Fix it: The state of Doyles Rd has drawn the attention of motorists and politicians alike.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell and Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed have both called on Victorian Roads Minister Ben Carroll to order repairs on Doyles Rd and review the maintenance plan for the road.
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The road is littered with potholes and has deteriorated severely in parts, especially between Poplar Ave and the Broken River.
Ms Lovell called for the maintenance plan to be updated due to how frequently the road, which is Shepparton’s major bypass for heavy vehicles, needed repairs.
“Any repairs to the road last no longer than six months and with a recent near collision caused by large potholes, I call on the minister to intervene and order a review of the program so the road is safe for motorists to use,” she said.
“The constant deterioration and repairing of Doyles Rd has been an issue for local motorists for over two years, and clearly something is not working with the road’s maintenance program.”
Crumbling: Repairs on Doyles Rd are said to last no longer than six months.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Ms Lovell said she had recently been contacted by a constituent, whose wife had suffered two blown tyres and wheel damage when she hit large potholes while travelling on Doyles Rd last week.
Ms Lovell described the frightening experience for the motorist, who was forced on to the wrong side of the road and narrowly avoided a head-on collision.
Ms Sheed said constituents were frequently contacting her about the poor state of the road.
Speaking after parliamentary question time on Wednesday, Ms Sheed said she was concerned that road users could not avoid the “crumbling potholes” when faced with oncoming traffic, as there was little room to pull over on the verge.
“I am concerned that the lives of our road users are at risk, and it is only a matter of time before these potholes cause a serious collision,” Ms Sheed said.
“Truck drivers have to travel at the reduced speed of 40km per hour, which adds time to their daily route and risks damage to their vehicles every day.”
