A massive new $25 million injection for ‘black spot’ funding aims to make Victorian roads a safer place for drivers.
The federal government is set to invest $25.6 million into a fresh Black Spot road safety initiative in Victoria, aimed at enhancing safety measures in critical crash-prone areas.
Starting in the 2023-24 period, a total of 57 hazardous locations throughout the state will undergo safety enhancements.
The Black Spot Program, which has been in operation for a considerable period, allocates funds for the installation of safety measures like traffic signals and roundabouts in areas that have experienced significant accidents or are deemed to be at high risk of such incidents.
The federal government says these 57 Black Spot projects will make an important contribution towards reducing serious injuries and deaths on Victoria’s roads and build on previous investments across the state.
“I am thrilled to announce these latest 57 Black Spot projects across Victoria, and thank the local communities for putting them forward for nomination,” federal assistant transport minister Carol Brown says.
“We are continuing to provide $110 million per year under the Black Spot Program to work with state, territory and local governments to improve road safety across Australia.
“We are committed to keeping Australians safe on our roads. These 57 new projects in Victoria will improve safety, benefit our communities and reduce road trauma.”
Black Spot Consultative Panels provide the opportunity for stakeholders to have a say in the project selection process and ensure nominations of the highest priority and importance to local communities are recommended for approval.
The Victorian review panel includes representatives from the Municipal Association of Victoria, Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, Victorian Transport Association, Victorian Police Service, Road Safety Victoria, Traffic Management Association of Australia and the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning.
The list of funded projects include roads and intersections in Shepparton, Bendigo, Latrobe City, South Gippsland, Warrnambool, the Surf Coast, Hume, Greater Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula, Whittlesea, Wyndham, Mildura, Moreland, the Bass Coast, Greater Dandenong, Cardinia, Darebin, Wangaratta, Melbourne and Boroondara, with more listed on the federal government’s release.
“We welcome this significant investment as a key part of making sure our roads are safer for all road users. It will allow us to provide key road safety upgrades across our state,” Victorian roads minister Melissa Horne says.
“The Black Spot Program strongly aligns with Victoria’s road safety strategy and will help us achieve our goal of zero lives lost on Victorian roads by 2050.”