DRIVERS who used Main Road on Friday say shoddy work by contractors who they say left screws on the road while constructing new bus shelters are behind a spate of sliced tyres.
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A host of road users have contacted The Courier in recent days saying their tyres were sliced by screws left on Main Road between Buninyong and Mount Helen on Friday where new bus shelters were being built.
Buninyong resident Jenny White said both her and her son, a university student, were victims on Friday and needed to have tyres replaced.
“My son had to change his whole tyre because the screw was on the edge and it had pierced through it,” she said.
“It’s very annoying, there were a number of them all over Main Road. My son had exactly the same type of screw in his wheel as I did.
“When I called the RACV out they told me they six or seven other instances they were called to attend to at the same time.”
A City of Ballarat spokesperson said the council had been made aware of a number of complaints from drivers, but said the works had been carried out by VicTrack.
“The installation of the bus shelters is a VicTrack project implemented through their own funding and contractors,” the spokesperson said.
“The City of Ballarat’s only input into this project has been to provide VicTrack with plans which show installation details and location.”
Clean ups occurred later in the day.
The RACV said it was unable to confirm whether there had been more call outs than usual on the day
“Tyres are a vital part of road safety, always have a spare and rather than use a patch up kit if you have a problem call the RACV Emergency Roadside Assist on 131 111,” An RACV spokesman said.
A VicTrack spokesperson said the work across Ballarat were a part of a raft of upgrades including works at the Wendouree Station to upgrade the car park with 200 new car parking spaces.
The spokesperson said an investigation was underway into what happened on Main Road.
“The safety of our people and the community is our priority and we are concerned about these reports,” he said.
“We and our contractor have commenced an investigation into these reports and encourage anyone who has been directly impacted to contact us directly on 1300 842 872.”
