Previously the road reached out sideways to the houses on either side. Residents walked wherever they wished, and there was enough width for two reasonably wide cars to pass each other.
But the town planners were not happy with this, they wanted pavements on both sides, and a road that would only take one car. Parking has also been restricted to a few designated bays. We now have to make sure that nothing is coming from the other direction in order to proceed.
So far they have spent an unbelievable 2 years on the work, and the pavements are still not laid.
Time, however, waits for no man, and already the wonderful brand new road surface is pot-holed and shabby. By the time they'll have finished laying the pavements, the road'll probably need totally re-surfacing.
I wonder how much it's all costing! There are two small shops in this street, I imagine they'll have to be compensated too; it's all been closed off for months.
It was so much better before; WHY do they do these things!
p.s. Some time I'll write about the village's museum, but that would be too much depression for one day.
We have a term in New Zealand for the people who implement this type of bureaucracy - we call them Fuckwits.
ReplyDelete'Fuckwits' is too kind for these idiots.
DeleteSomething like that is happaning here in our small place , every morning they are closing another road because of the works and i have to find my way out of this place:)
ReplyDeleteJust recently 3 major employers near to this small village have closed down. Unemployment in France is at an all time high, yet they spend huge amounts of money on things that no-one wants. I am perplexed!
DeleteAnd there was me thinking they had skilfully recreated an authentic French village road surface...
ReplyDeleteI thought the French were more sensible than this. Clearly I am mistaken. They must have caught it from their English cousins.
ReplyDeleteMy pet hate is the money they spent on those massive illuminated information signs listing all the numerous forthcoming events (not). So ugly and so unnecessary. Another example of huge expenditure for something no-one wants.
ReplyDeleteSue, there's one of those on a dog-leg corner in Cuzorn (you probably know it). If you try to read what it says, you'd crash. Clever, clever, positioning.
DeleteTown planning committees are dedicated to their own perpetuation. Toward this end, they create problems and call upon themselves to solve them. I thought this was an American innovation and didn't know it was French. I learn here!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that people think that they need to fix something that that's perfectly fine, we have the same problem over here all the time!
ReplyDeleteObviously universal.
DeleteI had already noticed the potholes Cro. We have the same problems here. Our lane was full of potholes having not been repaired for the last twenty odd years. Last year the resurfaced it but in their wisdom only did bits of it,leaving some streches as they were (and therefore with a little bup in between the two). After less than a year potholes have appeared again because it was not done properly. Added to this water gathers in places where years ago the local road mender would have cleared out the channel to let the water off. Seems it is a universal problem, but suppose it is better than the dirt roads in some countries.
ReplyDeleteChanging and fixing roads is the #1industry where I live. "Detour" signs are everywhere and I am constantly getting lost.
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ReplyDeleteThe town planners refurbished the environs right outside their own Guildhall here a year or so ago - over a period of 9 months of chaos. They set up the stone-cutting yard (imported foreign stone) right outside our window rather than use their own car park because of the noise and dust all day and most nights. Stated costs: £1 million. Actual costs: £2.5 million.
DeleteSounds right. Think of a number, double it, add some noughts, and multiply by the number you first thought of.
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