Potholes a clear and present danger for cyclists on Wagga roads

Wagga cyclist Gethin Thomas rides all over town and said the problem had been "getting progressively worse" over the past few months.

"Lots of roads are really bad right now," he said.

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"I've dodged around potholes at the last minute and I've been with riders when they've damaged their bikes by hitting them.

"On one occasion I only just missed one and the guy behind me hit the hole."

Mr Thomas said these accidents could cost cyclists a lot of money.

"I know several people who have damaged their wheels because they have hit potholes," he said.

"Most of the people I ride with use pretty decent bikes so if you break a wheel it is quite expensive. For example, a set of carbon wheels can cost up to $1000."

While acknowledging potholes do get repaired around Wagga, Mr Thomas said they were not always fixed property and they just "open up again". He said some particularly bad areas around town included Byrnes Road towards Junee and Inglewood Road around Forest Hill.

"Byrnes Road has always been a shocker and it's only getting worse now," he said.

"A lot of trucks travel out to the big container depot there and there are potholes right across the road, so it's really hard to stay to one side, and I often see flat tyres from people hitting them there."

Mr Thomas said Inglewood Road also had several sections with numerous potholes.

Tolland Cycling Club president Will Silver agreed potholes were an issue, but said it came down to funding and agreed council had done a lot for cyclists in recent times. "The new $9.2 million Pomingalarna Multisport Cycling Complex is purpose built for cyclists and it has been getting some good use," Mr Silver said. "That means there less reason for recreational riders to ride on the road."

Mr Silver agreed people wanted to see progress in fixing roads around the city, but said council was already doing that. "What council has just done [in resurfacing] Dobney and Pearson streets has been needed for quite some time and it's great to see," he said.

Wagga Cycling Club member James Vickers agreed council had done a lot for cyclists recently.

"Thanks to council and their active travel plan I don't ride on sealed roads anymore," he said. "I still ride off-road and head out onto dirt roads, but I no longer mix with cars and traffic." As part of council's active travel plan it is installing 56 kilometres of designated bike lanes on selected roads across Wagga.

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