Road maintenance is one of the most overlooked yet vital parts of city and municipality planning. A well-running system will ensure that there's a good schedule, inspections happen and will lower the rate of crashes without residents ever realizing. Although this part of the government is an unsung hero, it does incredible things: it could use a great system.
Things to Consider for Road Maintenance System
Here are the top things a road maintenance system should be able to do for your municipality.
Ensure Routine Inspections Happen
A good road maintenance system will give employees the chance to get out and perform maintenance checks before they become a problem. For example, a delayed maintenance check could ruin a truck's motor or have equipment go haywire and harm someone. Instead, it will keep track of when the last maintenance was and ensure that the employees can do whatever they need to, so things keep going smoothly.
The old way of doing this was simple stickers on trucks or leaving calendar reminders, but both of these get overlooked easily. The right system will save time in person-hours, save money because these are maintenance and not repairs, and keep trucks on the road for longer.
Schedule Repairs and Fixes
A good schedule can ensure that there's already a fix for it, even when there's a hiccup. If there's been an accident that took out a light pole, the right system will know where every employee is and how they'd be able to arrive at the location to fix the issue. This can save time and a lot of trouble and ensure that the problem gets corrected before it gets worse.
Scheduling isn't just for the employees.
There's nothing like being late for work because of unscheduled construction to leave a bitter taste in some residents' mouths. So instead, the local government should show that it cares about its residents by having them notified when nearby construction is happening. This will allow them to be prepared for it and plan their mornings around when they can go and how soon they should leave if there's an important appointment.
Ensures Signs and Lights are Cared For
A traffic light, or traffic sign, that's incorrect can and will cause crashes. Although every road maintenance system is there to make it easier for the municipality: it's also there to protect the residents. There's no reason that a sign that's out of date, or doesn't work, should be out where residents can see it and possibly be misled by it.
A good system will ensure that these signs are taken down when needed or that employees will be alerted when there's an issue. If traffic lights are wrong, and people don't pay attention, it can lead to death. These are important, so having an automated system makes it easier.
The worst thing a government of any size can do is put something off when they know it'll be good for the residents in their area. So instead of waiting, consider getting a good system so that employees can know they're respected and residents are kept safe.
