The Victorian Farmers Federation has called on both sides of politics to commit to funding certainty to fix what it says is "crisis" in country road maintenance.
VFF President Emma Germano said years of neglect and underfunding has left Victoria's regional road network in a ruinous state and in desperate need of investment.
"More than 50 per cent of all road fatalities occur in regional Victoria, despite it being home to 24pc of the state's population," Ms Germano said.
"We won't accept that."
As part of its 'Fair Go for Regional Victoria' campaign, the VFF has called for a minimum of $2 billion over the next four years for targeted arterial road maintenance.
Ms Germano said the plan had been supported by the opposition, but with less than two months until the election, regional communities were waiting to hear from the government.
In addition to funding for arterial roads, Ms Germano called on both sides of politics to reintroduce the Fixing Country Roads Program to provide funding grants to rural and regional councils to undertake projects beyond regular road maintenance.
"We desperately need funding to help local governments maintain their road and bridge networks," Ms Germano said said.
"Council roads make up 87 per cent of the State's road network and represent 10 per cent of local government expenditure.
"This is putting a disproportionate strain on rural councils that have large road networks, but a small rate base to help fund their upkeep."
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Pothole damage
Rupanyup cropper Peter Teasdale had his own recent experience of what he said was the poor state of the the state's roads.
He was returning home on the Western Highway, near Mount Langi Ghiran, when he came across at least six cars, which had suffered damage after hitting a deep pothole.
"I'd heard something on the radio that something was up at Langi Ghiran, I couldn't quite tell what they were on about, but I was on alert, I suppose.
Just past the rail overpass on the highway, he said he saw the car ahead brake.
"At the last minute I just happened to notice a pothole full of water in the left hand wheel track - I managed to straddle it, with the truck.
"As I came around the bend, there were six cars on the side of the road with their hazard lights on and at least two of them had spare wheels out
"I'm presuming they had either done tyres, wheels or front end damage on this pothole."
Mr Teasdale said the highway was a key interstate route, but there were big areas that were "just about to fall completely apart".
"There is very little going on, as far as maintenance.
"I know it's a wet time of the year, so they are probably struggling to get on with a lot of road maintenance jobs, but it should never have got as bad as it is."
Mr Teasdale said he didn't run through the hole, having seen it from his truck cabin.
"It was certainly tyre busting, it wasn't marked at all, so I am presuming it hadn't been there that long," he said.
In a truck it was easy to see areas where the asphalt was cracked and broken, "with the gravel bleeding up through it," he said.
"I am used to bad roads, I live on the Wimmera Highway, and it's been atrocious for a lot of years, but the Western Highway is just falling apart."
He also questioned the original standard of road construction
Princes Highway funding
Meanwhile, the Moyne Shire has been told more than $2 million worth of works are expected to be completed on the Princes Highway in the coming months.
Moyne Shire assets and contracts manager Steve Van Orsouw was asked for an update on the council's lobbying efforts to repair the stretch of road at the council's October meeting.
Mr Van Orsouw said he and the council's chief executive officer Brett Davis met with the Department of Transport's Barwon South West manager recently.
"The department is very aware of the issues that our communities are dealing with on a daily basis," Mr Van Orsouw said.
The council representatives were advised the Department of Transport's construction season started in October.
"They've identified nine sites between Tower Hill and Port Fairy at a cost of around $2.2 million, which they've committed to undertaking in this construction season," he said.
And the coalition has promised to spent $10 billion to fix the state's crumbling roads, if it's elected in November.
The funding increase will be delivered through the annual road asset management budget, increasing spending from around $600 million to $1 billion annually.
Opposition Roads spokesman Danny O'Brien said after almost a decade of government neglect Victoria's roads had gone from bad to worse
"The government has left Victoria's road network crumbling, ignoring the genuine concern of road users across the state, in both the city and the country," Mr O'Brien said.
"Labor cut the road maintenance budget by 10 per cent when it came to government and, on top of recent wet years, our roads have never recovered.
"This $10 billion investment will deliver longer-term contracts to promote innovation, give contractors certainty to invest in better equipment and allow for strategic maintenance planning."
As part of the investment, there would be a review of construction standards, increasing accountability of VicRoads and contractors and a reduction in red and green tape that often escalated construction costs.
The government has been contacted for comment.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
