Potholes are back at the top of country curses

Potholes, the damage they cause to vehicles and the safety threat they pose, has surged back to the top of the list of issues most concerning drivers on country roads.

Potholes and poor road condition were identified by 64 per cent of survey participants as the primary safety issue on Victorian roads in a RACV survey; up from 46 per cent in 2021.

Wet winters, increased truck traffic and dwindling council budgets to make temporary pothole fixes are all factors that bring road deterioration regularly into the news and damaged cars into the workshop.

Now the RACV has gathered responses from more than 7,000 Victorians for its My Country Road survey in an effort to advocate for road improvements with all levels of government.

The Goulburn valley Highway. Image: RACV

The RACV noted that potholes were a major safety risk as drivers try and avoid damage their vehicles but swerving at the last moment was dangerous and drivers could lose control or swerve into oncoming traffic.

Fixing the road surfaces was the most voted for solution but n the most dangerous roads 56 per cent suggested lowering the speed limit, while overall, 14 per cent of participants supported ‘a lower or more appropriate speed limit’ as a measure to improve road safety.

RACV Head of Policy James Williams says the data from the survey indicated that the condition of regional roads has become a major safety concern for Victorians.

“The number of responses received is a strong indicator that Victorians are concerned about safety on regional roads and are calling for urgent improvement.

“Sixty per cent of survey participants think that improving road surfaces should be the priority road safety solution.

“While in 2021, dangerous driver behaviour was the biggest safety concern on regional roads, this year poor road conditions received more than double the number of responses as dangerous driver behaviour.

“Fifty-eight per cent of the survey participants told us that they use the road they identified every day, and that level of local knowledge has been invaluable to identifying Victoria’s most unsafe roads.

“Six of the top roads identified in the 2021 survey appear again this year, including the Melba Highway, Bass Highway, Bacchus Marsh Road, Phillip Island Road, Warburton Highway, and the junction of the Midland Highway and Howard Street in Epsom.

“Sixteen of the twenty-one most dangerous roads identified in the 2021 survey received upgrades and improvements by government; but more work needs to be undertaken to improve the safety of regional roads.”

The Melba Highway from Coldstream to Yea received the most responses regarding safety concerns, followed by Tylden-Woodend Road from Woodend to Tylden, Kilmore Road from Monegeetta to Gisborne, and the Goulburn Valley Highway from Nagambie to Shepparton.

The most dangerous intersection in regional Victoria was identified as the junction of the Midland Highway and Howard Street in Epsom, north of Bendigo.

The survey used an online interactive map that highlighted roads with speed limits of 80km per hour or higher where there have been fatal or serious crashes for the five-year period between 2018 and 2023.

While the roads that were most frequently listed were more major arterials under the jurisdiction of the Victorian state government, the survey did not list local roads, normally under the control of local councils.

Historically councils with the smallest number of residents and rate revenue also have the largest local road networks but increases in freight and other traffic have caused these roads to suffer the most severe deterioration.

Roads with the most responses:

Melba Hwy, Coldstream to Yea (B300)
Tylden-Woodend Road, Woodend to Tylden (C317)
Kilmore Road, Monegeetta to Gisborne (C708)
Goulburn Valley Hwy, Nagambie to Shepparton (A39)
Princes Hwy, Warrnambool to Portland (A1)
Western Hwy, Trawalla to Beaufort (A8)
Bass Hwy, Jam Jerrup to Leongatha (M420/B460)
Princes Hwy, Colac to Stonyford (A1)
Princes Hwy, Stratford to Bairnsdale (A1)
Great Alpine Road, Bairnsdale to Wangaratta (B500)
Bacchus Marsh Road, Balliang to Lara (C704)
Phillip Island Road, Phillip Island (B420).

Top issues participants contributing to safety:

64% – Potholes/road condition
32% – Dangerous behaviours of other drivers (e.g. speeding, erratic driving)
29% – Narrow lanes/road
26% – Intersection safety issues
24% – Limited overtaking opportunities.

State-wide stats:

56 per cent of participants believe the speed limit on the top 12 most dangerous roads should be reduced.
61 per cent of participants identified locations where they believe the 90+ km/h speed limit should be 80/km/h or below.
78 per cent of responses identified a location to be dangerous or very dangerous.
Northern Region received the highest response rate, followed by the Southwestern Region.