By KATRINA BRANDON
IF you are from the regional or rural Victoria, you are no stranger to potholes.
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has put a call out to regional and rural drivers to “call in” about hazardous roads.
VFF president Ryan Milgate went on 3AW recently, talking about the road blitz.
“We have been talking to the government about the state of our roads, and we’ve recently just been told that ‘We’re not getting any reports, your roads must be fine’,” he said.
“We’ve taken the challenge on and we’re challenging everyone, not just VFF members, but anyone out there … let’s flood the reporting lines and show the government exactly what our roads are like out here.”
The call followed new analysis by the VFF showing a shock 75 per cent drop in Victoria’s road repair target in just five years.
Mr Milgate said every report would help demonstrate the scale of Victoria’s regional road crisis.
“Victoria’s country roads are the worst they have ever been, from the Murray River in the north to the coast in the south and west to the SA border. Many are literally falling apart and some are straight-up death traps,” he said.
“It’s a sobering fact that when driving on country roads, you’re five times more likely to lose your life than when driving in the city. We have had over a generation of inaction on rural road infrastructure and that needs addressing urgently.
“Regional roads stakeholders met with the Roads Minister recently, and received a clear message that local reporting is critical to get repairs prioritised. That’s why we’re calling for this ‘Regional road reporting blitz’.
Every report helps demonstrate the shocking condition of our regional roads and sends a clear message that these roads cannot continue to be ignored.
“Our aim is to show how bad our roads have become. No longer are dangerous roads an isolated problem, it’s a widespread issue and the more we report it, the louder our calls become to get them fixed.”
Not long after the blitz was launched, the Victorian Coalition said it would commit $5b to fix crumbling roads.
“Any commitment to increase funding for road maintenance and rebuilding is sorely needed and very welcome. Farmers, transport operators and regional communities rely on safe, reliable roads every single day, and we’ve been calling for governments of all persuasions to reverse a generation of neglect and make fixing our road network a priority,” Mr Milgate said.
The VFF also welcomed the Coalition’s commitment to establish Better Roads Victoria, saying a dedicated body focused on road maintenance could help restore confidence in the state’s road network.
It should be noted that the vast majority of roads funding is actually used to fix roads and not tied up in red-tape and middle management.
Victorian Budget figures revealed:
Planned road resurfacing and rehabilitation works in regional Victoria have been cut dramatically over the past five years, and;
Targets for regional road resurfacing and rehabilitation have fallen from 11,800 thousand square metres in 2021-22 to just 2859 thousand square metres in 2026-27, a reduction of more than 75 per cent.
“The government’s own numbers show regional roads are being left behind. A more than 75 per cent reduction in planned resurfacing and rehabilitation works is unacceptable,” Mr Milgate said.
“Temporary patches are no substitute for rebuilding roads properly and drivers, farmers and all of our rural communities are paying the price.”
Drivers can go to: https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/traffic-and-road-use/report-a-road-issue, call 13 11 70 or upload their shots to Snap, Send, Solve to report hazards including potholes, damaged road surfaces, faded line markings and damaged signs.
