 What should we do to protect our roads from the wet season? Mr Bountha Akkhavong, 54, a resident of Phontong village, said: "There are many potholes especially along small roads. I pay road tax on my vehicle every year. So I want to use good roads. I want the responsible officials to make sure the roads are taken care of and that there are no holes. I know that if we ask the road sector to construct a new road it is very difficult because the Government doesn't have much money. But they do get some money from vehicle road taxes. They can use this to pay for repairs when a road is in bad condition, but you hardly see repairs being made to small roads." Mr Bounnhaeng Khounnouvong, 52, a resident of Nonsavang village, said: "Some of the roads in our country have been developed already. Many roads are very good and some roads are improving. But there are some people who don't care about maintaining the roads. Some roads have no asphalt and some roads are flooded in the wet season, which produces big potholes. I think people who have streetside houses should help each other to take care of the roads. If there is a flood they should clean the drains and if there is no drain in front of their house they should take the water away. They should help each other to dig drains to ensure that the water runs off the road. The authorities in each village should lead their villagers to do this. In my village, many people help each other to clean the drains and we use soil to fill in the potholes." Ms Vongphachan Singhalath, 25, a resident of the Xokkham village, said: "In the centre of town the roads are very beautiful and there are no problems. But when we ride on the roads that are a little way out of town like the street running from That Luang to Xokkham village, there are a lot of potholes, and some holes are very big and deep. There are always accidents at nighttime because riders can't see the road clearly. Sometimes the wheel of their motorbike falls into the hole and they fall off their bikes. Some vehicles dodge the holes and crash into other vehicles. Sometimes when we ride in the rain, we cannot see the holes because they have water in them and look like puddles. But when cars drive over them the water splashes onto passing motorbike riders. I would like the road sector to continue building new roads if the Government has the budget. In addition, there should be some rules for driving trucks on some roads, because the trucks cause a lot of damage to the roads. I have seen road workers repair the roads by putting asphalt in the holes. But the holes soon reappear when more trucks drive over them." Ms Sengmanyphone, 47, a resident of Somvang village, Hatxaifong district, said: "Yesterday I saw the workers repair a road. They used asphalt to fill in the holes. When we drive we always have problems with potholes during the wet season. The road along the way to my house is a main road and foreigners always passed that way because it is the road that goes to the Friendship Bridge. I worry that they will criticise the roads in our country. When they see the potholes I would like the officials to hurry and organise workers to repair them." Ms Sengchan, 35, a resident of Vientiane, said: "When I ride along the street at this time of year I see a lot of potholes. Some holes are terrible because they are very deep. When I ride on the road I must be very careful, because I am afraid of having an accident. I have to concentrate on avoiding the holes. I think it is very dangerous for motorbike riders. Sometimes we might dodge one hole and run into another one. Sometimes we might not see the other vehicle coming towards us if we are concentrating on avoiding potholes. The officials need to find a way of solving this problem." Mr Phouthasen Khammanivong, Deputy Director of the Vientiane Road Administration Division, said: "We are organising a committee to check the drainage systems along the road. If the roads flood, this is the main cause of damage to the roads. We will also be looking for potholes. We will appoint workers to fill in the holes in the roads. At the moment we cannot build many new roads because we don't have the budget. This is why we need people working in all sectors to help maintain the roads during the wet season. This also applies to heavy transport operators. They should follow the road rules strictly. During the wet season they are required to reduce the weight they are transporting by 30 percent to prevent them from damaging the roads. When it is raining, the roads just won't accept heavy weight. The officials responsible for checking the weight of vehicles should also do this vigilantly to make sure no trucks are allowed to break the rules. If the public sees trucks breaking these rules then they should notify an official." |
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