00:03For Victorian drivers, hitting the road can often be a bumpy ride.
00:07It's a bit like a dodging car, dodging all the holes in the road.
00:11It's definitely a lot worse in Victoria than it seems to be in South Australia and New South Wales.
00:16I feel like we're in a third world country at the moment.
00:18Potholes have long been a major concern for motorists.
00:21This year's budget will see the government pour more than a billion dollars into fixing and cleaning up the state's
00:27roads.
00:2764 million more than last year, with 70% of the funds to go to regional Victoria.
00:33I drive on the regional roads every single day.
00:36And so I know that this is important for families.
00:39The government says it's filled 187,000 potholes in the past 12 months.
00:44But the problem is getting worse.
00:46In the past year, reporting app SnapSendSolve received more than 31,000 reports of potholes and damaged roads.
00:5428% more than the previous year.
00:56Reporting has increased most in the regions, including Shepparton up 70%.
01:02And the South West jumping by a staggering 149%.
01:06Motorists are knowing they're taking the time to let the responsible authority know.
01:11In many cases that's a local council, but in a lot of cases it's a state government.
01:16We've got a ticking time bomb with the maintenance of our roads already because that preventative maintenance hasn't been done.
01:21Crumbling roads have also caused hundreds of Victorians to lodge compensation claims each year for vehicle damage.
01:27I have actually just recently broken a rim because a roadside edge had been washed away.
01:34It's extremely frustrating, not only because they only compensate you half, but the process takes anywhere from I'd say nine
01:41months onwards.
01:43The Labor government says it's spent $3 billion in three years on rebuilding and repairing the state's roads.
01:49But despite being in power for more than a decade, the government says it's recent weather events that caused roads
01:55to fall into disrepair.
01:57As a result of the extreme heavy weather and flooding events that occurred across 2022, 23 and 24, that has
02:06created some real challenges.
02:07It's a long road ahead for fixing the state's potholes.
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