AAA<\/p>\n
A 71-year-old man died after reportedly hitting a pothole on the Western Highway and crashing his motorcycle just outside the town of Beaufort on Sunday. <\/p>\n
Emergency services responded to the stretch of highway near Trawalla Road after the Ballarat man lost control of his motorcycle just before 12.50pm. Police confirmed he died at the scene and investigations are continuing.<\/p>\n
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Potholes have become a flashpoint in the leadup to the Victorian state election on November 28.Getty<\/p>\n
The state of Victoria\u2019s roads, particularly in regional and rural areas, has become a flashpoint in the lead-up to the state election in November. Potholes have caused delays, accidents and vehicle damage for thousands of voters.<\/p>\n
The Labor member for Ripon Martha Haylett, whose seat covers Trawalla, said she had been pushing the government to fix the roads \u201cproperly\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am devastated by this news. My heart goes out to the victim\u2019s family and loved ones,\u201d Haylett said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Editor’s pick \u201cOur roads are not good enough, and I have been pushing the roads minister and others to begin repair works urgently.<\/p>\n \u201cWorks started last week, but still have a way to go. No person should ever lose their life on our roads and that\u2019s why we have to fix them, and do it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n Katherine, who asked for her surname not to be used, has lived in Trawalla for more than 30 years and said the stretch of highway between Ballarat and Beaufort had \u201cdozens on dozens\u201d of potholes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe road is shocking. We\u2019ve had problems with that stretch for years, and even when they fix [the potholes] up they\u2019re rough,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cThey come along and fix the worst of them, but usually, they don\u2019t work weekends. Ben Carroll recently promised to come along and fix all of these [potholes], but this road needs a major upgrade sooner rather than later. I don\u2019t understand why we\u2019re in this position, constantly faced with the dilemma of poor roads.\u201d<\/p>\n The road is shocking. We\u2019ve had problems with that stretch for years, and even when they fix [the potholes] up they\u2019re rough.<\/p>\n Trawalla resident Katherine<\/p>\n Katherine did not know which pothole the rider hit, but said both directions of the highway had their dangers.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are two lanes, but you have to swap so often,\u201d she said. \u201cWe used to be quite fearful of kangaroos, but now potholes are the danger.\u201d<\/p>\n Western Region MP Joe McCracken, whose upper house seat covers the area, expressed his frustration in an Instagram post on Sunday, calling on the government to do better.<\/p>\n \u201cMy condolences to the family and friends of this man – a very sad fatality. It is just awful and underscores the very real safety risks potholes pose to drivers,\u201d McCracken wrote.<\/a><\/p>\n Related Article A report released by the Victorian Auditor-General\u2019s Office last week found 48 per cent of the state\u2019s government-managed roads<\/a> are in poor or very poor condition and decline is outpacing repairs.<\/p>\n Shadow roads and road safety minister Danny O\u2019Brien said fixing the state\u2019s roads needed to be the government\u2019s highest priority.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a terrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the deceased and his family,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cThis is the saddest possible consequence to have come from the terrible state of Victorian roads, and it never should have come to this.<\/p>\n \u201cA government website has claimed it has completed rehabilitation works in this area, but clearly any repair job hasn\u2019t been sustainable, and it has had fatal consequences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThese potholes need to be fixed and fixed properly as a matter of urgency. It is time for action and this needs to be the highest priority now so that no more lives are lost on Victorian roads because of government neglect.\u201d<\/p>\n Premier Ben Carroll<\/a> announced policies on potholes and road maintenance recently, and work is set to begin on fixing scores of potholes as the weather gets warmer.<\/p>\n In August, this masthead reported on data gathered by citizen-<\/a>reporting platform Snap Send Solve that showed reports of potholes and damaged roads increased more than 46 per cent to 37,482 in the year to August 16.<\/p>\n A state government spokesperson expressed sympathy to the 71-year-old\u2019s loved ones, and echoed police calls for video or information about the crash.<\/p>\n \u201cOur thoughts are with the family and loved ones of those involved in this horrific tragedy,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cWe thank the emergency services who responded to the scene and Victoria Police who are currently investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n Police have appealed for anyone with dashcam, CCTV footage or information about Sunday\u2019s fatal crash to contact Crime Stoppers at crimestoppersvic.com.au<\/a> or by calling 1800 333 000.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Potholes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/f9ef3743d0cb6a8cd610a7aee95e9a05cc22defc31df862b70fe8dfcc7a051b5.gif\")
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Roy Ward<\/a> is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news journalist. He’s been writing for The Age since 2010.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners