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According to Surrey County Council, 536 gulley and drain covers have been stolen so far this year, creating even bigger hazards than the much-publicised potholes for drivers, motorcyclists and cyclists.
The replacement costs for the Council have so far amounted to over £160,000 with each cover costing between £200 and £400 to replace. The covers have been mainly stolen from rural areas, where presumably the thieves feel they are less likely to be spotted. It really beggar's belief to what lengths some people will go to earn extra money. We all know about lead being stolen from church roofs and statues from gardens, but this is criminally dangerous.
The money Surrey County Council has so far spent could have filled 3000 potholes!
Make no mistake, such stories are only the tip of the iceberg as we totter on the edge of a double dip recession and face years of bleak financial austerity.
I've been complaining bitterly about the perilous state of our roads in these blogs for some time now, even suggesting that if things don't improve we'll all be driving around in four-wheel drive vehicles to cope with ever increasing uneven road surfaces. Well, I fear that as the size of the country's deficit becomes ever crystal clear that our roads will be one of the first to suffer.
Much has been made in the past week of the coalition government's intention to enter into consultation with the public on what needs to be cut by way of public expenditure.
It is drawing inspiration from Canada, whose government tackled its huge nine per cent national deficit by slashing federal budgets by 20 per cent over four years.
The Canadian Liberal government eliminated the deficit in just three years and, by 1999, the Canadian national debt had been cut dramatically from almost 70 per cent of national income to below 30 per cent! However, the government was helped by achieving this at a time of world prosperity, in stark contrast to current times.
The Canadians did it by undertaking proper planning, and consulted the public and public sector workers in decisions. It was described as a societal project.
The Canadian government scrutinised closely what it should look after and what could be taken care of by others. The biggest cuts came in agriculture, defence, transport and welfare. Many in the public sector were encouraged to take early retirement, a fifth of the total workforce in the end. An iconic image of the depth of the cuts was the demolition of a public sector hospital!
I mentioned where the axe fell hardest on public expenditure. At least three of the sectors should have sounded familiar, given this week's reports. One is close to all of our hearts, namely transport. Expect draconian measures with major projects slashed. Work on the London cross-rail link may have started but my betting is on the high-speed rail link being one major casualty along with many planned road projects. Road surfaces will definitely be getting poorer not better. And VAT will go up, probably in the June 22 Budget.
Times are about to get a lot harder for all of us, and fleet will be no exception.
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