Bathurst councillor Warren Aubin says potholes are getting out of control

Potholes in the roads around Bathurst and the Central West region have been an ongoing issue, and significant rainfall has only worsened the situation.

Hitting or swerving large potholes can lead to dangerous situations, and Cr Aubin says it's time for a more permanent fix following a recent trip to another Central West town.

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"There's just got to be some sort of fix to our roads. I know it's everywhere but roads are in an absolute diabolical state at the moment with all the rain that we've had," he said.

"My experience driving was absolutely woeful. There's potholes, and big ones, everywhere.

"There's people actually swerving to avoid potholes and swerving to the middle of the road which is really, really bad."

Cr Aubin admits it's no ones fault, the extent of damage has been caused by the rain and mending the roads can't be done until the weather dries up.

However, patch-up jobs aren't cutting it and it's time for a more permanent fix using AC seal, because that road base is a lot less vulnerable to potholing, says Cr Aubin.

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"I'm all for getting roads fixed, there's areas now that are out on the open road that have signs up saying 'Roadworks 60km' on a 100km road, they've just put the signs out because there's major potholes around the area," Cr Aubin said.

"It's no fault of anyone, it's just rain ... But really and truly it's time they concentrate on getting roads fixed, getting health right and getting education right.

"There's a few patches that have been done - and I mean patches a few hundred metres long - and they've patched them with hot mix, or what we call AC seal.

"It's so good to drive on, it's absolutely beautiful. But when they do the old patch with the bitumen seal, it is a real problem."

Not only can potholes lead to dangerous situation on the road, but they can also cause damage to people's cars and leave them with significant repair bills.

Dunlop Super Dealer's Andrew Jenkins said he estimates 70 per cent of the damaged aluminum rims he sees in the shop are because of potholes.

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"There's potholes everywhere, people just can't avoid them. And with modern cars, the suspension is so good half the time you don't know you've hit them," Mr Jenkins said.

"People just come in to get tyres changed because they've worn out, and their rims are usually buckled because of pot holes, especially aluminum rims."

Mr Jenkins said replacing rims can cost up to thousands of dollars depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

While mending NSW roads won't be an overnight fix, Transport NSW crews are getting the ball rolling with Central West roads currently being prioritised during the break in wet weather, according to minister for regional transport and roads Sam Farraway.

"My priority is to ensure everyone travels safely on our road network, which is why I've asked Transport to have crews out straight away to fill potholes while we have dry road surfaces," Mr Farraway said.

"The recent wet weather and floods has caused damage to our network so we're going to make sure we take every opportunity to pull resources together to ensure we fill potholes as a priority."

Road users are reminded to stay vigilant and alert when driving on Central West roads, and follow the advice of any signs put out.

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