A new road safety campaign has been launched to find the worst roads in Gippsland.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien says the three-month campaign to Vote for Victoria’s Worst Road asks motorists to submit first-hand condition reports via an online portal to list the most dangerous hazards risking lives on our roads every single day.
Mr O’Brien said he was regularly contacted by locals complaining of roads with crumbling edges and potholes.
“Locals are understandably frustrated with just how rough and unsafe our neglected roads have become,” Mr O’Brien said.
“This campaign gives Gippslanders the opportunity to vote for the worst roads in the state, which will then be handed to Victoria’s Roads Minister to highlight priority areas for maintenance funds.”
Mr O’Brien said this new road safety campaign is a crucial opportunity to highlight the worst of the neglect in our local area to make sure Gippsland’s problem roads are a priority when funds are finally delivered for road upgrades.
“This is a government made up of MPs like Eltham Labor MP Vicki Ward who stood up in Parliament and claimed that any views that country roads are bad were “imagined fantasies”.
“Clearly, they need a reality check and since most Labor MPs forget the state extends past the tram lines we need to show them exactly what sort of condition our regional roads are in.”
The State Labor Government carved nearly $200 million from road asset maintenance in last year’s State Budget alone, a 25 per cent cut down to $616 million.
Since 2014, Daniel Andrews has also axed the Country Roads and Bridges maintenance program and abolished a key joint parliamentary committee that had overseen road safety since 1967.
Shadow Minister for Roads Steph Ryan urged drivers to have their say to expose the problems.
“Properly maintained roads are safer roads,” Ms Ryan said.
“Fixing the maintenance backlog won’t be an easy task – as the Victorian Auditor-General says, poorly-maintained roads cost more to repair, cost motorists more in fuel and in vehicle repairs, on top of the safety risk.
“Only a change in Government in November will stop the waste and mismanagement, with a better managed budget delivering savings that can contribute to reversing Labor’s cuts.”
To submit a road visit the online portal at Vicsworstroad.vote