The death of a widely respected motorcyclist who was killed after hitting a pothole has prompted urgent calls to fix Victoria's roads.
Peter "Tiki" Mason, a 71-year-old rider from Ballarat, died at the scene after losing control on the Western Highway, near Trawalla Rd west of Ballarat on Sunday.
Mason was president of the Eureka Social Riders Club and a widely respected member of the Victorian motorcycle community.
In a flood of tributes posted to social media, Mason was remembered as someone who valued respect and made a lasting impression on those he met.
Another motorcycle group based in Colac, the Mutiny Mob Social Club, said Mr Mason's death came as a complete shock.
"Only days ago, we were sharing a great weekend, plenty of laughs and good times together," the club said in a statement.
"Now we are struggling to comprehend that he is gone."
While an investigation has been launched into the crash, the incident has revived concerns about the state of Victoria's public roads.
The Victorian Motorcycle Council has been raising concerns for more than a decade.
Chairman of the advocacy group Rob Salvatore said potholes, questionable repairs and substandard surfaces had made riding less safe and enjoyable.
"Safer motorcycling relies on the condition of the roads, and poor conditions can impact the safety of the rider in very detrimental ways," Salvatore said.
The conditions have forced riders to adjust their routines, with some older people refusing to ride at night, Salvatore said.
"Something good should come out of something so tragic," he said.
A report from the Victorian Auditor-General on Wednesday found 48% of the state road network was in poor or very poor condition, up from 39% in 2021.
Examining more than 23,000km of roads, it characterised their overall condition as "deteriorating".
With a state election looming in November, Victoria's Labor government and opposition have committed to delivering road repairs.
Labor's vision includes an additional AU$300 million (NZ$370.4 million) to fix 500,000 potholes by the end of January, aided by delayed infrastructure spending and the work of prisoners.
Premier Ben Carroll, who was heckled about potholes at an unrelated press conference on Friday, said the "buck does stop with us".
"I know road conditions aren't good enough," he said in a statement, citing his government's pothole repair targets and plans to bring road maintenance back in-house.
Carroll described Sunday's crash as a "tragic loss of life", adding his thoughts were with the rider's loved ones.
The state Liberal-National coalition meanwhile has pledged $5 billion over four years to plug one million potholes.
Victorian Nationals leader Danny O'Brien said Sunday's "tragedy" highlighted the need for immediate action to avoid further deaths.
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