Hunter Liberal candidates for Maitland council want more money for road maintenance and an annual report on roadworks across the city.

Their aim is to raise the standard of the city’s road network.

They identified Alexandra Avenue, Rutherford, as an example of a road in desperate need of attention.

It was re-built eight years ago, with a life expectancy of 25 years.

But the June 2007 storms brought “premature failing”.

Hunter Liberals’ spokesman and east ward candidate Cr Bob Geoghegan said the candidates wanted a better standard of road maintenance, pothole patching, heavy patching and reconstruction in the next term of the council.

Developers were responsible for building roads, but repair was the council’s responsibility.

“The standard of roads is all about the amount of money spent on them and how efficiently it is spent,” Cr Geoghegan said.

“Residents want to see a higher standard of road repairs, with fewer premature failings, more quality control and more accountability.

“Residents are sick and tired of re-appearing potholes.

“They want to see less pot-hole patching and more heavy permanent patching.”

The candidates criticised the State’s contribution to the city’s main roads.

“The upgrading of our main roads has not kept pace with our increasing population,” Cr Geoghegan said.

“The council must continue to advocate as strongly as possible for the completion of major Roads and Traffic Authority works such as the third Hunter River crossing, the F3 extension and improvements for better traffic flow on the New England Highway.

“There are even simple solutions for some traffic flow problems, such as improving the scheduling of traffic lights to ensure a smoother flow of traffic through high congestion spots such as Rutherford.”