Gembrook residents are demanding answers from Cardinia Shire Council after repeated tyre damage and safety risks on Ure Road have left drivers out of pocket and frustrated.
The latest frustration comes after a contractor, “under council orders”, spread loose stones along the road.
Emma has suffered two fast leaks, with her tyres going flat within 10 minutes of driving on Ure Road in the last two days. She also had a slow leak caused by stones puncturing her tyre shortly after council roadworks.
“I’ve already spent over $150 having 3 tyres repaired. I’m pretty confident I will have more damaged tyres over the weekend too,” Emma said.
“I lost wages as I was unable to get to work on time (twice). Not to mention 2 RACV call outs and time lost taking my car to be repaired.”
Emma isn’t alone. Around 10 other Ure Road residents reported similar issues, with many lodging complaints to the council but receiving no apology or resolution.
“I’ve been in contact with many people who have made complaints in the last few days and no one has received an apology,” Emma said.
Emma approached the truck driver spreading the rocks and showed him the stones that had been removed from her tyres.
“He was “shocked at the poor quality of stone and how ‘sharp’ they were,” Emma said.
“He wasn’t happy at all with the quality of stone but he said he’s just the contractor. He did mention he would let the people know where he got the stone, that it’s not acceptable.”
Residents say Ure Road has been unsafe for years, with deep potholes and heavy corrugation causing vehicles to slide and bounce dangerously.
The unsealed road is used heavily by locals, trucks from nearby farms and construction vehicles, leaving it in constant need of repair.
Despite regular council maintenance, locals argue the fixes never last.
“Given that it’s a no-through road, our hopes of having it sealed one day are low,” Emma said.
Beyond the cost of tyre damage, Ure Road is a dead-end street with no secondary exit, creating serious safety risks in an emergency.
“Trees have fallen over the Road multiple times leaving the residents towards the end of the road trapped,” Emma said.
“I would hate to think what would happen in the event of a bushfire or even someone needing an ambulance or emergency services.”
Many are calling on the council to take responsibility and hoping some changes can be made.
“People have lost time and money. We pay exorbitant rate fees and shouldn’t be left with further out of pocket costs due to their short cuts.
“They should consider more permanent alternatives to keeping our road safe and damage free.”
In responding to a social media post, Cr David Nickell reassured residents that the issue was being addressed.
“Sorry about this. It’s no good when a poor batch of rock is spread. Escalated – and the acting CEO has asked the relevant council team to follow-up asap.”
Cardinia Shire Council’s General Manager Infrastructure and Environment, James Kelly said “last week Council started scheduled maintenance works on Ure Road, Gembrook, where stone sourced material from a certified quarry is laid to prepare the surface for grading”.
“Grading works started on the unsealed road from Monday 25 August, and works will continue over the next couple of days as part of Council’s scheduled unsealed road maintenance program,” Kelly said.
“On Friday 22 August, concerns were raised with Council regarding the surface after the preparation works had started. We have collected a small sample of material from the road and sent it back to the quarry for testing to understand if there were any issues with this particular batch of material.
“While these concerns were raised over the road finish, no formal complaints regarding vehicle damage have been reported over the last week on Ure Road.”
