# A pothole, a death, and an election fight

> A 71-year-old rider died on the Western Highway, and Victoria's crumbling roads are now a ballot-box issue.
- Title: A pothole, a death, and an election fight · the Guardian
- Summary: A 71-year-old rider died on the Western Highway, and Victoria's crumbling roads are now a ballot-box issue. Nearly half of Victoria's state road network is…
- Keywords: victoria, road safety, potholes, politics, infrastructure, news, world, pothole, death, election, fight, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/14/motorcyclist-dies-pothole-trawalla-ballarat-victoria-roads
- Published: 2026-09-14T00:44:34+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: victoria, road safety, potholes, politics, infrastructure, news, world
## A rider dies at Trawalla
Emergency services reached the Western Highway near Trawalla Road just before 1pm Sunday. A 71-year-old Ballarat man had reportedly hit a pothole, lost control and died at the scene.
## Police have not concluded
Investigators are still working out what caused the crash. The pothole account comes from reports, not from a finding.

> Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, which are yet to be determined.
## Half the network is failing
A Victorian auditor general report on 9 September found 48% of state roads in poor or very poor condition, up from 39% in 2021. It examined more than 23,000km.

> deteriorating
## Two very different cheques
The Coalition has pledged $5bn over four years to fill 1m potholes and restore preventive maintenance. Labor has put up $352m to lift repairs from 250,000 to 500,000 in 2026.
## The premier owns it
Ben Carroll called the death a tragic loss of life and said road conditions aren't good enough. He wants maintenance brought back in-house after being outsourced in the mid-1990s.

> the buck does stop with us
## An election in November
Shadow roads minister Danny O'Brien called the death the saddest possible consequence of government neglect. Victorians vote on 28 November.

> It is time for action and this needs to be the highest priority now so that no more lives are lost
## Key takeaway

Nearly half of Victoria's state road network is rated poor or very poor, and both parties are now spending big to be seen fixing it.