A stretch of potholes on the Goulburn Valley Hwy on July 1.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
The region’s roads have been described as “knackered”, “a catastrophe” and “falling apart” in a Facebook comments section, as the state of regional highways dominates local discussion.
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Following a period of increased rainfall, current conditions of frequently travelled roads, such as the Goulburn Valley Hwy and Hume Fwy, have been criticised, as new potholes and stretches of rough surfaces are uncovered.
Taking to socials, the Telegraph asked its Facebook community members on Tuesday, July 7 to share their experiences on local roads.
By Wednesday, over 80 comments had been posted in response.
Potholes were a core topic of discussion, with Chantal Braithwaite writing that conditions on Seymour-Tooborac Rd nearing Puckapunyal Military Area had worsened with the rain.
“(The potholes) were bad before the rain, but during (it), you couldn’t see where was safe to drive and we hit them almost every time,” Chantal said.
“I’m surprised my tyres are still in one piece.”
Eugene Gigliotti shared his experience travelling on the Hume Fwy between Seymour and Euroa at about 7.30pm on Thursday, July 2 amid a downpour of rain.
“Blown tyre and damaged rim. Nearly got collected by passing trucks trying to do a wheel change. What will it take for someone to stand up? A fatality?” Eugene said.
Pedro Mac commented about “flow on damage”.
“Had my windscreen broken today with the car in front throwing up a stone from broken road surface pothole. Cost for repair (was) $2100,” Pedro said.
Following the recent rainfall, VICSES has upped its messaging around potholes, with Seymour unit controller Christine Welsh saying it’s important to report road damage.
“Report anything you see because, if it’s not reported, it’s not going to be fixed,” Ms Welsh said.
“The more you report it, the better it is for VicRoads and council to know where they are.”
She said the use of the Snap Send Solve app was useful in alerting the correct agency about particular potholes.
The depth of a pothole on the Goulburn Valley Hwy measured with a Sharpie on July 1.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has also issued a statement on the state’s “dangerous roads”.
She said her office had received almost 100 reports of dangerous road conditions.
“There is no longer the odd pothole. Across regional Victoria, our roads are literally falling apart, and families are paying the price for years of Labor neglect,” Ms Cleeland said.
“People don’t expect every road to be perfect, but they do expect dangerous roads to be repaired before they destroy cars or cause a fatal accident.”
A spokesperson said the Victorian Government had invested the largest amount in the state’s history on road repairs.
“Over the past two years, we have invested nearly $2 billion — the largest investment in Victoria’s history — to rebuild and repair the roads that people depend on every single day, with 70 per cent of that funding directed to regional Victoria,” the spokesperson said.
“This is the biggest roads blitz in the state’s history — we’re fixing more potholes than last year and delivering more complex rebuilding and rehabilitation works to strengthen roads for the long term.”
