Report a problem on Victorian roads

Does a footpath need maintenance? Is a traffic sign obscured or missing? RACV is not a road authority and cannot directly rectify problems on Victoria’s roads.  Contacting the responsible road authority directly about the problem is the best approach.

If there is an emergency, always call 000 for a response by the emergency services.

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Before reporting a dangerous location you must find out what type of road it is. There are three main types of roads in Victoria – major, local and toll roads.

Major roads

Major roads are generally green, black or red in the Melway street directory, or in the country are classified as an M, A, B or C road (see explanation). In Google Maps they are shown in yellow and orange. These roads are VicRoads' responsibility. VicRoads has a register of public roads showing the roads that it maintains.

Local roads

Local roads are generally orange, grey or brown in a Melway and are not classified as an M, A, B, or C road. In Google Maps they are shown in white. These roads are generally a council's responsibility. Councils are also responsible for footpaths and nature strips on all roads in built-up areas.

Toll roads and privately operated major roads

CityLink and Eastlink are toll roads and Peninsula Link is a privately operated freeway. CityLink and Eastlink are shown in blue in the Melway street directory. You won't pay a toll for using Peninsula Link, so it is shown in green in the Melway street directory, like other freeways. In Google Maps both types of privately managed road are shown in orange.

It's always best to email or write to the relevant authority as they will keep a record of the correspondence for further reference unless of course, the problem requires urgent attention. The contact details for the road authorities are provided below.

When contacting a road authority remember:

  • Keep a copy of the letter for future reference;
  • Clearly explain your concerns;
  • State exactly what you would like to see done to fix the problem;
  • Clearly identify the location of the issue including a map reference if possible;
  • You may not reach your outcome, but remain flexible to any improvements that may be made;
  • Do not expect the problem to be fixed immediately – the list for projects is prioritised and may take quite some time before any action is taken to address your concerns; and
  • Be reasonable. Your suggestion may not be the solution they implement. Safety is the major concern for road engineers, but they must also consider other issues like the environment, safety for other road users groups and their budget.

Local councils

  • Find the local Council’s website and their contact details
  • Call the Municipal Association of Victoria on (03) 9667 5555 to find contact details for the local Council

CityLink

  • Email CityLink
  • Write to CityLink, Locked Bag 28, South Melbourne VIC 3205 
  • Call 13 26 29

EastLink

  • Email EastLink
  • Write to ConnectEast, PO Box 804, Ringwood VIC 3134
  • Call (03) 9955 1400

Peninsula Link

  • Email Peninsula Link
  • Write to Lendlease Operations and Maintenance Centre, 189 Golf Links Road, Frankston South VIC 3199
  • Call 1300 453 035, or for incidents, the control centre on (03) 5978 4012


Who else can I contact?

If you have contacted the relevant road authority with little or no success (keeping in mind improvements are often not able to be made immediately and remaining open to improvements other than those that you suggested), you may like to try the following avenues to raise the profile of your concerns:

  • Contact your local Member of Parliament or a State Government Minister - their details are available from the Parliament of Victoria website
  • Your local newspaper or radio station.

If you have tried to resolve the problem with a road authority, including writing an email or letter, but it has not responded after three weeks or you feel they are not taking your concerns seriously you can contact RACV.

Often problems may require urgent attention. Some important emergency contact numbers are provided below.

Traffic hazards

To report traffic hazards, traffic light faults, freeway help phone faults, traffic crashes and delays on VicRoads roads, call 13 11 70 (24 hours a day).

To report issues on a local Council road, call their main switchboard or after hours emergency number.

Water emergencies

For water emergencies including burst water mains call 13 WATER (13 92 837) from anywhere in Victoria and be connected to the authority responsible for fixing the fault. In areas where this system is not yet fully implemented customers will be provided with the name and contact details of the relevant water authority.

Electricity emergencies

For faulty street lights or other electricity issues call the electricity distributor for that area. The electricity distributors for Victoria are:

  • United 13 20 99 – Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula
  • Jemena 13 16 26 – Melbourne’s northern and north western suburbs
  • City Power 13 12 80 – Melbourne’s CBD and inner suburbs
  • SP Ausnet 13 17 99 – Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs and the eastern half of Victoria
  • Powercor 13 24 12 – Melbourne’s western suburbs and the western half of Victoria

Other emergencies

Call 000 for emergency services including police, fire brigade and ambulance. If you do not have mobile reception you can dial 112 for an emergency and your call will be carried by an available mobile network.

All country highways are signed or labelled with an M, A, B or C number. This is known as the Statewide Route Numbering Scheme (SRNS). The letter is given to a road based on the function and quality of the route.

M roads

‘M’ roads provide the primary road links that sustain economic and regional development in Victoria. They connect Melbourne and other capital cities and link major centres of production and manufacturing with Victorian ports. ‘M’ roads should provide a consistently high standard of driving conditions with divided carriageways, four or more traffic lanes, sealed shoulders and with linemarking and guideposts that are easily visible in all weather conditions. For example the Hume Freeway is signed the M31.

A roads

A roads serve the same role as ‘M’ roads but carry less traffic and are usually two-lane two-way roads. ‘A’ roads provide a similar consistently high standard of driving conditions on a single carriageway. Shoulder sealing should be provided on all ‘A’ roads and overtaking lanes should be constructed on all strategic freight routes and roads with daily traffic volumes of more than 2,000 vehicles. For example parts of the Princes Highway are signed the A1.

B roads

B roads provide the primary link between major regions not served by ‘A’ roads and to significant tourist centres. ‘B’ roads should have sealed pavements wide enough for two traffic lanes, with good centreline and edge linemarking, shoulders and a high standard of guidepost delineation. Additional overtaking lanes should be provided on higher volume ‘B’ roads to improve road safety and capacity. For example the Murray Valley Highway is signed the B400.

C roads

C roads provide the most important links between other centres of population, and between these centres and the primary transport network. ‘C’ roads will generally be two lane sealed roads with shoulders. The safety features will be determined on the basis of cost effectiveness, depending on traffic and terrain, crash records, load restrictions and frequency of flooding. For example Kilmore- Lancefield Road is the C324.

Visit VicRoads for more information on the statewide route numbering scheme.