Resident: Poor roads costing Lae enterprises

Momase, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday October 17th, 2013

 By ELLEN TIAMU

A LAE resident says the poor condition of roads in the city is costing small businesses a lot of money. 

Rita Tiki, a business woman who lives at Taraka, said the dismal condition of the roads in many parts of the city damaged one of her vehicles.

“When are these potholes in the city going to go away? It seems that every time the roads are fixed, the potholes re-appear after only weeks and months and don’t even last a year,” she said.

“I have been a resident of Lae for the past 22 years and as a taxpayer, I and others are entitled to travel on good roads.”

Tiki blamed the government and contractors for the poor road conditions, saying the millions of kina had been used over the years to fix the roads in the city but they had not stood the test of time.

“The Government and Works Department must make sure qualified contractors work on these roads as too much is being wasted and we are sick and tired of travelling on bad roads,” she said.

“I’ve never had a comfortable ride around Lae in all these years I’ve been here.”

Tiki said she was one of many small business entrepreneurs trying to make a decent living but was finding it hard to do so with the high cost of vehicle repairs.

She said the Polytech to Kamkumung road was one of the worst stretches. 

“These are dangerous because hold-ups and car-jackings are bound to happen when we slow down at these places,” she said.

Tiki said contractors responsible for these substandard roads should be ashamed of themselves as their so-called handiwork was there for all to see.

No comment could be obtained from government officials.