Rural Councils Victoria says new thinking needed over rural road funding

The Victorian Government has responded to a RACV survey of rough regional roads, saying “major weather events” are to blame.

Greater transparency is needed over where state dollars go to repair rural roads, the head of Rural Councils Victoria says.

RCV chairwoman Mary-Ann Brown said many councils statewide outlined the specific expenditure on local road projects, an initiative the state government could emulate.

Her comments follow the release of an RACV survey of the state’s worst roads, which determined regional Victoria’s most dangerous road was located near the Yarra Valley.

The Melba Highway from Coldstream to Yea received the most responses to the RACV survey regarding safety concerns, followed by Tylden-Woodend Road, located northwest of Melbourne.

Mrs Brown said boosting funding to regional thoroughfares was clearly needed but also transparency over where the cash was apportioned.

“Potholed roads and poorly maintained surfaces are a source of huge frustration and have been for many years,” she said.

“The government does provide information on how much it spends on roads and locations but that information is through different channels at different times.

“A central source, whether that’s a report put out each year or a website with all the road projects being undertaken would be welcome.

“I know with councils, the spending on road projects and the kilometres resurfaced — details like that— are included in annual reports. Something along those lines would be a good thing for transparency over where the funding goes.”

Victorian Roads MinisterMelissa Horne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

State Roads Minister Melissa Horne was contacted by The Weekly Times for comment.

A ministerial spokeswoman said: “This report tells us what we already know – that the major weather events of the past few years have had a big impact on our roads and what were once considered once-in-a-generation flood events are becoming commonplace.

“We know the important role that roads play in the lives of all Victorians, and that’s why we’ll continue to repair and rebuild roads across the state as part of the upcoming maintenance program.”

As of March this year, 480 regional roads were currently subjected to speed limit reductions or driver warnings due to their poor state.

They include large stretches of road at Bullangarook, in central Victoria, and in Longford, in eastern Victoria, which have been reduced from 100km to 60kmh.

A further 61 metropolitan sites were also under restricted use, totalling almost 840km of the total road network.

Originally published as Rural Councils Victoria says new thinking needed over rural road funding