The Nationals’ Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, has lashed the Allan Labor Government for reducing the speed limit on a major arterial road instead of conducting repair works.
Hazelwood Road, which runs from Traralgon to Hazelwood South, has been littered with ‘rough surface’ signs for eight years, yet no attempt has been made to repair the road.
Instead, there are now digital signs alerting road users the speed limit will be reduced from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.
“The kicker here is the signs are telling us the speed limit reduction is going to make the road ‘safer’,” Mr Cameron said.
“If the Allan Labor Government was serious about road safety, it would scrap the band-aid solutions and fix the bloody roads.
“Billions are being spent on mega projects in the city, but when it comes to repairing dangerous roads in regional Victoria, Labor goes missing every time.”
Mr Cameron recently wrote to the Minister for Roads regarding the state of Hazelwood Road, raising concerns about the surface, broken edging and dangerous water pooling.
“In response, the Minister dismissed these valid concerns and said: ‘the condition of [Hazelwood Road] is generally considered comparable to other similar roads within the Gippsland region’,” he said.
“Given Gippsland is home to some of the worst roads in the state, the assertion that Hazelwood Road is on par with others in the region is of very little comfort.
“Instead of telling motorists to drive to the conditions on a rapidly deteriorating network of roads, the Minister needs to get serious about ensuring the safety of regional Victorians.
“I’m again asking the Allan Labor Government to scrap plans to reduce the speed limit on Hazelwood Road and get on with fixing the road itself.”
