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Updated ,first published
A 71-year-old man died after reportedly hitting a pothole on the Western Highway and crashing his motorcycle just outside the town of Beaufort on Sunday.
Emergency services responded to the stretch of highway near Trawalla Road after the Ballarat man lost control of his motorcycle just before 12.50pm. Police confirmed he died at the scene and investigations are continuing.
The state of Victoria’s roads, particularly in regional and rural areas, has become a flashpoint in the lead-up to the state election in November. Potholes have caused delays, accidents and vehicle damage for thousands of voters.
The Labor member for Ripon Martha Haylett, whose seat covers Trawalla, said she had been pushing the government to fix the roads “properly”.
“I am devastated by this news. My heart goes out to the victim’s family and loved ones,” Haylett said on Sunday.
“Our roads are not good enough, and I have been pushing the roads minister and others to begin repair works urgently.
“Works started last week, but still have a way to go. No person should ever lose their life on our roads and that’s why we have to fix them, and do it properly.”
Katherine, who asked for her surname not to be used, has lived in Trawalla for more than 30 years and said the stretch of highway between Ballarat and Beaufort had “dozens on dozens” of potholes.
“The road is shocking. We’ve had problems with that stretch for years, and even when they fix [the potholes] up they’re rough,” she said.
“They come along and fix the worst of them, but usually, they don’t work weekends. Ben Carroll recently promised to come along and fix all of these [potholes], but this road needs a major upgrade sooner rather than later. I don’t understand why we’re in this position, constantly faced with the dilemma of poor roads.”
The road is shocking. We’ve had problems with that stretch for years, and even when they fix [the potholes] up they’re rough.
Trawalla resident Katherine
Katherine did not know which pothole the rider hit, but said both directions of the highway had their dangers.
“There are two lanes, but you have to swap so often,” she said. “We used to be quite fearful of kangaroos, but now potholes are the danger.”
Western Region MP Joe McCracken, whose upper house seat covers the area, expressed his frustration in an Instagram post on Sunday, calling on the government to do better.
“My condolences to the family and friends of this man – a very sad fatality. It is just awful and underscores the very real safety risks potholes pose to drivers,” McCracken wrote.
A report released by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office last week found 48 per cent of the state’s government-managed roads are in poor or very poor condition and decline is outpacing repairs.
Shadow roads and road safety minister Danny O’Brien said fixing the state’s roads needed to be the government’s highest priority.
“This is a terrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the deceased and his family,” O’Brien said. “This is the saddest possible consequence to have come from the terrible state of Victorian roads, and it never should have come to this.
“A government website has claimed it has completed rehabilitation works in this area, but clearly any repair job hasn’t been sustainable, and it has had fatal consequences,” he said.
“These potholes need to be fixed and fixed properly as a matter of urgency. It is time for action and this needs to be the highest priority now so that no more lives are lost on Victorian roads because of government neglect.”
Premier Ben Carroll announced policies on potholes and road maintenance recently, and work is set to begin on fixing scores of potholes as the weather gets warmer.
In August, this masthead reported on data gathered by citizen-reporting platform Snap Send Solve that showed reports of potholes and damaged roads increased more than 46 per cent to 37,482 in the year to August 16.
A state government spokesperson expressed sympathy to the 71-year-old’s loved ones, and echoed police calls for video or information about the crash.
“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of those involved in this horrific tragedy,” the spokesperson said. “We thank the emergency services who responded to the scene and Victoria Police who are currently investigating.”
Police have appealed for anyone with dashcam, CCTV footage or information about Sunday’s fatal crash to contact Crime Stoppers at crimestoppersvic.com.au or by calling 1800 333 000.
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Roy Ward is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news journalist. He’s been writing for The Age since 2010.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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