City releases draft road management plan

THE City of Greater Geelong is calling for submissions about its plan to maintain and repair the more than 2,000km of roads, more than 2,300km of paths, 86 major culverts and almost 150 bridges under its control.

The council endorsed the draft municipal road management plan (RMP) at its meeting last week.

The city says feedback from targeted workshops and stakeholder engagement held in December 2024 and January 2025 have helped shape the draft plan.

All stakeholders were invited to provide their views via surveys, forms, and roundtable discussions.

Under the RMP, criteria are set for how often inspections are carried out, what constitutes a defect, how severe a defect needs to be to require repair, and the timeframes for completing those repairs.

Reviewing the RMP is a legislative requirement under the Road Management Act 2004 and Road Management (General) Regulations 2016.

Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said the RMP affected all residents in the municipality and it was important the community had their say in shaping it.

“We’re now checking in with the broader community to ensure the draft road management plan reflects your priorities and nothing important has been missed.

“Thank you to everyone who has provided valuable input so far — it will help us shape decisions that ensure the city’s roads, footpaths, and related infrastructure are safe, accessible, and well-maintained for our community.”

Cr Trent Sullivan, chair of the city services, capital works, parks and gardens portfolio, said it was important the RMP met the community’s expectations.

“This is the city’s guiding maintenance document for roads, kerbs and footpaths.

“Early feedback from the community has helped align the draft plan with both operational priorities and community expectations.”

An internal working group has reviewed all feedback collected during stage one of community engagement and prepared the draft plan, which is now available for public comment.

Once this stage of engagement closes, all responses will be reviewed and considered in finalising the RMP.

The final plan will be presented at the October council meeting for adoption.

Feedback closes on August 22.

To view a copy of the proposed RMP and have your say, head to yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/RMPR