The Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Safer Speeds Project has been recognised in two categories at the Australian Road Safety Awards held in Parliament House Canberra, yesterday. The project won the Rural & Remote Programs Award and was then announced as the overall winner with the Founder’s Award.
The trial was launched in December 2019 in an effort to reduce road trauma and sawthe speed limit on 33 Shire-managed, high risk sealed rural roads reduced to 80 km/h.
The Mornington Peninsula has had a long history of high rates of road trauma and experienced the equal highest number of road deaths of Victoria’s 79 municipalities in the lead up to the trial.
The trial period has now concluded and a comprehensive evaluation has been undertaken by the Victorian Department of Transport.In summary, the road safety project was shown to have a high level of community support, and road trauma and average vehicle speeds reduced, in line with the objectives of the trial.
At the 22 November 2022 Council Meeting, Council resolved to apply to the Victorian Department of Transport to make the 80 km/h speed limits permanent on all of the 33 roads.
The Australian Road Safety Awards are an initiative of the Australian Road Safety Foundation.Theyestablish new standards of excellence in the road safety field and act as a catalyst to increase road safety activities.The awards program raises awareness about road safety generally and promotes strategies that will assist to address road safety issues across all sectors.They also provide a vehicle to further promote road safety activities on a national scale and unite these programs under a single banner.
L to R: Doug Bradbrook, Mathew McQuinn (Traffic and Transport Team) and CEO John Baker at the Australian Road Safety Awards, Canberra.
Quotes attributable to Mayor Cr Steve Holland
“Road safety is an issue of critical importance to the Mornington Peninsula. Our Safer Speeds trial has been a highly effective project in reducing road trauma on the Mornington Peninsula.
“The awards are deserved recognition for our dedicated officers who worked over several years to implement the trial, and for our community who supported the initiative.
“Visitors to the Mornington Peninsula and local residents who travel on the wider Australian road network regularly endorse the Shire’s road maintenance safety efforts.
“On behalf of my fellow councillors I’d like to particularly thank our Traffic and Transport team who took the lead on this project.”
