$1.6 million in grants is set to be awarded to 28 Victorian Councils through the State Government’s Transport Accident Commission’s (TAC) Local Government Grant Program 2022 – which will support road safety projects delivered in local areas.
The program gives councils the opportunity to work with locals to address road safety issues affecting vulnerable road users in their area and implement solutions by coming up with a project to overcome them.
Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne, said this program gives Victorian councils the opportunity to work with locals to address the road safety issues that matter most in their area and develop solutions that will boost safety on our roads and help save lives.
Pedestrians and people who ride bikes are vulnerable on and around roads due to their lack of protection, and an above-average number of both road user cohorts lost their lives on the state’s roads in 2022.
In the first four months of 2023, five bicycle riders and five pedestrians have lost their lives on Victorian roads, contributing to what has been a devastating start to the year on the roads.
TAC CEO, Joe Calafiore, said, “The TAC is proud to support Victorian councils in their efforts to make their local roads safe for everyone. By investing in targeted road safety projects, we can create safer roads and better protect those who use them.”
Councils were invited to apply for grants of up to $30,000 for analysis projects, and up to $100,000 for infrastructure projects.
Together, the councils will deliver 35 road safety projects – 18 of which are infrastructure and 17 are various analyses spanning across inner and outer metro, rural and regional LGAs.
The infrastructure projects include 16 wombat crossings, four shared-user path crossings and two footpaths – all improving safety and accessibility for vulnerable road users.
The analysis projects investigate pedestrian and cyclist road safety issues and develop speed management and infrastructure treatment concepts that reflect Safe System Principles.
For example, Glen Eira City Council’s project includes constructing a raised safety platform comprising two Shared Use Path crossings at the intersection of Royal Avenue and Woodville Avenue in Glen Huntly to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.
The projects support the Victorian Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, which aims to halve road deaths and reduce serious injuries by 2030 and sets the state on a path to zero road deaths by 2050.
For more information about the program and a full list of the funded projects visit, tac.vic.gov.au/about-the-tac/community/grants/local-government-grants.
Applications for the 2023 program will open in June 2023.
