"DOES someone need to die before something is done?"

This is the very real concern for Fitzroy St business owner Helen Harm, who says the dangerous state of the road between Albion and Lyons Sts could soon lead to a tragedy.

The real estate agent said the road had deteriorated substantially since she began the business in 2009.

"We have had accidents in the past with people coming out of here and a lot of near-misses at peak times," Mrs Harm said.

"We see plenty of people driving right to the side to avoid the holes and being near East State School means there's plenty of traffic down this road.

"I haven't gone to the council about fixing the road but why should I have to complain before something is done? Does someone need to be hit before the council does their job?"

She said she was concerned the growing number of developments in the area would drive up traffic further.

Shane's Bikes, Boat and Performance owner Shane Baker said though the damage had caused no upset to his business, it would be good to see the road fixed.

"I'm not one to complain about anything but it is something we get the odd customer complaining about," Mr Baker said.

"We've been here since 2001 and there's been a fair few repairs done over the years.

"When it floods this street is completely submerged in the backwater so there's been a fair bit of damage in that time."

Errol Stratford, a friend of Mr Baker, said the stretch of road needed urgent attention.

"I've seen people coming all the way over to the other side of the road trying to dodge potholes," Mr Stratford said.

"This is quite a busy road, close to the CBD, yet they're doing work out on Kenilworth St.

"It's disappointing that old people who have paid for this infrastructure get fobbed off."

In its budget announcement, the council said it would spend $3.2million on road resealing and re-sheeting of gravel roads around the region in 2017-18.

Mayor Tracy Dobie said use of the MYSDRC app had helped to streamline road assessments for repairs.

"There's a large capital works allocation in this budget but as you would appreciate there are a large number of roads across the region and that's why they need prioritisation," Cr Dobie said.

"The app means we have had very few direct queries about roads and we encourage people to use the app because it means that information goes directly to a council worker and can be logged in the database, rather than me needing to pass on information to a council worker.

"Instead workers can see the information and whether similar queries have been made."

The Daily News contacted Southern Downs Regional Council about when works at Fitzroy St were scheduled and how many complaints had been received in the past 12 months but did not receive a response before going to print on Tuesday. 

SDRC acting manager of works maintenance and open space Mike Holeszko advised in a written statement on Wednesday morning that no work was scheduled in the 2017/18 financial year at this stage. 

"Eight complaints had been received about Fitzroy St since the beginning of the year; the issues reported have been potholes and general roughness," Mr Holeszko said. 

"Council's maintenance staff regularly patch out any potholes and repairs any pavement failures as they appear. 

"The council is actively seeking other sources of funding to improve the condition of Fitzroy St. 

"The council have listed this area in a request to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority for betterment works as it continually goes under in a flood and requires major rehabilitation works, but at this time the council has not been advised if there is a betterment program."