The Age's Benjamin Preiss decided to see Victoria's pothole problem for himself.
Together with photographer Jason South, he drove the Hume Freeway from Melbourne to the New South Wales border and back, manually counting potholes along the way to get a feel for just how rough the road trip has become, and how Victoria compares with the state next door.
The data behind the story:
- Snap Send Solve reports of potholes and damaged roads across Victoria have increased more than 46% to 37,482 in the year to August 16.
- Between June 1 and August 16 alone, there were 10,293 road-related reports.
- On the road trip itself, Preiss and South counted 146 potholes on the Victorian side of the Hume Freeway, compared with 45 over the same distance on the NSW side.
Our CEO, Danny Gorog, spoke to what the numbers are telling us:
"It's definitely become more of a problem than last year. There's no doubt about that."
Danny noted that potholes have become a genuine flashpoint for Victorian drivers, with reports climbing across every region in the state:
"It's had a huge amount of media coverage. It does anger people. I think it's a genuine safety issue."
The article also spoke with pavement and transport engineering experts, who explained how water, heavier vehicles and long-term wear all contribute to potholes forming and spreading if left untreated. As Danny pointed out, councils typically manage reports for local roads, while arterial roads like the Hume Freeway fall under state government responsibility, meaning the responsibility for repairs can sit in different places depending on where an issue is reported.
Check out the full article here.
