Victorian regional roads are consistently heralded as some of the worst in Australia. Now, following the RACV’s recent ‘My Country Road’ survey results, there is a genuine argument to be made that they’re also the nation’s most unsafe.
The quality of regional roads across Australia is a deep-rooted issue that transcends state borders. Lower quality roads lead to worse road safety outcomes, increased vehicle damage, and a considerably worse experience for those who consistently drive those routes – especially for heavy vehicle operators who rely on the country’s road network to survive.
Australian truckies deserve as smooth, safe and high-quality tarmac as possible on which to tread their travels. Whether it’s the Queensland Trucking Association joining the chorus to ‘Fix the Bruce’, continuing works on the Outback Way through Australia’s heartland, or recently announced updates to the Sturt Highway Upgrade Project, regional road improvements are constantly being made around the country.
In Victoria though, the My Country Road survey made a damning assessment of safety perception of roads in the state’s regions. Of over 7000 respondents to the survey, 64 per cent of participants identified poor road quality and potholes as a major safety issue on the road.
In comparison, 32 per cent cited dangerous behaviours of other drivers as a top issue, while 29 per cent believe narrow roads and lanes are a major contributor.
60 per cent also believe the improvement of Victoria’s regional roads should be the main, statewide priority for improving road safety.
How, then, has this problem been allowed to get so dire – and what’s being done about it?
The current Victorian Labor government has claimed extensive and unprecedented flooding is the key disruptor for the state’s regional road quality and says the My Country Road report reveals information the government is already aware of.
“This report tells us what we already know – that the major weather events of the past few years have had a big impact on our roads and what were once considered once-in-a-generation flood events are becoming commonplace,” a spokesperson for the Victorian government tells ATN.
“We know the important role that roads play in the lives of all Victorians, and that’s why we’ll continue to repair and rebuild roads across the state as part of the upcoming maintenance program.”
Victoria’s Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Transport – and member for Sale – Danny O’Brien has rubbished the state government’s claims of floods as the cause of the state’s road regression. In a recent press release he stated “recent rainfall data for Victoria over the past 50 years shows no clear trend of increased rainfall that would explain such a dramatic reduction in the condition of our roads”.
O’Brien tells ATN he believes the state of Victoria’s regional roads has been allowed to deteriorate at the expense of metropolitan Melbourne’s Big Build.
“It is galling to see cost over-runs of $40 billion on Big Build projects in the city yet many of our regional roads are little more than goat tracks,” O’Brien he says.
“There is no doubt more money needs to be spent on periodic road maintenance in Victoria – at the very least, the Labor Government cuts of previous years need to be reversed.
“The Nationals and Liberals committed to $10 billion over 10 years for maintenance at the last election and we still believe that is necessary. In addition, we need to see better accountability for VicRoads and its contractors in the work they do to ensure that roadworks are completed to a high level of quality and taxpayers are not forking out repeatedly to fix shoddy work.
“We believe there is a greater opportunity to utilise the skills and research of the National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO) to build better roads that last longer and deliver savings to Victorian taxpayers.”
Outside of the government debates that look set to continue within the walls of the state parliament, what needs to happen for this issue to be solved?
The longer quick and swift action is not taken, the worse the problem will become – and the higher potential there will be for continued damage to Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet.
This 2024 My Country Road survey was the most responded to version of the survey in history with the most recent prior edition coming in 2021, and RACV Head of Policy James Williams believes the huge increase in responses comes as a result of the heightening concern around the state’s road quality.
“The 2024 My Country Road survey received the most responses it ever has, up more than 75 per cent from the 2021 survey respondents. RACV believes this increase comes from Victorians’ concern for the quality and safety of regional roads and the requirement for urgent improvement, as opposed to a significant increase in safe motorists,” Williams tells ATN.
“Receiving data and insights from Victorians with local knowledge of the roads that were identified as having safety issues has been invaluable in highlighting the state’s most unsafe roads.
“As a road safety advocate and with RACV’s long history in Victoria, we take the results of these surveys seriously to understand Victorians’ areas of concerns when it comes to road safety, mobility, and home.”
The results of this survey won’t just idle. It will be used to advise future policy and funding towards regional road projects the likes of O’Brien, current State Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne and other local, state and federally elected officials will debate.
“As with previous survey results from the Have your say series, RACV will share insights from the My Country Road survey with all levels of government and will work constructively on beneficial outcomes,” Williams continues.
“RACV uses the results from this survey to advocate for improvements to help make roads safer by closely examining what Victorians think are the most prevalent and contributing factors to unsafe road conditions and how these change during each survey cycle.
“Federal and the Victorian state governments need to further invest in maintenance and upgrades of the regional road network, and RACV supports an increase in funding and investment in infrastructure safety programs to make regional road networks as safe as possible.”
The quality of Victoria’s roads be be a continually rising concern among regional road users, but to say nothing is being done to try and improve them would be an outright false truth.
Williams says the importance of the survey is evidenced by the fact the 2021 edition has been consistently acted upon over the past three years.
“We know highlighting the roads of concern can get results for communities,” Williams says.
“Since the 2021 survey, 16 of the 31 regional roads identified as having safety concerns have seen upgrades commence or be committed to by government, while six of those roads appeared again in the 2024 survey.”
So, when – and how – the results of this survey impact Victoria’s regional road projects remains to be seen, but given the outcomes from the 2021 survey results, the worst regional roads in the state could and should be set for impending upgrades.
Here’s hoping, at least.
To view the full results of RACV’s My Country Road survey, click here.
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