Latest news with #DepartmentofTransportandPlanning
Herald Sun
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- Herald Sun
Victoria's worst roads: Potholes are killing country drivers, warning
Victorian lives are being put at risk because of crumbling roads that are littered with potholes. It comes as it's revealed people in rural and regional areas are twice as likely to die in crashes on the state's roads. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said roads in rural areas crumbled over time because of droughts and floods, and needed to be regularly maintained for the safety of the country families who travelled them. An alarming 15,000 potholes were reported on Victorian roads last year — averaging more than 120 per day — as new road craters continue to emerge. The dangerous roads were now making regional Victorians scared to drive, Mr Hosking said. 'From surface issues to shoulder drop-offs and potholes, they are making the road conditions dangerous. We are seeing the deaths already, and no doubt it's going to get worse, and it really needs to be fixed,' he said. While it was dismissed as a major factor by authorities, Mr Hosking said he firmly believed bad surfaces were contributing to an uptick in deaths on rural Victorian roads. His warning comes after a rise in reported road accidents and vehicle damage due to potholes and people complaining of tarmac on major high-speed roads being riddled with defects. The latest road death statistics show 82 people have died on rural roads for the year to date, compared to 55 in metro areas. This is 15 more deaths than the same period the previous year. In March, the state coroner ruled that poor road conditions and wet weather led to the death of an elderly Belmont man on a notorious stretch of a Geelong highway. Frank Baker, 77, died when a truck travelling on the Bellarine Highway in Wallington lost control, crossed the median strip, and slammed into his silver van on 3 May 2023. The coroner raised road safety as a major concern, stating: 'In the interest of public safety, to prevent further death and injuries, I recommend that the Secretary Department of Transport and Planning immediately prioritise the resurfacing of the westbound lanes of Bellarine Highway in Wallington (between Curlewis Road and Fenwick Street), Victoria'. The Department of Transport confirmed to the Herald Sun that works had been fast-tracked and were finally completed last month — almost two years after the deadly accident. Just last week, a Lindenow farming family narrowly escaped a near-tragedy after the road they were travelling on crumbled beneath their vehicle. Learner driver Layla Bartlett, 16, was behind the wheel with her mother Terese in the passenger seat on Buchan Rd in East Gippsland on June 2 when 'the bitumen crumbled underneath our tyre,' Terese said. The car was flung into the path of oncoming traffic which included a cattle truck and rolled several times leaving it a wreck. Luckily the family walked away with minor injuries. RACV Head of Policy, James Williams, has warned that maintenance of roads has been falling short 'for the last three years'. 'If they want to keep patching potholes, by all means keep patching that is fine in the short-term, but in the longer term they need to get back on top of their road maintenance or you've just got more work and more cost coming,' he said. The biggest hotspot for potholes according to Snap Send Solve app data is the Mornington Peninsula, which topped the list with 1,720 reports lodged. This was followed by Gippsland, which had 1,563 reports. Despite reports of worsening road conditions, police and the Victorian Transport Accident Commission still report that speed, drugs and alcohol, as well as fatigue, are the biggest risk factors. 'There is no data or evidence to suggest that road conditions are a major factor contributing to trauma on our roads,' commission chief Tracey Slatter told the Herald Sun. 'Speeding, fatigue, distractions, not wearing seat belts and impairment continue to be major contributing factors to regional road trauma. 'We can all play our part in helping prevent road trauma every time we get behind the wheel – slow down, obey road rules and signs, don't drink or drug drive, wear a seatbelt, and avoid distractions and driving tired.' Join the Herald Sun's Fix Victorian Roads movement by using the hashtag #FixVicRoads on social media.
Perth Now
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Huge win for drivers caught in traffic chaos
Victoria's Department of Transport is expected to cover repair bills for the vehicles damaged in an incident that caused traffic chaos on the Princes Freeway earlier this week. Motorists faced hours of delays on the major route after a 200kg steel panel covering an expansion joint in the road became dislodged, causing several collisions on Wednesday morning. One involved a truck rolling over just after 4am, with crews dispatched to clean up a massive diesel spill. It has since been revealed the steel plate was not properly secured by road crews, leaving a large pit with the expansion joint uncovered in the dark of night. Poor road conditions on the Princes Fwy contributed to multiple crashes and a truck rollover, sparking significant delays for morning commuters. 7NEWS Credit: Supplied It is understood the Department of Transport and Planning will compensate in full all drivers whose vehicles were damaged. Affected drivers are being contacted by the department to assist with the compensation claims process. 'We apologise to everyone affected by the incident on the Princes Freeway,' the department said in a statement to NewsWire. 'The incident was caused by human error during routine maintenance works on the bridge over the Werribee River.' While the department is not normally liable for the first $1640 worth of damages caused by road conditions, an exception has been made for this incident, the Herald Sun reported. The bungle left traffic backed up for kilometres, with all Melbourne-bound lanes closed for hours. A dislodged steel plate uncovering a road expansion joint were blamed for the incident. 7NEWS Credit: Supplied Delays of up to three hours were experienced by commuters travelling between Geelong and the capital city, who were advised to take similarly congested detours or travel by train. Aerial footage showed traffic backed up along the road in droves as drivers travelled into the city. At the time a police spokesperson said the issues were caused by the problems with the road works. 'It is understood issues with the road contributed to the collisions, which occurred about 4.20am,' the spokesperson said. No one was injured in the chaos, and urgent repairs were undertaken to get the road operational as soon as possible.
The Age
12-06-2025
- The Age
‘We're lucky we didn't die': Driver tells of terror during Princes Freeway crash caused by roadworks
'After that, [while] I was still talking to the cops, an abalone truck did exactly what I did – skidded left, then skidded right, and then he flipped right in front of me and slid an extra 100 metres past me. 'If I was on the road still, he would have run right into me. I watched him like I was in a movie.' Nguyen saw a few other cars hit either the exposed road or the loose plate before police arrived and closed the freeway. 'If they didn't close the road it could have been murder, man,' he said. Nguyen was one of five drivers involved in collisions on the freeway at Werribee, in Melbourne's outer west, about 4.20am on Wednesday after work on the same stretch of road earlier that morning. The crashes caused major disruptions and hours-long delays for thousands of drivers, closing the city-bound lanes of the main road between Geelong and Melbourne for much of the day. A 200-kilogram steel plate that came loose was blamed for causing the four cars and a truck to crash. The truck rolled and spilled diesel across the lanes. The temporary steel plate was put over an expansion joint at the Duncans Road bridge near Werribee after routine maintenance work was completed at 3am. The plate quickly came loose, exposing the steel spikes of the joint and causing vehicles to crash as they drove over it. The Department of Transport's executive director of road maintenance, Michael Bailey, apologised on Wednesday afternoon for the incident, which he blamed on 'human error'. Bailey said multiple road maintenance firms had been involved in the work to replace the expansion joint. He said a temporary plate was bolted into place over the joint, but it was not clear if it had been secured with asphalt too, as would typically happen. Transport Department officers had been on site during the job and deemed that the work was up to standard. 'They were very satisfied,' Bailey said. 'The plate installed was deemed safe at 3am. By 4am the plate had become loose. There's a failing by someone at some point.' The Department of Transport and Planning is understood to be contacting drivers whose vehicles were damaged in the incident and investigating how the steel plate dislodged. The crash has left Nguyen's $50,000 van a write-off. He needs the vehicle for his livelihood carting Asian vegetables grown at his market garden in Anakie, north of Geelong, to sell at Box Hill in Melbourne's east. Nguyen is one of five motorists weighing up whether to seek compensation from the government, or use their insurance to cover repair costs. In Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning is liable for any damage to vehicles caused by the roads it maintains, provided the cost of that damage is greater than $1640. On Wednesday, Bailey said the department would consider paying for repairs below the $1640 threshold as well. People can lodge notice of incident and claim forms if they feel the government is liable for the damage, and can request a review if they are unhappy with the resulting assessment. Nguyen said his van was worth about $55,000, and that by early Thursday afternoon he was yet to hear from anyone from the Transport Department. Nguyen said his van was insured, but that he would still have to pay an excess of $1500 to get it repaired. Heath Shepherd was travelling not far behind Nguyen in his Nissan Qashqai. The first thing he saw was hazard lights in the distance. 'As I'm driving, the car in front of me swerved to his right, hit the plate, and I tried to swerve left but got the full brunt of [the hole],' he said. 'It hit the left-hand tyre, under the radiator. I don't know how much damage there is yet because it hasn't been assessed.' Like Nguyen, Shepherd had also just discovered on Thursday that he has to pay an excess on his insurance, even though the damage to his vehicle wasn't his fault. Loading 'I just found out when I did the online form through Bingle, and because there were no [other] cars involved [in the crash] we have to pay an excess, which I find a bit hard to stomach,' he said. 'I think it's about $1000.' Shepherd said the tyres and rims on his car were write-offs, and he's waiting to see if the Nissan's undercarriage was also damaged, adding further costs to the repair. Nguyen said a Country Fire Authority volunteer took a photo of the hole in the road and showed it to the people who crashed, but it wasn't until he saw TV footage hours later that he realised how big it was. 'We're lucky we didn't die,' he said. He's since had to hire a van at a cost of $550 a week to continue making deliveries to Box Hill. He even salvaged some of the vegetables from his damaged van and continued on to the market after the crash to recoup some money. Shepherd is a truck driver who lives in Craigieburn, but was in Ocean Grove for a fortnightly stay in his caravan. He starts work early each morning, which is why he was driving on the Princes Freeway just after 4am on Wednesday. He said he was also facing daily dilemmas as a result of the crash. 'I'm using my daughter's car at the moment because I still have to go to work every day, and then I've got to take my wife's car the next day because my daughter's got something on – she has to work herself,' he said. 'I haven't been offered a hire car or anything like that while I get my car fixed.' Matt Naughtin, of Zaparas Lawyers, said the firm was contacted by one person injured as a result of the incident and was acting on their behalf. 'The fact that multiple vehicles were involved, including a truck rollover, underscores the potential for catastrophic outcomes,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
12-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘We're lucky we didn't die': Driver tells of terror during Princes Freeway crash caused by road works
'After that, [while] I was still talking to the cops, an abalone truck did exactly what I did – skidded left, then skidded right, and then he flipped right in front of me and slid an extra 100 metres past me. 'If I was on the road still, he would have run right into me. I watched him like I was in a movie.' Nguyen saw a few other cars hit either the exposed road or the loose plate before police arrived and closed the freeway. 'If they didn't close the road it could have been murder, man,' he said. Nguyen was one of five drivers involved in collisions on the freeway at Werribee, in Melbourne's outer west, about 4.20am on Wednesday following road works on the same stretch of road earlier that morning. The crashes caused major disruptions and hours-long delays for thousands of drivers, closing the city-bound lanes of the main road between Geelong and Melbourne for much of the day. A 200-kilogram steel plate that came loose was blamed for causing the four cars and a truck to crash. The truck rolled and spilled diesel across the lanes. The temporary steel plate was put over an expansion joint at the Duncans Road bridge near Werribee, following routine maintenance work which was completed at 3am. The plate quickly came loose, exposing the steel spikes of the joint and causing vehicles to crash as they drove over it. The Department of Transport's executive director of road maintenance Michael Bailey apologised on Wednesday afternoon for the incident, which he blamed on 'human error'. Bailey said multiple road maintenance firms had been involved in the works to replace the expansion joint. He said a temporary plate had been bolted into place over the joint, but it was not clear if it had been secured with asphalt too, as would typically happen. Transport department officers had been on site during the job and had deemed that the work was up to standard. 'They were very satisfied,' Bailey said. 'The plate installed was deemed safe at 3am. By 4am the plate had become loose. There's a failing by someone at some point.' The crash has left Nguyen's $50,000 van a write-off. He needs the vehicle for his livelihood carting Asian vegetables grown at his market garden in Anakie, north of Geelong, to sell at Box Hill in Melbourne's east. Nguyen is one of five motorists now weighing up whether to seek compensation from the government, or use their insurance to cover the cost of repairs. In Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning is liable for any damage to vehicles caused by the roads it maintains, provided the cost of that damage is greater than $1640. On Wednesday, Bailey said the department would consider paying for repairs below the $1640 threshold as well. People can lodge notice of incident and claim forms if they feel the government is liable for the damage, and can request a review if they are unhappy with the resulting assessment. Nguyen said his van was worth about $55,000, and that by early Thursday afternoon he was yet to hear from anyone from the transport department. Nguyen said his van was insured, but that he would still have to pay an excess of $1500 to get it repaired. Heath Shepherd was travelling not far behind Nguyen in his Nissan Qashqai. The first thing he saw was hazard lights in the distance. 'As I'm driving, the car in front of me swerved to his right, hit the plate, and I tried to swerve left but got the full brunt of [the hole],' he said. 'It hit the left-hand tyre, under the radiator. I don't know how much damage there is yet because it hasn't been assessed.' Like Nguyen, Shepherd had also just discovered on Thursday that he has to pay an excess on his insurance, even though the damage to his vehicle wasn't his fault. 'I just found out when I did the online form through Bingle, and because there were no [other] cars involved [in the crash] we have to pay an excess, which I find a bit hard to stomach,' he said. Loading 'I think it's about $1000.' Shepherd said the tyres and rims on his car were write-offs, and he's waiting to see if the Nissan's undercarriage was also damaged, adding further costs to the repair job. Nguyen said a Country Fire Authority volunteer took a photo of the hole in the road and showed it to the people who crashed, but it wasn't until he saw TV footage hours later that he realised how big it was. 'We're lucky we didn't die,' he said. He's since had to hire a van at about $550 a week to continue making deliveries to Box Hill. He even salvaged some of the vegetables from his damaged van and continued on to the market after the crash to recoup some money. Shepherd is a truck driver who lives in Craigieburn, but was down in Ocean Grove for a fortnightly stay in his caravan. He starts work early each morning, which is why he was driving on the Princes Freeway just after 4am on Wednesday. He said he was also facing daily dilemmas as a result of the crash. 'I'm using my daughter's car at the moment because I still have to go to work every day, and then I've got to take my wife's car the next day because my daughter's got something on – she has to work herself,' he said.
The Age
12-06-2025
- The Age
‘We're lucky we didn't die': Driver tells of terror during Princes Freeway crash caused by road works
'After that, [while] I was still talking to the cops, an abalone truck did exactly what I did – skidded left, then skidded right, and then he flipped right in front of me and slid an extra 100 metres past me. 'If I was on the road still, he would have run right into me. I watched him like I was in a movie.' Nguyen saw a few other cars hit either the exposed road or the loose plate before police arrived and closed the freeway. 'If they didn't close the road it could have been murder, man,' he said. Nguyen was one of five drivers involved in collisions on the freeway at Werribee, in Melbourne's outer west, about 4.20am on Wednesday following road works on the same stretch of road earlier that morning. The crashes caused major disruptions and hours-long delays for thousands of drivers, closing the city-bound lanes of the main road between Geelong and Melbourne for much of the day. A 200-kilogram steel plate that came loose was blamed for causing the four cars and a truck to crash. The truck rolled and spilled diesel across the lanes. The temporary steel plate was put over an expansion joint at the Duncans Road bridge near Werribee, following routine maintenance work which was completed at 3am. The plate quickly came loose, exposing the steel spikes of the joint and causing vehicles to crash as they drove over it. The Department of Transport's executive director of road maintenance Michael Bailey apologised on Wednesday afternoon for the incident, which he blamed on 'human error'. Bailey said multiple road maintenance firms had been involved in the works to replace the expansion joint. He said a temporary plate had been bolted into place over the joint, but it was not clear if it had been secured with asphalt too, as would typically happen. Transport department officers had been on site during the job and had deemed that the work was up to standard. 'They were very satisfied,' Bailey said. 'The plate installed was deemed safe at 3am. By 4am the plate had become loose. There's a failing by someone at some point.' The crash has left Nguyen's $50,000 van a write-off. He needs the vehicle for his livelihood carting Asian vegetables grown at his market garden in Anakie, north of Geelong, to sell at Box Hill in Melbourne's east. Nguyen is one of five motorists now weighing up whether to seek compensation from the government, or use their insurance to cover the cost of repairs. In Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning is liable for any damage to vehicles caused by the roads it maintains, provided the cost of that damage is greater than $1640. On Wednesday, Bailey said the department would consider paying for repairs below the $1640 threshold as well. People can lodge notice of incident and claim forms if they feel the government is liable for the damage, and can request a review if they are unhappy with the resulting assessment. Nguyen said his van was worth about $55,000, and that by early Thursday afternoon he was yet to hear from anyone from the transport department. Nguyen said his van was insured, but that he would still have to pay an excess of $1500 to get it repaired. Heath Shepherd was travelling not far behind Nguyen in his Nissan Qashqai. The first thing he saw was hazard lights in the distance. 'As I'm driving, the car in front of me swerved to his right, hit the plate, and I tried to swerve left but got the full brunt of [the hole],' he said. 'It hit the left-hand tyre, under the radiator. I don't know how much damage there is yet because it hasn't been assessed.' Like Nguyen, Shepherd had also just discovered on Thursday that he has to pay an excess on his insurance, even though the damage to his vehicle wasn't his fault. 'I just found out when I did the online form through Bingle, and because there were no [other] cars involved [in the crash] we have to pay an excess, which I find a bit hard to stomach,' he said. Loading 'I think it's about $1000.' Shepherd said the tyres and rims on his car were write-offs, and he's waiting to see if the Nissan's undercarriage was also damaged, adding further costs to the repair job. Nguyen said a Country Fire Authority volunteer took a photo of the hole in the road and showed it to the people who crashed, but it wasn't until he saw TV footage hours later that he realised how big it was. 'We're lucky we didn't die,' he said. He's since had to hire a van at about $550 a week to continue making deliveries to Box Hill. He even salvaged some of the vegetables from his damaged van and continued on to the market after the crash to recoup some money. Shepherd is a truck driver who lives in Craigieburn, but was down in Ocean Grove for a fortnightly stay in his caravan. He starts work early each morning, which is why he was driving on the Princes Freeway just after 4am on Wednesday. He said he was also facing daily dilemmas as a result of the crash. 'I'm using my daughter's car at the moment because I still have to go to work every day, and then I've got to take my wife's car the next day because my daughter's got something on – she has to work herself,' he said.
