Repeated funding cuts by the Labor Government has seen roads across the northern Victoria region deteriorate to an appalling standard, with new data showing 91 per cent of roads across the state are now classified as being in “poor” or “very poor” condition.
It comes as it has been revealed more than 540 roads across the state are subject to speed reductions because the road surface itself is so dangerous.
Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said Labor’s 45 per cent cut to the roads maintenance budget since 2020 was directly to blame for our crumbling roads.
“Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage major projects and it’s the roads in our region that that are suffering,” Ms Cleeland said.
“We are in desperate need of investment into the roads budget, particularly for the improvement of these damaged roads rather than patch-up maintenance that continues to wash away every time floods or heavy traffic occur.
“We’ve already heard from our local councils that the most recent floods have washed away most of the patch-up road repairs that were done following the 2022 floods.
“This is not a cycle that needs to continue; it’s time this Allan Labor Government cares for the lives of Victorians and invests in repairing these roads properly.”
Liberal Member for Northern Metropolitan Evan Mulholland said locals were also being inconvenienced by speed reductions due to the Labor’s financial mismanagement.
“Data provided to Parliament by the Department of Transport shows there are 480 roads in regional Victoria and a further 61 in the metropolitan area subject to speed limit reductions or other warnings because the road surface is so poor,” Mr Mulholland said.
“On top of this, a road condition assessment conducted for the State Government by the National Transport Research Organisation showed 91 per cent of roads surveyed with in either poor or very poor condition in 2023, while there were no roads classified as good or very good.
“Despite knowing this, Labor cut the maintenance spend by a further 25 per cent in this year’s State Budget because they can’t manage money.
“Labor’s must restore road maintenance funding in the upcoming budget or our roads will just get worse.”