Rather than urging the Andrews Labor Government to put money into fixing roads, the RACV is advocating for speed limits to be dropped.
A RACV spokesperson said lowering speed limits on back roads in the country might encourage drivers to use better standard highways.
Unfortunately, highways in rural areas often aren’t up to scratch either, and more often than not, the “back roads” are the only way for people to get to where they need to be.
RACV comments that it would take too long and be too expensive to make country roads safe shows the city-centric type of thinking that is leaving rural and regional Victorians behind.
Simply slowing down country drivers and not spending money to fix roads and improve safety is lazy policy and treats country people with contempt.
The Andrews Labor Government has spent more covering cost blowouts on city infrastructure projects than it has spent in regional Victoria.
The government must use the upcoming State Budget to fix this disgraceful imbalance and commit a significant spend on rural and regional roads to bring them up to a standard motorists deserve.
Labor has been in government for 17 of the last 21 years and has failed to maintain our regional road network. The continued neglect of regional roads while spending hand over fist in the city is a slap in the face for Victorians who work and live in the regions.
Regional Victorians deserve their fair share.
As more people leave Melbourne after continued lockdowns, our road network is only going to decline further, hampering the liveability of our country centres.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Rural Roads, Roma Britnell:
“Country drivers pay their RACV membership expecting the group will lobby the government on their behalf, but the RACV’s latest thoughts on country roads don’t go anywhere near doing that.
“Country people deserve to have roads that are the same standard as their city cousins – they deserve to be able to go about their daily businesses without being slowed down because of government incompetence.
“The best way to make our roads safer is to invest in fixing them – and not just installing wire rope barriers and lowering speed limits – by actually rebuilding road surfaces and clearing vegetation from road sides.”
