It's never fun - driving home out in the sticks at night, and while keeping watch for the roos, you feel the jolt and hear the bump and scrape as you run over a hidden pothole.
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As winter continues, the state of rural roads is again in focus - the rain and other conditions can quickly cause larger potholes, which in turn need to be repaired to protect other road users.
It's pretty easy to cause a pothole, according to Begbie's Contracting's Daniel Begbie.
"A pothole can start as easy as a semi turning around on the road," he said.
"He'll turn around because he's missed an intersection and then he'll wreck the road.
"If there's a pothole forming, there's a reason why, the ground could be getting too much moisture, there could be a crack in the pavement and moisture will get in there, or groundwater coming up through the clay."
The tricky part is then fixing it properly before things get worse, and that can get expensive quickly.
Rural councils, including those around Ballarat, have long felt left out by road funding, despite new initiatives aimed at getting the money to where it's most needed.
There's fears the state government's Fixing Country Roads program will soon come to an end, though representatives are quick to reassure that the funding will continue in the budget.
About $100 million has been shared among 48 councils since September last year, according to the state government, with $30 million helping with 91 projects, and there'll be another 133 projects on their way under the second round of $70 million in funding.
VicRoads also consistently spends millions on the roads it controls, with more spent this year than ever before, and western region director Mal Kersting said in a statement there's ongoing inspections year-round to keep drivers safe.
"We've spent a record $52 million on resurfacing and strengthening works in the past 12 months to ensure that our road network is safer and smoother for the thousands of people who rely on it each and every day," he said, noting that despite the concerns of many, this winter hasn't been as harsh as others.
"While we've been experiencing a wet winter to date, at the same time we've been noticing less callouts, failures and other damage being reported across our network thanks to this significant road maintenance investment."
That's something Mr Begbie agreed with - a typical Ballarat winter, he said.
However, some councils have pointed to longer-term problems - for example, fuel excise, a federal government tax that is partly used for roads and infrastructure, could be less of a resource in the future as cars become more fuel efficient or electric.
In the meantime, local government spending on road maintenance continues to increase.
Rural councils face a paradox, as they have a lower population which pay a capped amount of rates each year, but have a sprawling road network that needs to be kept up to scratch.
Moorabool Shire Council mayor Paul Tatchell has often said his shire has double the roads of Ballarat and 10 per cent of the funding.
"We'd just appreciate a bit of parity," he said recently.
His concern is that many people use Moorabool's roads on their way to cities like Ballarat and Melbourne, and that should be recognised.
He pointed to the council's recent budget, where he said about 87 cents in every dollar was spent on infrastructure - that's not just roads, of course, but it's still a significant amount.
In Pyrenees Shire, with about 2000 kilometres of roads, chief executive Jim Nolan said there are similar issues, like the large asset base, small dispersed population, and the limited ability to raise other revenue, that affect the council.
"The sustainability of small rural councils like Pyrenees is heavily dependent on direct and ongoing government grants," he said in a statement.
"Any reduction will inevitably see a reduction in service standards or road closures in future."
While federal grants were seen as somewhat more reliable, it was noted by Mayor Robert Vance that the council still spends about half of its budget on maintaining roads.
There's other issues to contend with as well.
"Natural disasters are a major challenge," Mr Nolan added.
"The floods of 2016-17 resulted in $13.3 million worth of repairs to fix around 6000 sites across the shire which was completed at June 30, 2019.
"The cost of the works is reimbursed through the (Commonwealth's) National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements program."
A pothole can start as easy as a semi turning around on the road
- Daniel Begbie
Golden Plains Shire looks after more than 1700 kilometres of roads, 65 per cent of them unsealed.
It's also facing an "increasing renewal gap", with a growing population in a rate-capping environment, according to the council.
"To meet this gap, Council requires increased road funding from the State and Federal governments, and we are actively lobbying for government investment in much-needed transport infrastructure to safely serve the needs of our residents and travellers," a statement said.
"Golden Plains Shire Council is encouraged by the recent $70 million Rural Roads Victoria funding to all rural and regional Councils as part of the latest round of the Fixing Country Roads Program.
"Council calls for the Victorian Government to extend the program beyond June 2020 to help address the increasing road maintenance needs of rural councils."
This year, the council will spend about $3 million on roads - pointedly, the local roads improvements budget will rise from $280,000 to $1.1 million.
According to a condition reported cited in the budget, Golden Plains' sealed road network is its most significant asset, with a replacement value of $105,577,265.
In Hepburn Shire, the 2019-20 budget notes a road and pavement maintenance spend of about $5 million across various projects, with more than $1 million to be spent on road resealing and $3 million on upgrades and rehabilitation.
While the shire was contacted for comment, it's clear that road maintenance is a top priority.
The battle to keep the roads safe is ongoing, and while major infrastructure improvements, like new, better-designed roads and safety barriers are an important aspect that attract specific funding announcements, it's the day-to-day repairs on quiet roads that are just as important to residents that remains a challenge.
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