The tragic death of a motorcyclist should spur urgent repairs to a state’s deteriorating roads, an advocate says.
Emergency services were called to Trawalla, west of Ballarat, on the afternoon of Sept. 13 following reports a motorcycle had struck a pothole.
The 71-year-old rider, from Ballarat, died at the scene after losing control on the Western Highway, near Trawalla Road.
While the circumstances surrounding the crash are the subject of an ongoing investigation, the incident has revived concerns about the state of Victoria’s public roads.
The Victorian Motorcycle Council has been raising concerns for more than a decade.
Chair of the advocacy group Rob Salvatore said potholes, questionable repairs and substandard surfaces had made riding less safe and enjoyable.
“It’s a genuinely tragic incident,” he said of the Sept. 13 incident.
“Safer motorcycling relies on the condition of the roads, and poor conditions can impact the safety of the rider in very detrimental ways.”
The conditions meant riders have been forced to adjust their routines, with some older people refusing to ride at night, Salvatore said.
He said the state government appeared to be taking the issue seriously, but urged that the incident spur real change.
“Something good should come out of something so tragic,” he said.
A report from the Victorian Auditor-General on Wednesday found 48 percent of the state road network was in poor or very poor condition, up from 39 percent in 2021.
Examining more than 23,000 kilometres of roads, it characterised their overall condition as “deteriorating”.
The state Labor government and Coalition have offered duelling commitments to deliver road repairs in the lead up to the November state election.
Labor’s vision includes an additional $300 million (US$214 million) to fix 500,000 potholes by the end of January, aided by delayed infrastructure spending and the work of prisoners.
Premier Ben Carroll, who was heckled about potholes at an unrelated press conference on Sept. 11, said the “buck does stop with us.”
“I know road conditions aren’t good enough,” he said in a statement, citing his government’s pothole repair targets and plans to bring road maintenance back in house.
Carroll described the Sept. 13 crash as a “tragic loss of life,” adding his thoughts were with the rider’s loved ones.
The state Liberal-National Coalition meanwhile has pledged $5 billion over four years to plug one million potholes.
Victorian Nationals Leader Danny O’Brien said the Sept. 13 “tragedy” highlighted the need for immediate action to avoid further deaths.
“It should never have come to this,” he said.
By Nick Wilson in Melbourne
