By Afraa Kori
For over 20 years, driving instructor Leanne Calder has faced an uphill battle with VicRoads and City of Casey over the “disgraceful” state of the embankment near her home.
The overgrown grass embankment and fallen trees opposite 725 Prince’s Hwy, Berwick, has led to health risks, fire hazards and pests.
Leanne found dead and alive rats on her front lawn which is caused by the rubbish thrown from vehicles on the highway over the embankment.
With food sources and rubbish around, the area has become a haven for brown and tiger snakes from nearby Wilson Park.
Leanne has reached the point where she has used her own mower to cut the grass opposite her property, a task she believes she shouldn’t have to undertake.
“I hate looking across the road at the eyesore and rubbish. It’s not just the embankment but all grass areas within the area that look a disgrace. City of Casey is a disgrace, gutters flood when it rains because overgrown grass and rubbish are clogging them. The amenity of the area is depressing and ugly.”
“VicRoads used pitiful excuses for non maintenance like ‘it’s been raining’. The embankment ruins the amenity of the service road and highway and is an unacceptable eyesore to look at across the road from my property. Friends have commented how bad a fire risk it is if a cigarette is thrown from a passing car and how awful it looks.”
She noticed this is a continuing problem since VicRoads took over the maintenance from the City of Casey.
Leanne has reported the lack of maintenance on the embankment to VicRoads multiple times. Her most recent complaint was made last November and VicRoads assured her the issue would be investigated. However, three weeks later, only a single tractor strip was mowed along the embankment, with “no whipper snipping, no removal of fallen trees, no mulching, the rest of the embankment which was already 1.5 metres high untouched!”
Leanne lodged another complaint early this year and requested to speak to a manager. She was told her complaint would be escalated, and a manager would contact her, but “no one called, no feedback and no timeline” for maintenance was given. Two weeks later, a second strip was mowed, but the area was still not fully cleaned, and the dumped rubbish and fallen trees remained.
“I want VicRoads to come out and look at what I look at every day, clean it up properly and continue to maintain it properly,” she said.
She also questions why the City of Casey enforces strict maintenance standards on residents but doesn’t hold privately owned enterprises, like VicRoads to the same level of accountability.
“City of Casey is quick to issue fines to residents whose grass exceeds 30cm high, why aren’t they following the same rules with VicRoads for non compliance of maintenance?”
“The embankment is supposed to be maintained every 6 weeks (as once told to me by a VicRoads manager) but it’s lucky to get done twice a year. Are these contractors being paid even when they don’t perform the work? What a waste of taxpayers money and what a rort!”
According to VicRoads, plans are underway for the removal of trees and shrubbery from this section of the Princes Highway, which are restricting crews from undertaking a full cut of the embankment. In the meantime, VicRoads crews will continue to monitor the area for any hazards that may impact road users. Crews will return to the site to complete mowing once this vegetation has been cleared.
The Department of Transport and Planning is responsible for maintaining more than 23,000 kilometres of freeways and arterial roads throughout Victoria, including more than 19,000 kilometres in regional and rural parts of the state. Each year, VicRoads crews mow around 45,000 kilometres of roadside grass and weeds across the state to ensure the safety of all road users and manage potential fuel loads.
VicRoads works alongside councils and emergency services to plan mowing and vegetation management programs, targeting the highest-risk areas as a priority. The community is encouraged to report any issues on the road network by calling 13 11 70.
City of Casey was contacted for comment.
