Lancashire County Highwaymen

We at Salem Chapel have more reason than most to doubt the wisdom and competence of the County’s Highways Department. As well as rejecting our car park application on questionable grounds, here is another example of its acumen. Back in February, I reported that the sign on the A682 pointing to Martin Top had been knocked down. I logged back on this week to check progress. The update assured me that the case was now ‘closed’ as the sign had been put right. There is only one problem: the sign remains down.

I sent a complaint to identify why their staff think the sign was repaired, and which of them told a fib claiming to have done the work (Job Code 3903979). If you think me too harsh in my assessment of the department’s quality, it is worth recalling that the same sign was damaged back in 2022…and another false claim that it had been mended was submitted when it had not. I can therefore assert with confidence that Lancashire County Highways Department is incompetent and less than honest. It boasts:

We are responsible for the maintenance of 4,600 miles of highways and 5,300 miles of footpaths in Lancashire.

Most reassuring.

‘Highway’ is a word more likely used in North America than Great Britain, though it is not infrequently employed in the 1611 Authorised translation of the Bible. The most famous reference might be Isaiah 40:3:

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

This is a prophetic anticipation of John the Baptist’s ministry in his proclamation of the coming Christ. Thankfully, Lancashire County Council’s Highways Department were not awarded this particular contract; had it been, it might have marked the job as ‘closed’ before they had even bothered to go to the desert and started making straight.

The good news is that there is a highway to heaven; there is a gate through which, or rather through whom, we may pass. While other routes claim to offer competition and alternative destinations, and though many charged with keeping the way clear fail in their task, the door to heaven is still open. 

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

The work was finally completed mid-June. After further complaint, an apology was received for the time taken to respond.