PROTESTERS have slammed the state government’s inaction on the Robinvale to Sea Lake Road, saying the refusal to upgrade the road was a “lethal situation”.
A small group, led by Member for Mildura Ali Cupper, protested outside the Mildura VicRoads office on Wednesday against the government’s decision to introduce speed limit reductions instead of upgrades on the road.
Sunset Distribution owner Trevor Combe drives the road daily and is disappointed by the government’s inaction to upgrade the road.
“We are dealing with a potentially lethal situation and you can’t minimise that with a couple of 80km per hour signs,” he said.
“The alteration of the speed limit is indicative of a government that washes its hands of various problems and walks away.”
Bradley Osborne said the current state of the road was appalling and had impacted on his mother, who drove it every day to and from work.
“She has had to replace her windshield four times in the last 12 months from rocks being thrown up by trucks when they pass each other,” he said.
“All the time there are cracks across her windshield from top to bottom.
“The road is degrading to a point where it’s not safe and it really needs to be fixed. “It’s not wide enough in parts for two vehicles anyway”.
Retiree Caroline James is concerned the speed reduction would be used as an excuse not to complete upgrades, which were urgently needed.
“These sorts of little roads are lifelines for country people who are living on farms, and people who are needing to get from one town to the next where there is no major road,” she said.
Ms Cupper, who organised protests in Manangatang and Mildura on Wednesday, said the speed reduction was “not good enough.”
“I got to travel on about 41kms of the road we are talking about (on Wednesday), and it’s an absolute death trap,” she said.
“It’s about dignity, and social and economic justice for our corner of the state,” Ms Cupper said.
“We are Victorians too and we are sick of being treated like second class citizens.”
