IMAGINE not being able to drive your car up to your house each night, and not being able to have your garbage collected or gas bottles delivered, and wondering if an ambulance will be able to reach you in an emergency.
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That is the reality for a group of Wattle Flat residents, who are finding themselves increasingly more isolated as the access road to their properties crumbles.
"Potholes" is not a strong enough word to describe the damage to the surface. Craters is more appropriate.
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Resident Lisa Mallard said the condition of the road has been deteriorating for years, but the significant wet weather over the last 12 months has exacerbated the situation.
She said it reached a "critical" point at the beginning of October.
"That's when I stopped being able to drive to the house. I have to leave my car down near the Sofala Road," Ms Mallard said.
"It's been bad for a long time, but not this bad."
It's a frustrating situation for not only her, but the other households that also use that road to access their properties.
They are also losing access to services they normally engage.
"Our local gas contractor, because we all have bottles - LPG - as our gas, he has said he can't any longer deliver our bottles of gas," Ms Mallard said.
"... We also pay a private garbage contractor to empty our bins, because we don't have bin service out here, and he can't get his truck up the driveway to pick up the SULO bins anymore, and then there's been various occasions where delivery people have said, 'Nope, can't do it'."
There is also concern about the safety of residents, who fear emergency service vehicles won't be able to respond due to the condition of the road.
"This year, four of our houses have needed ambulances," Ms Mallard said.
"It's been very problematic, ambulances getting up, and it's certainly extremely uncomfortable for the person in the back.
"The road has since deteriorated further and if it's actually raining it would be impassable for ambulances or any emergency services to get up, because it's just so slippery.
"... It's clay, so you just don't have any traction on it in these really heavy rainstorms. I really, sincerely believe an ambulance would not be able to get up there if it was raining, which is really a critical issue for us."
The residents affected by the deteriorating road are begging Bathurst Regional Council to take over ownership of the Crown Road and to carry out vital repairs.
Council had the opportunity to do that at the last ordinary meeting on November 16, when a report was on the agenda from the director of Engineering Services, Darren Sturgiss.
His report provided background information about the road and two alternate resolutions councillors could move, but did not provide a recommendation of which one he preferred.
Councillors opted to defer a decision, with concerns raised about possibly setting a precedent when it comes to other Crown roads, along with the significant financial cost to repair this particular road.
Mr Sturgiss estimated it would initially cost $75,000 to bring the road to an acceptable standard, with ongoing annual maintenance costs of $5000.
Council already has a substantial maintenance backlog, the figure for which sits in the millions.
"The reality is, we are not in a position to take this burden on," councillor Jess Jennings said, adding that alternatives needed to be looked at in a working party.
Ms Mallard said she and other residents were disappointed that the decision was deferred.
They are still holding out hope that council will seek the transfer of the portion of Crown Road into its ownership.
Ms Mallard's message to council and the councillors is simple: "Just consider the safety aspects of this. It's not just inconvenience, it could be potentially life or death."
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