Jaryn Trainor was on his way home after a weekend of camping when he struck the potholes on Barnawatha Rd early Sunday afternoon.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
At least two motorists in the last fortnight have damaged vehicles from the same potholes on Barnawatha Road, with authorities causing confusion as to who is responsible for their repair.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The RACV has analysed almost 20,000 kilometres of Victoria’s regional roads to identify the most dangerous.
Based on Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) data, crash history and traffic volumes, RACV’s My Country Road campaign identified 52 dangerous highway sections in regional Victoria.
Barnawatha Road was not listed on the 11 most dangerous roads identified in north east Victoria.
Kay Blakely was travelling from Corowa to Albury Wodonga on May 31 when she came across a 10 to 15 metre section of the road that was severely degraded and contained three potholes, one more than a metre long.
The potholes are located a few hundred metres before Shanahan’s Livestock Transport, heading towards Wodonga.
Kay said although she managed to control her vehicle and make it safely off the road, she was fearful for anyone who might come across them in a smaller car.
She said if they aren’t repaired, it’s only a matter of time before they cause a serious crash.
She said worse than having to deal with a flat tyre was that no one seemed to want to take responsibility for the condition of the road.
“The RACV came out and had a look at the tyre,” Kay said.
“It was split and had run flat; he said it'll have to be towed, so I sat there for three hours waiting for the tow truck.
“I approached Indigo Shire and they said, ‘No, it's not our road’.
“I rang VicRoads; they said the same thing.
“I rang Indigo Shire back and they said, ‘I don't know anything, there’s nothing we can do about it’.
“I just think it's very irresponsible, nobody's claiming the road.”
The potholes on Barnawatha Rd, a few hundred metres before Shanahan’s Livestock Transport heading towards Wodonga include one which is over a metre long.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
Wodonga man Jaryn Trainor was on his way home from a camping trip the following Sunday when his car suffered a similar fate at the same spot.
Luckily for Jaryn, a passing good samaritan stopped to help change his damaged front wheel to the spare.
He said he was grateful for the act of kindness as he was expecting a lengthy wait for roadside assistance given the long weekend.
“I didn’t notice the potholes until the last second,” Jaryn said.
“I heard a pop as I drove over them and knew I’d done a tyre.
“I tried changing it myself, but the ground was so soft the jack just sank.”
Perseverance paid off for Kay Blakely when she finally got a hold of someone at VicRoads who knew the right answer.
The section of Barnawatha Rd, just minutes from the freeway, has claimed tyres from at least two motorists in the last fortnight.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
She found out that the responsibility for maintaining arterial roads such as Barnawatha Rd lies with State Government.
“It’s an absolute circus, nobody wanted to know about it,” Kay said.
“If somebody hits it, there's quite large trees on the left and there could be traffic coming towards you; it won't be pretty.
“A smaller car might have a harder time than I did.”
