Victorian government skips south-west for initial local road safety funding

Department of Transport and Planning Road Investment Planning manager David Jansen has written to key stakeholders, including peak bodies, emergency services groups, and other "experts" to gauge their priorities for maintenance.

The government has said the $2.8b is in addition to $3.8b base maintenance funding.

"The new multi-year funding approach means we can plan a long-term road maintenance program and deliver works strategically across the state," Ms Jensen said to stakeholders.

"This will help ensure the road network continues to connect people and freight to where they need to go."

The department is holding a 90-minute online workshop, to "share your roads maintenance challenges and priorities," he said in an email.

The online workshop will be held on September 5.

It comes as opposition parliamentarians raise further questions about current road funding.

Mildura Nationals MP Jade Benham said she was concerned there appeared to be no commitment to the Victorian road resurfacing program this financial year.

Ms Benham said it was "another indictment" on the government's continuing financial mismanagement.

"We no longer drive on the left side of the road, we drive on what's left of them."

"Victorians are well aware that our roads continue to deteriorate dramatically and regional Victoria, in particular, is bearing the brunt of repeated roads budget cuts and neglect from the government."

Opposition Roads and Road Safety spokesman, Gippsland Nationals MP Danny O'Brien, said a 45 per cent cut to the roads maintenance budget since 2020, including a further 25pc reduction in this year's budget, was hurting Victorian motorists.

"The fact no contracts for road resurfacing have gone to tender this year is alarming for all Victorians," Ms Benham said.

"Without a resurfacing and resealing program, the deterioration of our roads will only accelerate.

"We know our roads are in a dire state, especially after the floods last year, yet the government is cutting road maintenance, not increasing it."

In the south-west, MP's demanded answers after the region was overlooked for the first stage of a $210 million Victorian government road funding program.

The government announced the first 11 municipalities to get funding under the Safe Local Roads and Streets Program on August 11, with five Melbourne councils and six regional councils named, but Surf Coast Shire was the only south-west council named.

The funding will pay for councils to work with the Department of Transport and the Transport Accident Commission to "identify, plan, develop and deliver" road safety upgrades on local roads.

"The $210 million package will design and deliver safety upgrades for communities including raised crossings, intersection upgrades, speed cushions, kerbing upgrades, pedestrian islands, safer speeds, roundabouts and other vital safety improvements," a government spokesperson said.

South West Coast MP Roma Britnell said Glenelg, Moyne and Corangamite Shires were all glaring omissions in the announcement.

"We know the South West coast has the most dangerous roads in the state. What's the rationale for leaving it out?" Ms Britnell said.

"I can't believe the government is so out of touch it doesn't understand it's missed the highest priority areas."

Ms Britnell said the state government's neglect of the major roads under its direct control in the south-west had sent more and more of the heavy trucks that traverse the region each day onto the smaller local roads, compounding the problem.

Polwarth MP Richard Riordan said he didn't understand how the government had arrived at the 11 councils chosen for stage one.

"All the south-west municipalities have been advocating strongly for road funding, so why have we missed out?" Mr Riordan said.

He and Ms Britnell also criticised the decision to allocate funding to identifying and planning road upgrades.

"We know the overall cut to road maintenance is 45 per cent over the past two years. This announcement is window dressing at best, a cruel joke at worst."

A spokesman for the state government said Victoria was an additional $2.8 billion over 10 years in road maintenance and renewal works, including flood recovery.

Overall investment in maintaining the state's road assets was now $6.6b over the decade.

Experts were currently finalising a program of works that would repair hundreds of kilometres of Victorian roads, keeping drivers and freight on the move.