Grey nomads will need no reminding that Australia has got a serious pothole problem, and most are pretty sceptical when new road-fixing initiatives are announced.
The Victorian Government is the latest to declare war on broken bitumen, using last month’s budget to announce a record $1.04 billion to rebuild, repair and resurface roads across the state.
It claimed that would be enough to get rid of 200,000 potholes, 200,000 graffiti tags, and much more … and it vowed 70% of the funds would go to regional Victoria.
However, the Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) organisation said the $1bn funding fell well short of what was needed to fix a network that was failing motorists. RCV Chair Cr Ben Blain described the investment as ‘a band-aid on a bullet hole’.
Pothole problems are a fact of travelling life. PIC: Odejacob / Pixabay
“Most of our regional arterial roads are reaching the end of their design life, they don’t just need patching, they need rebuilding,” he said. “This is what happens when you keep putting band-aids on roads that are structurally failing, it’s more expensive in the long run, and it’s putting safety and productivity at risk right now.”
Cr Blain said workers, families and visitors in regional areas deserved better.
“We’ve seen hundreds of billions poured into metro transport projects while our regional roads deteriorate,” he said. “It’s time to stop patching yesterday’s roads and start building tomorrow’s network right across our state.”
WIN IT-FIT CARAVAN SHEETS
Grey Nomad members are being given the chance to win some specially made caravan sheets, courtesy of competition sponsor, It-Fits.
It-Fits caravan sheets are made from soft, 100%-Australian, cotton jersey and naturally stretch and flex to adapt to different mattress shapes and sizes without needing custom-made sheets. They fit rounded corners, narrow caravan beds, bunk mattresses, and non-standard sizes while still staying smooth and secure.
Click here to learn more about the competition and how to enter.
