The Liberal and National parties have committed to a quick start to fixing traffic congestion in the central business areas of Warragul and Drouin.
The Coalition's shadow minister for transport infrastructure Matt Bach (Liberal) took a first-hand look at the problems in Drouin last Thursday, giving a $3 million commitment to fund a Regional Roads Victoria feasibility study to start immediately after the election if the Liberal-Nationals win government in November to address what he described as a "huge problem" at Drouin and Warragul.
He also stated it would ensure construction work on what would be a multi-year program to fix the congestion issues would start before the end of the next four-year term of parliament.
Joining him at Drouin to stress the traffic issues the two towns are experiencing were candidates for Narracan in the November state election, Wayne Farnham (Liberal) and Shaun Gilchrist (Nationals), Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath and Baw Baw Shire mayor Michael Leaney.
Mr Bach said the Coalition's earlier announcement that it would commit 25 per cent of its capital works spending to regional Victoria would ensure the money was available for the project.
The current Labor government capital spend in regions was "a measly 12 per cent" and considerably less than that in the Narracan electorate.
Mr Farnham said fixing traffic congestion in and around Warragul and Drouin had been an ongoing issue for years and a number one priority of Regional Roads Victoria, but it had not been allocated money by the state government to even study possible solutions, a point also stressed by Mr Gilchrist who said it often took 25 to 30 minutes to get from one end of Drouin's main street (Princes Way) to the other end of town.
Welcoming the Liberal-Nationals commitment to quickly begin planning, Cr Leaney said he hoped the current Labor government would do the same.
It should be a bipartisan approach, he said.
Cr Leaney said Warragul and Drouin's populations had grown by 25 and 22 per cent respectively in the past five years and would continue a similar rate of growth over the next decade.
Arterial roads are the responsibility of RRV, not council, but council had been lobbying to government for a number of years on behalf of RRV that rated it the top priority project in Gippsland.
In Drouin the major issue is that all traffic travelling between the northern and southern sections of the town, including many heavy vehicles, could do so via only one railway bridge.
There was virtual bumper-to-bumper traffic in Princes Way, Drouin during the visit by the Coalition group on Thursday, even though it was early afternoon and local schools were on holiday which would normally add substantially to congestion and delays in the mornings and afternoons at student drop-off and pick-up times.