They’re not satisfied with poor rural roads

WHETHER it’s local councils failing to deliver or State and Federal government’s not providing sufficient funding, Victoria’s rural roads aren’t coping.

And it’s rural residents and local business operators who are suffering most.

Shadow Minister for Roads, Steph Ryan, has taken the opportunity of some city media publicity to highlight that Victorians are sick of dodging dangerous hazards on the state’s poorly maintained road network.

“It’s become incredibly clear that the city-centric Labor’s Roads Minister actually needs to get out on Victoria’s roads and see firsthand the mess he is presiding over,” Ms Ryan said.

“Potholes and crumbling road shoulders are a daily danger for parents running the kids to school or heading into town for essential groceries.

“Yet the Labor Government’s band aid fix is to lower speed limits, rather than fix our most dangerous roads.”

Ms Ryan claimed country roads have suffered from neglect ever since the government decided to axe the Country Roads and Bridges Program back in 2014.

Local residents were unhappy with the condition of rural roads in South Gippsland when they responded to last year’s annual Satisfaction Survey scoring them well below both the state average of 57% and other Large Rural Councils at 50% with general satisfaction languishing at 43%.

The demographic most dissatisfied with roads in the shire were people aged 35-49 in Strzelecki Ward (Korumburra to Nyora,) where the rating was down at 37% among those happy with the state of the roads.

Just 26% of men and 28% of women across the shire rated the roads as “good” or “very good” while the 35-64 age groups were the hardest markers giving the shire 23% for the state of roads.

And that’s just on the subject of “sealed local roads”. One can only imagine what they think of “unsealed local roads” which is not assessed in the independent survey.

Bass Coast Shire residents were noticeably happier about their local roads, rating the shire’s performance on or about the statewide average at 55% satisfgied, although the 18-34 year olds gave the shire a fail at 49%.

Bass Coast residents were more likely to query the overall direction of council at 52% and whether the local council offered value for money at 51% than worry about the roads.