The result of this is evident for anyone to see and experience. Sections of both the urban and rural road network are deteriorating and according to some reports are in a dangerous condition. This state of neglect and decay is being worsened by the government's preference towards the road freight industry. Continued subsidising of the road freight industry has lead to increased heavy freight traffic on roads not designed for heavy freight haulage. Severe rutting, corrugations and cracking on many of our major roads are the result.
Rural roads have a long history of being neglected.
Due to the massive spending on unnecessary highways in the Perth region, rural roads are being neglected more than ever. It is clear that a new priority is long overdue. Expanding the highway system is not sustainable economically. According to a World Bank study in 1997, of 37 cities Perth has the second highest road length per person. More needs to be made of the existing underutilised road infrastructure before adding to it.