Moira Shire Council chair of the panel of administrators John Tanner has welcomed the recent announcement from the Victorian Government regarding road funding for the region.
Roads and Roads Safety Minister Melissa Horne announced that Moira Shire would take part in the first stage of the government’s $210 million Safe Local Roads and Streets Program.
Under the program, councils will work closely with the Department of Transport and Planning as well as the Transport Accident Commission during the next four years to identify, plan, develop and deliver road safety upgrades on local roads across Victoria.
Mr Tanner said the announcement, in light of the 10 deaths on Moira Shire roads this year, was important.
“We welcome Minister Horne’s announcement and the opportunities it will bring to road safety and safer roads in the shire,” Mr Tanner said.
“We all want to make a difference in the government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 to halve road deaths and reduce serious injuries by 2030 and eliminate road deaths by 2050... Any death on the roads is one too many for the shire.”
Currently local government authorities own and operate 87 per cent of Victoria’s road network, which equates to 132,000km.
Around 33 per cent of road trauma happens on council-managed roads each year.
Of the 183 fatalities in Victoria this year, 104 have occurred outside Greater Melbourne.