News

Roads | August 16, 2019

Signage hazard on the Henty Highway

A local bus driver has counted 29 road hazard signs on the 57 kilometre stretch of the Henty Highway between Horsham and Warracknabeal.

The driver and a number of other local constituents have contacted The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy concerned that the road hazard signs are presenting as much of a safety hazard as the deteriorating road surface.

The same driver has also counted 670 road patches, an average of one every 83 metres, on the same stretch of highway.

Ms Kealy said the highway was just one example of the continuing deterioration of major regional roads and where the use of multiple road hazard signs would appear to be a deliberate ploy to avoid fixing the road.

“This incredible amount of road hazard signs, approximately one every two kilometres, is a clear statement that the Henty Highway is in urgent need of repair,” Ms Kealy said.

“For many of our local residents our regional road network is their daily workplace.

“It is simply not good enough that our roads are so poorly maintained that our local people are putting their lives at risk just doing their job, taking the kids to school or going to footy or netball training.    

“With Victoria’s rural road toll currently 80% higher than last year, it is critical that we receive a commitment from Labor to urgently fix major regional roads like the Henty Highway.

“Labor doesn’t hesitate to throw millions of dollars at Melbourne’s roads but we are getting peanuts to halt the degradation of our rural road network and reverse this alarming trend.

“There are no second chances when it comes to road safety and for every week the government fails to act the more local lives are being placed at risk.

“Local residents just want our roads to be fixed properly to give them the safe roads they are entitled to and deserve.

“I am calling on the Minister for Roads to immediately undertake the necessary maintenance works to make the Henty Highway safe and enable the hazardous signage to be removed.”