Joanna Tucker,  Yorke Peninsula Country Times

The Dirt Road Maintenance Group (DRMG) has expressed bitter disappointment over the condition of Copper Coast’s dirt roads, which they say pose serious safety risks for drivers.

With an expected early start to harvest later this month, about 50 farmers and representatives of local agricultural support businesses gathered near Kadina last week to discuss their next steps.

DRMG committee member Mark Schilling explained that the group had been attempting to work with the Copper Coast Council for three years to develop a road maintenance plan.

“This is about near-misses — how many times have people nearly had an accident, but there’s no platform for them to report it?” Mr Schilling said, adding that maintenance should be a continuous process but had not been upheld.

Farmers at the informal meeting, held on Wednesday, September 25, voiced frustrations about the lack of maintenance ahead of harvest, noting that main arterial roads should be graded to meet transport needs.

Committee member Matthew Chapman said, on dirt roads near his farm, there had been an average of one crash per year for the past 15 years and these often resulted in damage to fences.

He estimated his farm enterprise had spent more than $20,000 on repairs due to unmaintained roads.

Mr Chapman also highlighted a reduction in patrol grading by the council, which had decreased from four checks a year to just two.

He criticised the council’s policy of only grading roads after rain, arguing that this approach was ineffective, especially in drought conditions.

At the gathering, at least 40 of the attendees raised their hands to indicate they had complained to the council about the condition of the roads but had not received any responses.

DRMG committee member Craig Ayles expressed hope for a constructive meeting with council representatives scheduled for Friday, October 4, when at least two councillors were expected to attend.

Copper Coast Council chief executive Dylan Strong has acknowledged the maintenance delays, attributing them to a combination of seasonal conditions, staff vacancies and equipment outages.

He said council was in the process of hiring a new grader driver, as well as meeting with relevant stakeholders to hear concerns, and discuss council’s next steps.

Mr Strong assured the community that efforts were being made to expedite the road maintenance program and that the council was committed to addressing community feedback regarding unsealed roads.

The DRMG, originally known as the Freight Taskforce, changed its name after its focus shifted to dirt road maintenance due to the urgent need for improvements in dirt road conditions.

For information or to join the committee, contact Mr Chapman (roachfieldprops@gmail.com) or Mr Ayles (cjayles@bigpond.com).

This article appeared in  Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 1 October 2024.