Victoria’s “frustrating” broken roads

Two of Victoria’s highest-ranking public servants have delivered a stunning rebuke of both the funding and maintenance of the state’s regional road network.

Two of Victoria’s highest-ranking public servants have delivered a stunning rebuke of both the funding and maintenance of the state’s regional road network.

Meanwhile, it has been disclosed that damaged roads are being investigated as a potential contributing factor in at least two recent fatal accidents in regional Victoria.

Victoria Police assistant commissioner, road policing command, Glenn Weir said officers were “constantly” alerting road authorities or local councils to the parlous condition of Victoria’s road network.

“We are (aware of safety issues with potholes), we are always seeing reports of collisions, and we are investigating a couple of serious ones where the road infrastructure is part of the investigation,” he said.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

“It is frustrating, we have had extreme weather, we have had a whole range of things that our friends at Infrastructure are telling us that are impacting, but it is always part of our investigation.”

According to a police spokesperson, the two fatalities were the New Year’s Eve death of a motorcyclist near Shepparton, “when her bike struck a pothole and lost control”, and the January 7 death of a female motorcyclist who crashed into a tree near Darramin, in the state’s east.

Meanwhile, Regional Roads Victoria’s chief Paul Northey said there was a current shortfall in money available for regional road repair, with major flooding late last year a key contributing factor.

“There is no doubt we will have to look at what additional dollars we will need in terms of recovery and getting the rebuilding program going after all the damage the floods have caused. I am expecting it will be significant dollars,” he told 3AW.

Regional Roads Victoria boss Paul Northey. Picture: Andy Rogers

Mr Northey said the $780 million annually allocated for road maintenance in Victoria had remained stagnant in recent years, with $470 million of the budgeted amount presently spent on regional roads.

A further $160 million was allocated by the Victorian government late last year to deal with priority flood repair works with over 120,000 potholes repaired.

A Victorian Government spokesperson said “any life lost on our roads is one too many and our thoughts are with anyone who has been impacted by road trauma”.

The spokesperson said the government is making “record” investments in maintaining Victoria’s roads, “but we know that there’s always more to do”.

Nationals leader Peter Walsh said the state government must commit increased and sustained funding for road maintenance beyond those released for the post-floods blitz.