Rural Road Maintenance / No County Support !

[Scrambler82]

Hello to all,

I just posted in the "Another Neighbor Thread"... it got me thinking !

How do others get their neighbors to help maintain the dirt roads they too live on ?

I live on a Rural Dirt Road, not maintained by either the Town or the County. Everyone tends to lend a hand one way or another to help with the up keep; some have Tractors and equipment and some just give a little Fuel Money to assist, but most of us help out in some way !

My question for your opinions is, "How do you get neighbors to pitch in, especially the ones that think the road fixes itself AND that they don't have to do anything except use it" ?

Thx for reading, and for any comments.

Ltr

 

[Lnk]

Hello to all,

I just posted in the "Another Neighbor Thread"... it got me thinking !

How do others get their neighbors to help maintain the dirt roads they too live on ?

I live on a Rural Dirt Road, not maintained by either the Town or the County. Everyone tends to lend a hand one way or another to help with the up keep; some have Tractors and equipment and some just give a little Fuel Money to assist, but most of us help out in some way !

My question for your opinions is, "How do you get neighbors to pitch in, especially the ones that think the road fixes itself AND that they don't have to do anything except use it" ?

Thx for reading, and for any comments.

Ltr

Easy, when you fix it, leave the ruts in front of his house on his side of the road. Those that contribute, get a nice smooth road, those that don't, don't.

 

[randy41]

where i live there's a property owners association whose board oversees road maintenance. its paid for by the collection of annual dues.

 

[RNeumann]

It’s the reality of where you live. If the community doesn’t have an HOA or road maintenance agreement no one has a legal obligation to help or pay. Other than a letter stating time and costs with a suggestion for each you are stuck.
Another reason to do your do diligence before you purchase property.......

 

[Industrial Toys]

Drive something that doesn't matter what the road is like and let someone else deal with the inevitable BS. If it works out well, pay your share and count your blessings.

 

[oosik]

Hmm - where I live you MUST have primary access to your property off a government maintained road system. Now, this does not mean the county must maintain the HOA roads within a subdivision. The HOA maintained roads must dump out onto a county maintained road system.

If you have a shared driveway - it's up to those who share the driveway to maintain it.

What it means - you CAN NOT have your driveway dump onto a non- government maintained road. It Ea WA there are scads of roads that exist that are maintained by nobody. They can be identified by a sign at their beginning say something like - "non-maintained road, no warning signs".

And, believe me, there are NO warning signs. No speed signs, no "curve" signs, no RR crossing signs - simply no signs what-so-ever.

 

[Scrambler82]

where i live there's a property owners association whose board oversees road maintenance. its paid for by the collection of annual dues.

The HOA is for and has, a Road Maintenance with a Fee, $600/yr, ok to me too much for what is actually done but we'll live.
Funny how on the other side of the HOA, where the Board of Directors live, the roads are paved !

It’s the reality of where you live. If the community doesn’t have an HOA or road maintenance agreement no one has a legal obligation to help or pay. Other than a letter stating time and costs with a suggestion for each you are stuck.
Another reason to do your do diligence before you purchase property.......

The HOA and its Road Fee stops at his property line, that is where we get together to fix the road the rest of the way to the County Road that is paved. The Neighbor came out the last time, the few of us that fix the road, were out checking things out. He had all kinds of suggestions, one of the other neighbors said to him, "Try the out and if it works we can use the idea on the rest of the road". He quickly depart the group... funny !

Hmm - where I live you MUST have primary access to your property off a government maintained road system. Now, this does not mean the county must maintain the HOA roads within a subdivision. The HOA maintained roads must dump out onto a county maintained road system.

If you have a shared driveway - it's up to those who share the driveway to maintain it.

What it means - you CAN NOT have your driveway dump onto a non- government maintained road. It Ea WA there are scads of roads that exist that are maintained by nobody. They can be identified by a sign at their beginning say something like - "non-maintained road, no warning signs".

And, believe me, there are NO warning signs. No speed signs, no "curve" signs, no RR crossing signs - simply no signs what-so-ever.

My driveway is my drive only, the Neighbor wanted to use it to maintain his property that is all, but he just assumed he had the right to use it... NOT... but just ask, I'm not a complete A-hole !
The Main Dirt Road, is not County maintained nor will it ever be because the County will not take it over unless it meets minimum specifications... it would take a lot of money and time to get it to "Minimum Specifications" and we can't get everyone together to fix the road little lone do a major repair.
I've spoken to the County Road Manager, he talked to me and I left with more information than I needed but not a happy trip.

As far as Speed Signs... watching the road from my higher vantage point you would get the idea that no one knows how to drive on a dirt road... wet and things get really nasty fast, people do not understand the faster you drive the more maintenance the road needs... and the more work it takes to repair it but if everyone isn't paying for the repair then no one cares.

I always wondered, "Do people think the State comes in and fixes the road", I know... "They may think their Taxes pay for the repairs"... The County wouldn't even give me DG to fix the road properly. I told them they could use my lower area by the road as a stock pile area, I said to just dump the DG and our group will fill and grade the road, NOT ! I start to wonder why I moved to SoCal.

Thanks for the replies !

 

[bunyip]

We are not allowed to touch them, a local farmer was on his tractor between paddocks on a dirt road and used his bucket to fill in some pot holes, the local council tried to fine him.
It was unsuccessful but one has to question what motivates the council, it was not as if the farmer was doing any harm, just back dragged across a really rough patch for the neighbours.
Council grades it twice a year and within a week or so it is rutted again, but they are probably busy issuing parking tickets in town for those who commit such heinous crimes as parking just over the line.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's like a friend that considers the small local cemetary where his Dad is buried not kept up, so he took it upon himself to start cutting the grass. Nope, not allowed! Has to be a paid public employee for liability reasons.

 

[4570Man]

I don’t and wouldn’t live on such a road. They always lead to problems.