Wednesday, 18 March 2020

Adjournment

Published under resolution of house of 18 March

Lowan electorate roads

Ms KEALY (Lowan) (2286)

My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Roads, and the action that I seek is for immediate funding to fix all our crumbling country roads and save country lives. I recently travelled on the Birchip-Rainbow Road near Kenmare and was appalled by the dangerous road conditions. This road is single lane but is a significant route for grain and gypsum trucks. When there is an oncoming vehicle, both vehicles are forced to move at least one set of tyres off the road, placing loaded trucks at particular risk of shifting their load and rolling over. There is extensive damage to road edges where large sections of road edges have crumbled away or created a road edge drop-off of up to 15 centimetres as trucks and other vehicles move off the road edge to make room for oncoming traffic.

It is scary travelling on this road, especially when travelling behind a truck, being unable to see oncoming traffic and then confronted with a fully loaded B-double. There have been recent accidents on this road, and it is only a matter of time before there is serious injury or even a death. As a road which is used by domestic road users like families and workers, and is even a school bus route, it is essential this road is made safe as a matter of urgency.

But this is not the only horror road in my electorate that needs urgent attention. Over the past week alone I have been contacted by very concerned constituents about the following additional roads which are very dangerous due to the terrible road surfaces, including large potholes, crumbling edges and large drop-offs at the shoulder, including:

• Glenelg Highway near the entry to Coleraine and over the Muntham hills

• Warracknabeal-Birchip Road

• Casterton-Naracoorte Road

• Wimmera Highway from Dooen to Rupanyup (while there have been some repairs, there are significant areas which still need desperate attention)

• Stawell-Warracknabeal Road, especially from Murtoa to Warracknabeal through Minyip

• Dimboola-Rainbow Road through Jeparit

• Albacutya Road

• Yanac road from Nhill.

I have also myself witnessed a near head-on crash at the incredibly dangerous Fyans Creek Road Bridge near Halls Gap. This road has become a major thoroughfare for tourists and travellers from the west of the Grampians to Halls Gap, is popular amongst road cyclists and is a school bus route.

The Fyans Creek Bridge is a single-lane bridge, there is no stop sign at either entry and the entry from the south meets the bridge at an angle so it is impossible to see oncoming traffic from either direction from any significant distance. It will only take tourists coming from both directions to meet near the bridge for a horrific accident to occur.

I therefore ask the minister to immediately provide funding and fix these very dangerous roads in my electorate.