Dodgy roads, dumped rubbish: What Victorians are most annoyed by in their suburb

Dumped rubbish, dodgy roads and overgrown trees are among the biggest frustrations Victorians want solved. What do you think?

Dumped rubbish, dodgy roads and overgrown trees are among the biggest frustrations Victorians want solved in their neighbourhood, new data has revealed.

So far this year, more than 120,000 reports have been made to councils and other responsible agencies about ratepayer gripes across the state.

The reports were made via the Snap Send Solve app – which allows people to take photos of public property that needs fixing and send it to the appropriate authority within 30 seconds.

Reports made through the app have grown dramatically over the past two years, which chief executive Danny Gorog attributes to residents becoming more engaged in their area throughout the pandemic.

“What we’ve found is throughout the lockdowns and 5km restrictions, people became more conscious about the area they’re in,” he said.

“There’s been an increase in reports made about the most obvious issues, like rubbish, vandalism and safety issues, as residents want to take pride in their suburbs.”

Figures from January to October reveal 43,456 reports were made statewide about rubbish and dumping – the largest issue by far.

Rounding out the top five were 22,278 reports about overgrown vegetation, 20,812 for parking and cars, 19,181 complaints of abandoned trolleys and 14,757 for graffiti and vandalism.

Mr Gorog said reports on dumped rubbish had risen by about 60 per cent since 2021, while vandalism had more than doubled.

“We know that 74 per cent of people notice issues in their community but only 31 per cent actually report them,” he said.

“Snap Send Solve makes community reporting simple and straightforward leading to safer and cleaner communities.”

“Councils and other agencies like public transport, power companies and telcos rely on locals because they can’t be everywhere at once. The faster an issue is reported the faster it can be fixed.”

Dumped rubbish, similar to this on Rosstown Rd in Carnegie, is Victoria’s most reported issue. Picture: Tim Carrafa

About 80 per cent of issues reported through the app are “resolved”, with most occurring in a two to four week time frame.

Figures from across the State reveal Melburnians are most concerned about rubbish and council facilities, while regional residents are frustrated by roads and signage.

Melbourne’s southern region, which includes the areas around Cardinia, Casey, Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, are Victoria’s most prolific reporters – lodging almost 200,000 issues since 2021.

Disability support worker Alicia Evans, from Essendon in Melbourne’s inner north, says she began using Snap Send Solve three years ago to report problems she saw while on her commute.

“It’s great, I didn’t have the time to ring up and complain to the council so I’d leave things thinking someone else would get to it,” she said.

“But it‘s really addictive when you report it and come by later to see it fixed.”