Dear VicRoads,

The shoulder of the road along Buckland Gap Road in Murmungee is in dire need of being sealed. Frequent users of this road include: students on buses, commuters in cars and utes, farmers in utes and tractors, cyclists, walkers, motorcyclist and commercial truck drivers. To ensure everyone’s safety this shoulder must be completed as a priority.

Currently Buckland Gap Road is sealed from Beechworth, however the shoulder abruptly stops and becomes gravel at Lee Morrison Road all along the stretch until Great Alpine Road. There is no paved shoulder to speak of, which means it is very dangerous when wide trucks are driving past in the opposite direction. Drivers must edge off onto the rocky shoulder to allow the truck to pass safely. In addition, vehicles have very little room on the road to pass safely along straights when following a slow vehicle. Wet weather has created deep ruts at the edge of the paving, therefore the gravel shoulder is not even flat. This adds to the dangers for road users.

Because there is no paved shoulder, gravel comes all the way up to the outside white line, even encroaching over the line in places. When driving behind a vehicle that veers slightly over the outside white line, rocks are often flicked up and windscreens are cracked. Road cyclists cannot safely ride on a surface that is rocky or when rocks are being flicked up by passing vehicles.

We sincerely want to avoid accidents, injuries and death of our residents and road users. We thank you in advance for your attention to this road safety matter!

Kind regards,

The concerned residents and road users.