Endorsed at the April council meeting, the draft plan outlines how council will manage the maintenance, inspection and repair of public roads and associated roadside assets under its responsibility.
It sets out standards for inspection intervals, response times and maintenance practices, and ensures council meets its obligations under the Road Management Act 2004 and Road Management (General) Regulations 2016.
The motion was forwarded by Cr Sam Spinks, who called the plan a vital piece of work.
“When I saw this come to us in briefings, I realised this Draft Road Management Plan could be called the pothole plan,” she said.
“Most of the time, we really don’t think about roads until there’s a pothole out front of our property or bothering us on the way to work ... but the question has to always be asked, are we (council) doing it well enough and are we doing it right?”
The plan was updated using a new template developed by the Municipal Association of Victoria, designed to improve consistency in how councils approach road management.
This was done as per advice from council’s risk team, with the changes ensuring council’s ability to meet its duty of care to all road users.
Minor updates have been made to the existing plan, including formatting improvements, clarification of roles and responsibilities, and alignment with MAV’s benchmarked recommendations.
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said maintaining the road network was essential.
“This updated Road Management Plan ensures we have a consistent, transparent and evidence-based approach to inspecting and repairing our roads, and it gives the public a clear understanding of the service levels they can expect,” he said.
“We are encouraging all residents, especially those in rural areas and those who frequently use council-managed roads, to have their say during the consultation period.”
The consultation process is open for 28 days, from now until Friday, May 23.
This gives the community the chance to provide feedback before the final plan is presented to council for adoption at the June council meeting.
Feedback can be provided at tinyurl.com/4ws6mxac
Submissions can also be made in writing by emailing council@shepparton.vic.gov.au
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