Liberal West Ward councillor Jason Pauling estimates there are almost 500 tarmac patches on the Lake Macquarie portion of the M1 Motorway.
Cr Pauling commutes to Sydney for work one to three times most weeks, and the constant bumping and rough sections of road have become a bugbear.
So much so that this week he took to counting the patched sections of the M1 between the Newcastle Link Road exit and the "welcome to the Central Coast" sign at Bushells Ridge.
On two occasions he counted between 490 and 500 patches.
"Certainly, I think northbound is in better condition than southbound as a rule," Cr Pauling said.
"It just hit me the other day about how you go 'bang-bang-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump' for a bit.
"It's irritating. The premier road, like M1, deserves more love and care."
On Monday night Cr Pauling will submit a notice of motion at the Lake Macquarie City Council meeting to discuss the issue.
The motion calls for the council to write to Transport for NSW, the NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison and any other relevant state agencies seeking detailed advice on planned works relating to resurfacing and pavement renewal for the M1 within the Lake Macquarie local government area (LGA) and for councillors to receive a memo on the responses received.
The M1 is the main transport route for Lake Macquarie, linking drivers south to Sydney and the Central Coast and north to Newcastle, Port Stephens and Maitland.
The road is one of the busiest in the country, and according to Infrastructure Australia, 90,000 light and heavy vehicle movements are made daily between the Hunter, Central Coast and Sydney.
Cr Pauling said the importance of the M1 to Lake Macquarie residents was further emphasised by the council's draft Employment Land Use Strategy released in May.
The strategy showed that 49,466 residents, more than half of the working population, travel outside of the LGA for their employment.
"It's unbecoming of our premier road, full stop," Cr Pauling said.
"Half our residents, as we know, leave the city every day for work. They're not all headed down the M1, but a fair number are."
Cr Pauling said that the Central Coast section of the M1 also needed immediate attention.
In September last year Lake Macquarie City Council and Central Coast Council forged a strategic partnership to advocate on shared interests to the state and federal governments.
At Monday night's meeting, Lake Macquarie Labor mayor Adam Shultz will use his mayoral minute to acknowledge a day of workshops held in June between the two neighbouring councils.
Part of that mayoral minute supports "joint advocacy to the NSW government for key infrastructure and service improvements, including shared pathway connections".
Cr Pauling was the sole vote in opposition to forging a strategic partnership with the Central Coast last year, but he admits shared advocacy on the M1 could be beneficial.
"I don't know that we need a formal agreement to do that either," he said.
"The mayors can get together and write a joint letter without that formal construct.
"The little pow-wow that council will do every now and then, I just don't see the value in it. It just seems like bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy to me.
"But that said, I think both LGAs have a fair claim to go, 'Hey, this [the M1] is not good enough'."
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said the state and federal governments are investing $90 million in upgrades along the M1 Pacific Motorway, which includes three sections within Lake Macquarie.
"Three segments of the M1 are programmed for upgrade in the current financial year, including asphalting of the southbound carriageway just north of the Dora Creek bridge," the spokesperson said.
"This area was recently strengthened to be ready for the final asphalt layer, which is programmed for the first quarter of the 2027 financial year.
"Other major works include strengthening of the existing concrete pavement followed by an asphalt overlay on the northbound section of carriageway near Mannering Creek (between Bushells Ridge Road and Hue Hue Road). This strengthening work is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2027.
"Transport is also carrying out strengthening of the existing concrete pavement, followed by an asphalt overlay on the southbound section of carriageway just south of the Toronto (Palmers Road) interchange. Work is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2027.
The spokesperson also said Transport for NSW inspects the M1 twice a week and the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie section "remains in an acceptable condition".
