Victoria's road network makes an important contribution to the social and economic well-being of Victorians. There is an expectation for agencies to maintain appropriate road pavement conditions at minimum cost by doing the right work at the right time using the most efficient methods. Victoria's Road Maintenance strategies summarised by A Stitch in Time. A Stitch in Time has been developed to ensure that each road maintenance dollar is spent most efficiently to give Victorians the road conditions they need and deserve. Stitch in Time-Five years of successful Road Maintenance in Victoria demonstrates the achievements of Victoria's Road Maintenance Strategy for the first five years following its introduction.

A Stitch In Time (July 1993)

• Ensures that road conditions meet user needs for safety.
• Emphasises the importance of smooth roads as a basic requirement of road users.
• Improves the condition of busy freight roads where the saving in vehicle operating costs is greater than the maintenance treatment costs.
• Achieves these conditions by cost-effective treatments which minimise long-term maintenance costs, particularly by focussing on timely prevention rather than cure.
• Assists VicRoads in the management of maintenance for arterial road and freeway system. The principles may also be applied by local government for the management of their roads.
• Is based on market research which found motorists have specific requirements and strong opinions on road conditions.

Stitch In Time - Five Years of Successful Road Maintenance in Victoria
Victorian roads have become smoother and road maintenance funding has increased by around 30 per cent during the five year period following the introduction of A Stitch in Time.

The VicRoads road maintenance strategy entitled Stitch in Time has helped to maintain and improve Victoria's vital road infrastructure asset, reversing a previous trend that had seen the State's roads steadily declining.

Since 1991-92, maintenance funding has increased from $99m to $149m in 1998-99. From 2003, levels of funding have enabled about 7 per cent of the road network to be resurfaced each year.

Stitch in Time has ensured that regular and timely maintenance has been carried out to prevent roads deteriorating to the point where they require major work. This helps to ensure roads are smoother for all road users, and is also a cost saving measure, preventing the need for expensive major rehabilitation.

Smoother roads are also an important factor in road transport costs. As a result of reducing roughness on busy roads, there has been a steady reduction in the operating costs for commercial vehicles. This reverses the previous trend, which up until 1994, had transport costs climbing.

How to obtain a copy of these strategies
You can download a copy of the strategy from more information below or contact the:

VicRoads Bookshop
Fax (03) 9854 2468
Email: bookshop@roads.vic.gov.au
Phone: (03) 9854 2782 and (03) 9854 2049