News

Roads | July 25, 2023

Stay safe on our local roads

Recent wet weather has seen roads across regional Victoria falling apart at the seams, with more potholes than ever before and particularly dangerous sections of roads and highways remaining unrepaired for months at a time.

Deputy Leader of the Nationals and Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said potholes were appearing faster than ever before on roads across the Lowan electorate, while Victoria’s annual road maintenance budget continued to be cut.

“Under the Andrews Labor Government we have seen the annual roads maintenance budget slashed by $380 million or 45 per cent since 2020,” Ms Kealy said.

“The condition of our roads has become increasingly dire, with many sections littered with potholes and permanent speed reductions in place in some areas because the surface is so dangerous.

“My office continues to be contacted almost every day by members of the Lowan community concerned about the continued degradation of our local roads.

“We have seen the road death toll across Victoria skyrocket this year and we need to remember that this is not just a statistic, but real people like you and me being directly impacted by the sudden loss of a loved family member or friend.

“I am totally committed to continuing my push for more funding for our regional roads and encourage locals to write to the Treasurer and Roads Minister and remind them of the importance of good quality roads in our regions to ensure all road users get home safety.

“What we are seeing under the Federal and State Labor governments is an alarming trend of funding cuts on critical regional roads infrastructure, with Victorian’s being punished for the Andrews Labor Governments financial incompetence.”