#FixVicRoads: Ballan local furious after copping $5000 pothole damage bill

Ballan local Stuart Brown is demanding the government “look after the basics” after a series of potholes left him thousands out of pocket — and he’s still waiting for answers. WATCH THE VIDEO

The Herald Sun wasn’t much more than an hour into its hunt for Victoria’s worst road before stumbling upon the first contender: The state government-owned and operated Western Fwy entry ramp from Geelong-Ballan Rd.

The stretch could have qualified as abstract art with its jarring canvas of tar band-aids and divots that forced drivers to grip their wheel tighter as they pushed to 100km/h.

The Western Fwy entry ramp from Geelong-Ballan Rd is littered in potholes. Picture: Mark Stewart

Archive map images show the road has been in such a sorry state for at least two years.

“The only place to go is the pothole,” Ballan local Stuart Brown told us.

And where tyres go flat, so do paychecks.

Mr Brown has forked out more than $5000 in repairs to his two cars due to the poor condition of the roads in the last two-and-a-half years alone.

“I’ve managed to hit three potholes at least, two with a car with low profile tyres,” he said.

“This has meant buying twelve new tires, and one of my cars is now (also) getting some front suspension work.

“Each set of new tires on the Discovery were about $1800, on the sedan about $1200 and there’s over $1000 worth of suspension work happening right now.”

Ballan local Stuart Brown has spent over $5000 on replacement tyres across multiple cars due to poor quality Victorian roads. Picture: Mark Stewart

Mr Brown urged the Allan government to “look after the basics” before splashing money on other projects.

“We’ve got a government who cut road funding by 95 per cent - they don’t care,” he said.

“It’s ironic when (politicians) talk about road safety. One of the big things for road safety is decent roads.”

“Around this area, there have been potholes that have been neglected for a very long time. Some have taken 12-14 months to get filled.”

Roads are cracking and broken across Victoria. Picture: Mark Stewart

Stuart Brown says the government should focus on ‘the basics’. Picture: Mark Stewart

When queried over the condition of the entry ramp, the Department of Transport said: “We have crews out undertaking inspections on the Western Freeway at least twice a week.”

“In the two years to May 2025, we’ve repaired more than 1340 potholes and completed more than 12,560 square metres of repair works on the Western Freeway between Ballan and Ballarat.”

Join the Herald Sun’s Fix Victorian Roads movement by using the hashtag #FixVicRoads on social media.

Originally published as #FixVicRoads: Ballan local furious after copping $5000 pothole damage bill