That’s why state Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland is advocating for a change in road maintenance strategies in the coming year.
Ms Cleeland urges the Victorian Government to rethink its spending on road resurfacing and rehabilitation in light of alarming figures in the 2024 state budget.
The budget reports show a significant decline in the area of roads slated for resurfacing, plummeting from nine million square metres two years ago to three million this year.
At the same time, the budget for road maintenance has fallen to 18 per cent of last year’s allocation, shrinking from $201.4 million to $37.6 million statewide.
“Every week, I am contacted by people in our community who have grave concerns about roads in our region,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Despite these concerns, Labor has consistently decreased their road maintenance budget while being happy to blame the potholes and crumbling roadsides on bad weather.”
Ms Cleeland argued that a well-funded maintenance program could better protect the roadways from weather-related damage.
“Re-sealing protects the road network against water penetration that causes potholes and damaged roads,” she said.
“By not doing this essential preventative maintenance, this government is creating a ticking time bomb that will rear its head sooner rather than later.”
Her statements were supported by the RACV My Country Road 2024 report, highlighting some of the state’s worst roads.
The Goulburn Valley Hwy from Nagambie to Shepparton ranked as the fourth most mentioned road concerning safety, while the Kilmore-Lancefield Rd landed in the 13th spot for similar issues.
“It’s getting to the point where it would be easier to list which roads haven’t been mentioned,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Funding to maintain and rehabilitate our roads cannot decline any further.
“I hope to see this matter re-addressed in 2025 so that our drivers can safely and comfortably travel on our regional roads.”
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