Ruinous roads risk driver safety
Crumbling roads are presenting a risk to driver safety, with recent wet weather, and a chronic underfunding of maintenance, resulting in countless large potholes and perilous road shoulders throughout the Ovens Valley.
Nationals Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, said that the state of the roads is disgraceful, and urgent action needs to be taken to fix them.
“It is clear to see that funding for roads maintenance, especially in regional area, has been cut.
“Our roads are unsafe to travel on and it needs to be addressed. Many locals have paid thousands of dollars to fix damage to their cars or had a near miss just from trying to avoid a pothole or dropping off the crumbling shoulders.
“In terms of road maintenance, we say enough is enough. We must ensure that we have a government that will ensure regional roads are getting the maintenance they need.”
The Nationals have committed to multiple road maintenance funding methods, including $10 billion over the next 10 years for maintenance, and restoring the Country Roads and Bridges program.
Mr McCurdy said that only a Nationals Government will ensure that Ovens Valley locals get their fair share of funding.
“We have guaranteed that if we win Government, our roads will get a much-needed maintenance blitz by ensuring our roads budget can meet the demands of our road network,
“We will also restore the much needed and very successful country roads and bridges program, which will help to alleviate maintenance costs on councils, putting downward pressure on rates.
“Labor have had eight years to get it right,” said Mr McCurdy.
“Yet somehow, we find ourselves worse off now than we were in 2014. We have been neglected by a Government and Premier that refuses to spend money outside of the tram tracks in Melbourne.
“Only a Nationals Government will ensure our roads get the funding they deserve.”