Just 36 percent of residents are satisfied with the condition of West Dunbartonshire’s roads.
The figure is five percent lower than the target set for satisfaction by West Dunbartonshire Council, with chiefs blaming the poor state of local routes on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A report presented to members at a meeting of the local authority’s infrastructure, regeneration and economic development committee last week showed that satisfaction had dropped from 41 percent to just 36 percent.
The report added: “The main comments suggest increased dissatisfaction with the number of potholes and the condition of the roads in general.”
Councilor John Mooney queried why the figure had dropped so dramatically in the past six months, and what could be done to remedy the issue.
He said: “Our target is 41 percent and it has not been met by a significant margin this time.
“It now looks like a significant majority of residents are not satisfied with the number of potholes and the condition of roads in general.
“I wondered how we were going to improve that position?”
In response, Gail Macfarlane, roads and transportation manager, assured Councillor Mooney that work would be undertaken during winter - as she highlighted the impact lockdown had on the roads team.
She said: “During the pandemic we were only addressing defect repairs that were considered emergency or urgent.
“That does mean that there is a backlog which has to be addressed.
“There is a team who have been allocated for defect repairs and these are now being carried out.
“In addition, during the winter period where we don’t do resurfacing projects due to temperatures, we’ll be addressing more locations that have been identified to us.”
