Developed by the Department of Transport and Planning in partnership with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), this $214 million program works directly with local councils to deliver safer local roads, intersections and precincts.
Recognising the funding and resourcing challenges local governments often face in delivering road safety improvements, this program supports Victorian councils to build capacity and capability to deliver safer local roads into the future.
Launched in July 2023, the four-year program works with Victorian councils to plan, design and deliver safety improvements on high risk local roads and areas, such as around schools.
The first funding round allocated up to $2 million to each Victorian local government and supported the delivery of road safety infrastructure across the state.
As part of the second stage of the program, a further 100 projects have been funded - delivering more road safety benefits to local communities.
Why we’re making local roads safer
Across the state, we are working with local councils to achieve our shared vision of no deaths or serious injuries on our roads.
Local governments manage 87% of Victoria’s road network, with crashes on these roads accounting for 40% of serious injury claims through the TAC. This shows that a large share of road trauma happens on the local streets we use every day.
The program gives councils access to funding and support to deliver practical safety upgrades. These upgrades help reduce the risk of crashes and improve safety for everyone, no matter how they travel.
What’s being delivered
Everyone in our community deserves to be safe on our streets, whether walking to school, riding to the shops, or driving to work.
As part of the program, councils across Victoria are making local roads safer with a range of projects, including:
- roundabouts - one of the safest types of intersections as they slow the flow of traffic and guide vehicles in one direction, reducing the risk and severity of crashes.
- raised pedestrian crossings (wombat crossings) to make it safer to cross the road by making pedestrians more visible and slowing down cars.
- speed humps (or speed platforms) to slow cars and help reduce crashes in busy areas, residential streets and at intersections, making neighbourhoods calmer and easier to walk in.
- safer speed limits on streets where people live, shop and spend time together. We know speed is the most critical risk factor in road crashes.Safer speeds give people more time and distance to react if something unexpected happens, and dramatically improves survival rates if a crash does occur. For example at 30km/h, a person hit by a car has a 90% chance of surviving. At 50km/h, that drops to just 10%.
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