OUR SAY: Time to end funding road blocks for vital rural repairs

You know the one; driving along a country road with all necessary care and alertness, then suddenly needing to swerve to avoid some gaping hole in the bitumen.

And while it's been a common pursuit over the years, the pastime has been occurring more frequently since flooding ravaged the Border and North East in late 2022.

Damaged roads add more risk to a weekday commute or weekend tour while any detours or delays during the repair process can make drivers irate. And almost invariably, the responsibility is put squarely on the local council. After all, aren't roads, rates and rubbish traditionally seen as core council business?

Federation mayor Pat Bourke knows the frustration of his council being blamed for what is often beyond their control.

"If you're underfunded, you can't do much about it," he said.

"You're always begging for assistance and we're not talking about funding for flash roads, we're talking about giving people access to their properties, just safe access."

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Over the border, Indigo councillors are dismayed by the lack of progress to fix the state-owned Beechworth-Wodonga Road, a significant thoroughfare in the region.

"We've been receiving the same or very, very similar updates for quite a few weeks now," Indigo mayor Sophie Price said.

Is it too cynical to suggest regional roads receive less attention than they should because city-focused state governments take an out of sight, out of mind approach?

Population numbers may be lower in rural areas, but it's not just residents who drive there. Each day, trucking companies deliver goods, tourists and visitors check out the attractions and employees make their way from home to work and back.

And every one of them deserves to travel on surfaces that don't put their tyres - and potentially even their lives - at risk.

The region's mayors know this, which is why efforts are under way to advocate to state governments, urging them to help with repairs and upgrades.

As Greater Hume mayor Tony Quinn says, it will be a solid case, nothing "airy fairy".

All road users would be wishing our municipal leaders well.

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