Western Victoria will receive a boost from the Victorian Government for community road safety initiatives to reduce road trauma.
Schools, councils and not-for-profit organisations in Western Victoria are among a number of areas across the state benefiting from the latest round of Community Road Safety Grants Program.
The $1.5 million program will deliver targeted education programs designed to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
Several groups across the region have welcomed funding for projects to provide local solutions to local road safety concerns, including:
- RoadSafe Otway – $38,837 for education sessions on bike safety, fatigue management, safer young drivers and general road safety community awareness campaigns.
- Moyne Shire Council – $10,300 for safer pedestrian interventions in Mortlake, Koroit, Port Fairy, Macarthur and Peterborough, roadside banners and speed advisory signage.
- Warrnambool City Council – $20,027 for bike education training sessions and equipment, Live, Drive and Ride Local Safer Cyclists campaign and safer routes to school initiatives for Warrnambool East Primary School, St Johns Primary School, St Josephs Primary School, St Pius X Primary School, Woodford Primary School, Warrnambool Primary School, Allansford Primary School, Merrivale Primary School, Emmanuel College, Our Ladies Help of Christians and Warrnambool West Primary School
- Warrnambool Maori Multiculture Club Inc – $30,951 for road safety education campaigns.
The grants program delivers educational sessions on road safety, promoting safer young drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians – and addresses issues such as fatigue and high-risk driver behaviour including speeding and drink driving.
The program also funds roadside banners, speed advisory signage and mobile billboards as part of targeted community awareness campaigns.
Funding is spread across the state including motorcycle safety sessions in Gippsland, Melbourne and the Grampians, cyclist safety in the Loddon Mallee and North East Victoria, safer routes to school initiatives in the South West and young driver education at 102 high schools across the state.
It comes as the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) offers Victoria’s local councils the chance to receive funding grants to help improv e road safety in their region.
Under the TAC program, projects with a focus on road safety analysis can receive up to $30,000 and infrastructure projects can receive up to $100,000.
The TAC’s Local Government Grant Program is open to council applications across the state until July 28, 2021.
The grants programs support Victoria’s Road Safety Action Plan and Strategy 2021-2030, which set us on a path to halve road deaths and significantly reduce serious injuries by 2030.
For more information on the programs visit the VicRoads website – www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/road-safety-programs/vicroads-community-road-safety-grants-program
Quotes Attributable to Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney
“With investment across the region, we hope these targeted, community-driven projects will deliver important road safety initiatives for both locals and visitors.”
“I thank the community for getting involved in the program to help tackle road safety at a local level.”
Quotes Attributable to Road Safety Victoria Executive Director, Carl Muller
“We are all responsible for road safety – one wrong decision on our roads can have life changing consequences and this program empowers local groups to share vital road safety messages.”
