General News

13 November, 2022

Road and rail challenges

The Loddon Herald put three questions last week to Ripon candidates:Would you or your party investigate the return of commuter passenger trains linking southern Loddon communities to Bendigo?Would you or your party investigate upgrading the Calder...

The Loddon Herald put three questions last week to Ripon candidates:

LOUISE STALEY (Liberal)

Perhaps with the additional population growth the south of the Loddon Shire is experiencing, there will be a case to be made in the future for commuter passenger trains linking Wedderburn, Inglewood and Bridgewater to Bendigo. However for right now, I am committed to making existing public transport cheaper. Under our half-price V/Line policy, a concession return trip from Wedderburn to Bendigo will only cost $5.70.

Passing lanes are an excellent option to improve road safety, and I am happy to investigate specific proposals for the Calder Highway. Under Labor, regional roads have been allowed to deteriorate to their worst state in decades. We will improve the condition of our roads by spending $10 billion over ten years on road maintenance – that’s over a 50% increase on what Labor has spent in government. But fixing roads is not the only task. The Liberals and Nationals recognise we need to improve the way road maintenance is done, so they don’t fall apart immediately.

One cheap and easy step suggested to me in Inglewood when I was there recently was the adoption of solar-powered signs that provide messages to drivers about how fast they are going. This system is used in New Zealand, and the instantaneous feedback of either “too fast” or “well done” worked to reduce speeding. I have already raised this with the Shadow Roads Minister as something to look at implementing in government.

MARTHA HAYLETT (Labor)

Many locals have raised their interest in returning passenger rail services with me. The reality is we’re still trying to repair the damage done to our rural and regional train lines after the Liberal-Nationals closed them down.

It was Jeff Kennett who ripped the Ararat and Maryborough train lines out of Ripon and it was a Labor Government that brought them back.

What is clear is the State Labor Government has a strong track record of delivering public transport for rural and regional Victorians.

But there is always more to be done and I will be a fierce advocate around the decision-making table if elected to push for better transport connections for our communities.

I’m committed to making sure we improve our rural roads and will continue to advocate for upgrades across the Loddon Shire.

Improving the Calder Highway is an important issue for road safety and I’m a strong supporter of upgrading our roads to make them safer.

The State Labor Government is continuing to invest in our rural and regional roads, with over $1 billion spent on improving and upgrading them this year alone.

Labor also established a dedicated country roads authority, Regional Roads Victoria, to make sure our country roads get their fair share.

Road safety is so important in the country because we know that we’re disproportionately represented in road fatalities.

Our roads have taken an absolute beating over the last year as the rain has smashed our community, and we’ve seen more potholes than usual as a result - causing safety concerns for the people who use them every day.

There’s a lot of work to be done on roads across the Shire, but the investment has been made and it’s a matter of getting on with it - with road maintenance crews working around the clock following the floods.

If elected, I will also work closely with Regional Roads Victoria and local communities to identify what safety upgrades are needed for each area longer-term.

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