Warrock’s Sophie Simson says local roads are life-threatening

EVEN the half-hearted efforts at repairs to roads near our farm don’t last, writes SOPHIE SIMSON.

THE Victorian roads that surround our family farm in the Western District are a disgrace.

People are putting their lives at risk travelling on them every day.

And the Casterton-Apsley Road we use regularly is no exception.

Sophie Simson

For years now the roads have had huge potholes, disintegrating road edges and in general are just not safe to drive on.

Half-hearted roadworks have attempted to patch problem areas but most efforts are ruined within a week or two and the roads are back to their poor conditions, if not worse.

The maintenance of our roads has been absent for years now.

RELATED COVERAGE

SPECIAL REPORT: RISK MOUNTS AS COUNTRY ROADS CRUMBLE

EDITORIAL: IT’S JUST NOT SAFE

My husband remembers seeing drains being dug out regularly when he was a school student — but I don’t remember seeing this is the almost 10 years I have lived here.

No wonder the edges are disintegrating and the roads are narrowing.

Water has nowhere to drain away so it seeps under the bitumen and ruins the foundations and potholes continue to form.

Our roads need to be fixed properly.

I, along with many other residents along the Casterton-Apsley Road, have a young family.

I am constantly worrying about travelling with my two young children, so much so, that my 10 month old is still rearward-facing in his car seat, and will be for as long as he can.

I believe this is the safest position for him to be in case of an accident, which I feel the chances are high.

I often wonder how the school bus drivers feel, driving along such poor roads, with so many children’s lives in their hands.

Many accidents have happened on this road, sadly including fatalities.

Just a few weeks ago a young man in his mid 20s was involved in a horrific accident on his way to work, allegedly due to a truck coming over the wrong side of the road.

I regularly have to slow down when passing oncoming trucks as they are forced to hug or straddle the white centre line as the roads are so narrow, thanks to the disintegrating edges.

I now factor 20-30 minutes on top of my already long drives because I can’t travel at normal speeds safely any more.

Every time I have family or friends come to visit, I always have to remind them “please drive carefully — the roads are terrible and there are so many trucks”.

Our roads are in desperate need of fixing and we need more funds.

•  Sophie Simson is a Warrock resident.