Community
10 July, 2024
Concerned residents launch road petition
A PETITION has been launched pleading for the State Government fix a notorious stretch of road outside Simpson before a life is claimed.
This week, Member of Polwarth Richard Riordan joined Corangamite Shire mayor Kate Makin at Lavers Hill-Cobden Road, where a number of incidents have occurred over the past two years due to the condition of the surface of the road.
They were joined by Simpson community members Deb Smith and David Costin, who expressed their concern for the safety of drivers if urgent action is not taken.
Ms Smith, a coordinator at Simpson and District Community Centre, said volunteers had initially approached Mr Riordan about the petition due to their concerns.
“The community is only small and our voice falls on deaf ears whenever we want something done, so we always have to push a bit harder” she said.
“It’s been an issue for a long time - there has been serious incidents happening here for 15-20 years.
“In the last two years it has been constant – we’ve had a cement truck flip and end up in the bushes on the other side of the road, we’ve had cars and utes.
“It’s only a matter of time, and what’s going to be next? A school bus with all of our kids?
“It’s not good enough.”
Mr Costin said it was a “slap in the face” that despite consistent incidents and calls for government action, nothing is done.
He said speed limits had fallen from 100km, then to 80km last year, and now in some areas the speed limited has been reduced to 40km, which showed the government knew how dangerous the conditions were.
“Like everyone, we keep an eye on the news and you see every now and again that cars are going off the road – but locally you hear more about cars almost going off but don’t make a report,” Mr Costin said.
“That’s one of the reasons we’re trying to make a bit of noise to the minister and VicRoads, but we never get a response.
“It’s good to try and make a bit more noise, but it’s disappointing they’ve dropped the speed limit to 40 kilometres instead of actually fixing it when it doesn’t look like a big fix.
“The weather has been ideal for road maintenance since November, they can’t blame the weather for their inaction.”
As the Cobden Timboon Coast Times reported last week, another vehicle was recently involved in a crash at the corner which sparked renewed calls for urgent upgrades.
The notorious stretch has seen a number of incidents over the past 12 months, but calls for action have fallen on deaf ears.
Despite promises in 2023 from the Department of Transport and Planning which stated long-term repairs were planned when warmer weather rolled around, no action was taken over summer.
Mr Riordan said the community had “every right to be very annoyed” due to the ongoing neglect from the Victorian Government – expressing his fear action would not be taken before a life is lost.
“Every day people are being wilfully ignored, and at the end of the day they get to express that at the ballot box in 2026,” he said.
“It’s hugely disappointing when it comes to something as critical as road infrastructure and the safety of our roads, and it’s not something the government should be ignoring.
“People get despondent and wonder why they should even bother – and, sadly, all we can say is it’s the squeaky wheel which ultimately get attention.”
Mr Riordan said the road was not only a major thoroughfare for south west Victorians, but also one of the most used routes for tourists travelling to the Great Ocean Road.
“Not only is it vitally important for people who live and work in this community, but the road is a major conduit for so many visitors and tourists,” he said.
“The locals know this road is dangerous but all the other people don’t and that puts people’s lives at risk; the shire has been advocating for at least two years for this particular stretch of road to have critical maintenance, and it just hasn’t happened.
“It’s not the biggest road fix in the world, in fact structurally the road doesn’t need a major upgrade – it just needs a bit of TLC to make a big difference.”
Corangamite Shire mayor Kate Makin said the claims better weather was needed to conduct upgrades was a “cop out”.
“There are surface treatments they can do right now, and I’m calling out for them to do what they need to do – we pay our taxes, so why are we paying for second rate roads?” she said.
“We want the department and the State Government to do something before we have a fatality on this road.
“If it really takes a fatality before something happens then that’s really poor – we deserve to drive on roads that are fit for purpose, and this road is not.”
To sign the petition, which will be presented to Parliament on Tuesday, July 30, visit https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/lavers-hill--cobden-rd/.