Frustrated residents in a Welsh community have displayed cheeky road signs that instructs drivers to “adjust their bra straps” and to “secure their nuts.” They don’t have their heads in the gutter; the signs serve as a protest to a large number of potholes on a rural road. The situation is not being addressed and residents believe it’s “the worst in the county.”
The community member complaints were falling on deaf ears and the Carmarthenshire Council hasn’t resurfaced the road, which is escalating the frustrations of the people who have to drive along it.
The traditional route of filing a complaint didn’t work so they took matters into their own hands by installing road signs with a scandalous twist. The sign reads: “Caution. Remove dentures, adjust bra straps, secure your nuts. Welcome to the worst maintained road in the county — courtesy of Carmarthenshire County Council.” If this set up doesn’t flag the issue in a dramatic way, nothing will.
Humor was used to address an underlying issue that is being neglected for far too long. The residents want a safe road to drive down. A spokesman for the residents said: “We have complained many times about the road and the council has not carried out any meaningful maintenance.
“They sometimes respond by filling a handful of the worst holes when in reality the road is so worn and damaged that it requires complete resurfacing in many places. Whilst the sign is intended to be funny the constant wear and tear on our vehicles is a real issue.
“This is another example of the discrimination that rural residents face as no urban road would be allowed to degrade to this extent. The council has a legal duty under the provisions of The Highway Act to maintain all roads.
“It is not unreasonable to ask that we have a road that has a safe surface for motor vehicles and bicycles. It is somewhat ironic that the police can check our vehicles to ensure that they are safe for the road but no one is ensuring that the road is safe for our vehicles.”
The Carmarthenshire Council open up about a limited spending budget and there’s a priority list which is categorized based on the risk.
Councillor Edward Thomas, a cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure at the council, said: “Carmarthenshire Council continue to undertake scheduled highway inspections of all of our roads to ensure that they are safe for road users and this includes the rural road highlighted by local residents in the Llanfynydd area. Where safety defects are identified they are programmed for repair in accordance with our policies which are in keeping with those of other authorities across Wales.
“There is a national shortfall in investment in road maintenance which impacts all local highway authorities. The roads in Carmarthenshire that we would like to resurface far outstrips the budget available to us.
“As a consequence of a limited budget, our resurfacing programmes are developed using a risk-based approach to target the roads in greatest need of resurfacing and ensure that any investment provides the best possible value.”
The council shrugs off the issue, and the road signs might stay put for the next little while. We’ll just have to wait and see which bright drivers actually obey these cheeky signs.