Council backlog for roads hits $3.4B: NRMA launches road safety campaign

The backlog of funding required by NSW Councils to maintain their roads to a safe standard has jumped over 20 per cent to $3.4 billion, according to NRMA’s annual Council Backlog report.

The comprehensive report into 128 councils found the backlog of funding they require jumped from $2.8 billion last year to $3.4 billion. The overwhelming majority of the backlog exists among regional councils with $2.8 billion, compared to a backlog of metropolitan councils of $633 million.

The NRMA has released its findings in the lead up to National Road Safety Week (11-18 May) and has today kicked off its grassroots road safety campaign ‘A Reckoning on Our Roads’. The campaign calls on the community to have its say about what they want done to make NSW roads safer.

The campaign is being launched in Sydney today with a road safety billboard before traveling across regional NSW, visiting Wagga Wagga (13/5), Orange (14/5) and Newcastle (15/5). The public can have its say on road safety by visiting www.nrmasaferoads.com.au.

Across NSW, 128 councils maintain over 185,000 kilometres of roads, approximately 80 per cent of the state’s network. An unprecedented wave of wet weather events over the last three years has caused considerable damage to the network, particularly across regional NSW.

Over the last seven years an average of $547 million in annual funding has been provided to NSW councils from the state and federal government for road maintenance – a four-fold gap in what is required to maintain roads to a safe standard.

According to the NRMA’s Council Backlog report the top five councils regionally and in Sydney were:

The report calls on the re-elected Albanese Government and the NSW Government to increase funding specifically directed towards councils for road maintenance and to consolidate the disparate funding programs that councils need to access to receive the funding.

The report also calls for a full technology-based audit of the state’s road network to enable councils to adopt best-in-its-kind maintenance and repair work to ensure roads are more resilient to extreme weather conditions.

NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said the backlog of funding required by NSW councils had jumped 75 per cent in just seven years, which highlighted the need for how and by how much the federal and state government supported councils in this crucial work.

“Councils maintain the overwhelming majority of the bitumen we drive on in NSW and as evidenced by this NRMA report they need help, especially regional councils,” Mr Khoury said.

“Improving these roads will help bring down the road toll – a challenge the state continues to struggle with – and it boosts economic output – as we know 90 per cent of interstate freight occurs by road.”

The NRMA launched its Council Backlog report on the same day it kicks off its Reckoning on our Roads campaign, mobilising the community to voice its views on the measures they want to reduce the road toll.

The billboard campaign kicks off in Sydney today before traveling across NSW.

NRMA Chief Membership Officer Victoria Doidge said the organisation wanted all Australians to sharpen their focus on road safety during National Road Safety Week.

“Over its 105-year history NRMA’s greatest successes in delivering positive policy outcomes has come when it mobilised its members and the community behind its work – this campaign is no different,” Ms Doidge said.

“The NRMA is for road safety, we thank the thousands of people who have participated in the campaign so far and encourage others to also have their say.”