The team at Carter Bros. Fruit and Veg in Silvan have had enough of the potholes out the front of their shop on Monbulk Road, and they’re informing customers to take care when pulling into the carpark.
“The potholes are just flat out dangerous,” shop owner BJ Carter said.
“It’s the same thing every year. We have to wait for VicRoads to fix them, because if we touch them, and something goes wrong, we’re liable.”
While the potholes haven’t stopped loyal customers from coming in, Mr Carter said they’re definitely causing a stir.
“It’s not affecting business other than having to hear a whole lot of pothole talk, which to be perfectly honest, isn’t my favourite topic of discussion,” he said.
“Our Dad, who works with us, is riled up and ready to go, he’s a former bodybuilder and powerlifter. He’s at the ready to drag a car out of a hole with his bare hands.”
Mr Carter confirmed they’ve been in contact with VicRoads through official channels, logging reports online and following up by phone. But so far, the holes remain.
“The communication process is basically, we lodge the form online, then call and follow up frequently to see if they’ve assigned a team,” he said.
“This time, customers let us know about the SnapSendSolve app, we’re hoping to see better results using that.”
While many small businesses take to social media to raise awareness of local issues, tagging VicRoads isn’t an option, the department doesn’t allow it, something Mr Carter said he understands, even if it’s frustrating.
“If they allowed people to tag them, they’d have to employ a whole team just for looking at tags, based on the state of the roads.”
It’s not just outside the shop that’s the issue, according to Mr Carter, the broader area’s roads are in poor shape too.
“The roads in the area are awful, Monbulk Road constantly seems to be falling apart,” he said.
“I have no idea what should be done about it, honestly. It’d just be nice to see a faster response.”
In an effort to raise awareness and maybe share a laugh Carter Bros. recently invited locals to share their favourite potholes in the Dandenong Ranges.
“We wanted to make people aware to take it easy coming into the carpark off Monbulk Road,” Mr Carter said.
“It’s 80kms an hour along there, and the last thing we want is for someone to get hurt.”
And yes, he has a favourite pothole himself.
“Mine is the entire section of Monbulk Road near Bottlemart and Princi’s. It’s absolutely glorious,” he said.
Mr Carter said the potholes are just one more frustration for small businesses doing it tough.
“We’re venting frustrations, but that’s nothing new for us. Between the potholes, lack of support for small business, and all the fruit shops having to compete with the supermarkets’ boots on our necks – there’s a lot to be frustrated about,” he said.
Still, he managed to find a silver lining, buried, quite literally, in the problem.
“The good news is that at the bottom of one of the potholes, we found iron ore. That’s how deep it was.”
According to the Department of Transport and Planning, crews carried out works at the section of road in Silvan on Friday.
“we carried out repairs to this section of Lilydale-Monbulk Road earlier today (Friday, 25 July),” the spokesperson said.
The Department of Transport and Planning is responsible for inspecting and maintaining Victoria’s 23,000-kilometre arterial road network.
Since 2022, VicRoads has been a separate agency responsible for managing Victoria’s registration and licensing services.
The department also encouraged members of the public to report hazards by calling 13 11 70.
