Following a horror year on Tasmania’s roads, more funding will soon be available as part of the Rockliff Liberal Government’s ongoing efforts to make our roads safer for everyone.
Almost $4.7 million will be available for projects that improve safety on local roads through the Tasmanian Government’s Vulnerable Road User Program and Safer Rural Roads Program.
Acting Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Michael Ferguson, said these programs are part of the $75 million Towards Zero Action Plan 2020-24 and will see the Government working closely with councils to improve the safety of all road users.
“In Tasmania, local government roads account for around 80 per cent of the Tasmanian public road network, coming to some 14,500 kilometres, and 55 per cent of fatal and serious injuries occurring on these roads,” he said.
“We also know that almost two thirds of Tasmania’s fatal and serious injuries result from head-on or run-off-road crashes and sixty per cent of fatalities occur in rural areas.
“The Safer Rural Roads Program aims to help address these issues by providing local governments with grant funding to deliver widespread low-cost upgrades on local rural roads.
“These works aim to reduce the risk of head-on and run-off-road crashes and the severity of a crash if they do occur.
“Pedestrians and cyclists represent one in four fatal and serious injuries in our major towns and cities, so the Vulnerable Road User Program provides funding to councils to create safer environments for our vulnerable road users in our urban areas.”
The Rockliff Liberal Government is getting things done and delivering more funding which could potentially save lives.
The 2022-23 rounds of the Vulnerable Road User Program and Safer Rural Roads Program open on Monday, 16 January 2023.
