Concerns raised by the community and council on the condition of local roads continue to go unheeded at Spring Street, as the shire's state-managed roads fall further into disrepair.

And with the recent release of the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) road safety star ratings, local roads are further highlighted with the evidence-based assessment on the health of the shire's road network delivering damning results.

The ratings show where the risk of fatal or serious injury is greatest across the road network, with five being the safest and zero the riskiest.

Ratings are calculated using a range of risk factors and information, such as average daily traffic; speed limit; number of lanes in each direction; lane width; shoulder width; presence or absence of roadside barriers and audio tactile line markings (rumble strips); gradient and curvature; quality of line-markings; skid resistance; and provisions for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

While the Victorian portion of the Hume Freeway was given a respectable 4.8-star rating, roads across the Mansfield Shire rarely broke the two-star threshold, with major arterials hovering between one and two stars unless passing through townships.

It will come as no surprise to road-users, that the Maroondah Highway alternates between one and two stars, only hitting a three-star rating when you hit Mansfield limits.

The Mansfield-Whitfield Road and the Midland Highway are both predominantly one star, as too the Mansfield-Woods Point Road which disintegrates to one star after Piries.

Sections of the Mansfield-Woods Point Road have become a veritable obstacle course for motorists who are forced to dodge large clusters of potholes, before hitting the township of Jamieson which registers the highest star-rating of all state-managed roads in the shire boasting four stars.

Surprisingly the road from Jamieson to Kevington registers a respectable three-star rating.

Results are based on a 2023 road survey, with some of the ratings potentially up for contention especially when factoring the condition of these state-managed roads into the equation which would effectively lower the ratings even further.

And as these classifications are two years old, road conditions may also have changed over this time period.

Unfortunately not for the better, as state-managed roads across the shire deteriorate with little government-led remediation.

The 55-kilometre journey from Jamieson to Woods Point takes over an hour due to the hazardous state of the road.

Mt Buller Road jumps between one, two and three stars, with the stretch from Merrijig to Mirimbah predominantly in the black - the visual representation of a one-star rating.

The road from Mirimbah up to the Buller summit rates a questionable two.

With the road heavily used during the snow season, its risk rating is of significant concern seeing multi-agency call-outs with police, ambulance and SES all attending traffic incidents on the stretch over the winter months.

Roslyn Fauvel, Mansfield SES unit controller emphasised the importance of motorists being aware of frequently changing road conditions and urged them to drive accordingly to limit their risk of requiring an emergency response.

"When travelling, always slow down and remain aware of your surroundings, particularly in the wake of storm or heavy rain events which may have toppled trees or damaged roadways," she said.

Mansfield Shire Council regularly receives feedback from residents about road conditions with the shire clarifying the majority of negative comments relate to roads under the management of the Department of Transport and Planning.

In a bid to highlight the dire state of these shire roads and the very real safety concerns for motorists, Mansfield Shire Council has resorted to circulating an open letter.

The move was deemed necessary after council repeatedly called on the Victorian Government to urgently address the deteriorating condition of local roads, writing several letters over a period of months with no response.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said council’s letters to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne, remain unanswered by the minister.

“We have been repeatedly lobbying the state government to improve the condition of our roads,” said Cr Rabie.

“The system really is not working for our community.

"We are hearing from our community that every day, they are dodging potholes that are enough to do serious damage to the rim of a wheel.

“Others are telling us about their near misses when seeing drivers swerve to avoid the potholes.

"The hazards created by the poor condition of the roads are resulting in dangerous driving behaviours that present a serious risk to both drivers and pedestrians,” he said.

“We received an email from the local executive at the Department of Transport and Planning the other day that we understand to be a response to our calls for better roads."

Cr Rabie was flabbergasted that in the generic response council received about improvements to roads in the region, not one of the roads listed was even in the shire.

“We are not being heard and our community’s concerns continue to be ignored," he said.

"I encourage you to write to the Minister for Roads, write to all local state members, write to the Department of Transport and Planning - tell them all about your concerns. "Our community deserves better.

“Community safety is our priority.

"Council is doing its part to maintain our local roads, but we need the state government to listen, respond and take responsibility for the roads under its care.

"The silence from the department is not only disappointing, it's disrespectful to our community”.

Council is urging the Department of Transport to review its current road maintenance model, which is failing to address defects in a timely manner.

The current approach allows road conditions to deteriorate to the point where they encourage unsafe driving and compromise public safety.

Council requested a response from the minister by Friday 26 September 2025, outlining the actions proposed to improve the road network in Mansfield Shire.

As no response has been received, council is now publicly reaffirming its commitment to advocate for safer roads on behalf of the community with Cr Rabie stating the shire will escalate its concerns until action is taken.

State Member for Eildon, Cindy McLeish MP said it was no wonder regional roads were falling into disrepair after years of neglect from the State Labor Government.

"The independent Parliamentary Budget Office found Victoria is spending $1500 per kilometre less than the national average on road maintenance," Ms McLeish said.

"And regional Victorians are left dodging potholes.

"I have called on the state government for years to invest in our regional roads, from the Maroondah Highway to the Goulburn Valley Highway, Mansfield-Woods Point Road and Mt Buller Road.

"Serious works need to take place.

“Mansfield region has so much to offer and is a major tourist destination, particularly during the snow season.

"It is imperative that road quality, which carries all manner of traffic, is made a top priority to ensure safety of all road users, all year round.”