Labor to direct speeding fines towards fixing roads

LABOR wants any money the state government raises from speeding fines to go towards fixing roads, introducing legislation to Parliament last week.

Last week, Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan announced the plan to establish the Better Roads Victoria Fund, which would receive on-the-spot speeding and traffic camera revenue.

Under the new laws, Melbourne’s outer suburban roads and country Victorian roads would each receive a minimum 33 per cent of the fund.

The remaining 34 per cent of the fund will be used for the repair and upgrade of roads and level crossings anywhere in the state.

“We’ve locked roads funding into legislation, delivering on our promise to build better roads for outer suburban and regional communities – protecting our roads from future Liberal-National cuts,” Mr Donnellan said.

“When the Liberals were last in power they slashed funding for country roads – and they’ll do it again if they get the chance. This will stop that from happening.

“In 2014 we said we’d spend $2 billion over eight years to fix roads in the outer suburbs and in country Victoria – we’ve already delivered and far exceeded that commitment – when we say we’ll do something, we do it.”

Labor says its 2014 transport plan, Project 10,000, committed $1 billion over eight years to repair and upgrade roads across Melbourne’s outer suburbs, and another $1 billion to repair and upgrade roads and level crossings in country Victoria.