintenance at the
<br />lo\'.'est nncessary ccst. The roHa
<br />official's responsibility is to sho',.",
<br />the pub!i.;:; how to arrive at the
<br />lowest nClcessary cost. By using
<br />two of fhe basic performan/;e
<br />facts about roadways, you cem
<br />show the public how they can
<br />have a good level of riding com-
<br />fort while paying less for mainte-
<br />nance (and reconstruction) and
<br />direct user costs.
<br />The pavement performance
<br />curve shews clearly that pave-
<br />ment deterioration starts slowly
<br />and, for about 75 percent of
<br />pavement life a good level of
<br />service is prese'lt. At about this
<br />three-quarter point the curve falls
<br />sharply and the r::ladway Quickly
<br />deteriorates beyond inexpensivi}
<br />repair.
<br />Those who carry OiJt low-cost
<br />rejuvenation!;: and resurfacing be-
<br />fore rapid deterioration begins
<br />extend the pavement lifo for a
<br />fraction of the cost to th~se who
<br />wait "just a couple of years."
<br />Until this yem, the most common-
<br />ly QuoiecJ cosl escalc:tioll was five
<br />dollars for each dollar needed at
<br />the proper time, The l2.test in-
<br />formation ~uggests that t;,e cost
<br />increases 10 times. Ask why th.zy
<br />v/aited and the universal anSW[er
<br />was to "save" funds.
<br />
<br />22 RunAL AND URP.AN ROADS/OCTOBER, 1930
<br />
<br />~~
<br />'.
<br />
<br />A waste of taxpayers' money.
<br />The taxpayer 'suffers this loss
<br />while enduring steadily worsening
<br />roadways.
<br />The word responsibility has
<br />been used several times. The
<br />road agency is responsible. The
<br />engineer is responsible. Who else
<br />iR there to protect the pUblic from
<br />this waste? The engineer must
<br />persistently, clearly 3nd credibly
<br />put forward the basic facts. Th&
<br />fjrst responsibiiity is to brir.g
<br />these facts to the lea~ers of the
<br />road agency. ~hen to help the
<br />lenders by addrossinn service
<br />and communil}' organizations.
<br />Maybe your cerr,munity has a
<br />speoJ;ers bur6a:J. It so, apPi03ch
<br />it with your topic.
<br />
<br />The education process should
<br />start with some task: facts on
<br />the rOSdway system: (a) Prepare
<br />an inventory of the existing net-
<br />work including cost; (b) Ust
<br />maintenancE deficiencies: (c)
<br />Cost programmes necessary to
<br />eliminate deficiencies; (d) Provide
<br />data on excessive user costs
<br />now and in the future.
<br />Item (d) is an area that very
<br />few people seem <,ware of, and
<br />even those that are instinctively
<br />aware that it cost more to drive
<br />on bad roads than on good roads
<br />have no grasp of total losses.
<br />
<br />Real and potential losses are
<br />staggering. A community of
<br />10.000 drivers (population
<br />25.000) would incur a
<br />$10.000,000 annual loss on very
<br />poor roads compared to very
<br />good rends. This typically would
<br />not happen, a3 roads Vlould vary
<br />from good to very poor.
<br />
<br />However, a survey of one ju-
<br />risdiction's roads system (popula-
<br />tion 6.000.000), showed 25 per-
<br />cent of the rands to be in poor
<br />condition and 50 percent of the
<br />road~ to oe in fair to poor condi-
<br />tion resulting in losses of over
<br />
<br />,-
<br />,
<br />
|