Service Spotlight: He’s been everywhere, man

If there’s one person who knows the roads and footpaths of the Surf Coast Shire better than most, it’s Darren McLachlan.

As Council’s civil operations proactive inspector for the past 10 years, Darren has driven every kilometre of the shire’s 1,077km road network many times over.

And he’s lost count of how many times he’s walked or ridden his postie bike along the shire’s footpaths.

Darren plays a key role in helping Council maintain roads and paths to a safe and accessible standard for the community and meeting the commitments in our Road Management Plan.

Whether it’s potholes, damaged road shoulders, corrugation on unsealed roads, or overhanging branches and trip hazards like steps along footpaths, Darren estimates he covers around 30,000km each year inspecting and reporting defects for repair.

“I get a list of roads to inspect each month,” Darren said.

“Some months it might be 1,500 inspections, others around 500 – it depends on the hierarchy classification and required inspection frequency for the roads and paths in our Road Management Plan.

“It definitely keeps me busy.”

The Road Management Plan also sets out the criteria for a defect to warrant repair. For example, a pothole must be 300mm wide and 50mm deep.

The proactive inspections help our team ensure the community has safer and well-maintained roads and footpaths.

Of the 1,111 completed repair jobs by Council in February, March and April this year, 61 per cent were reported by Darren. (With the remainder a result of community requests.)

All up, it’s likely he’ll identify close to 3,000 jobs by the end of the year.

“You can’t be everywhere all the time, but I think we do well considering the size of the area. Roads are expensive to maintain,” Darren said.

“Of course, there’s always room for improvement.”

While most days are spent working alone, and the roads come with their share of hazards – like kangaroos and unpredictable drivers – Darren says it’s still a very rewarding job.

“I enjoy the challenge of meeting monthly inspection deadlines; it's rewarding being self-managed and accountable to both myself and our leaders,” he said.

“I enjoy this role because you can see the results directly benefiting the community.”