Warrnambool based organisation Community Connections (Vic) Pty Ltd and the Warrnambool City Council will receive a $18,496 and $17,180 respectively to help keep local roads safer.
The member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney said the funding was part of the Transport Accident Commission’s (TAC) effort to give local community groups and councils funding to tackle road trauma in the local community.
Ms Tierney congratulated Community Connections (Vic) Pty Ltd and the Warrnambool City Council for being two of the first projects to be funded under the TAC’s new $4 million community road safety program.
The $18,496 to Community Connections (Vic) Pty Ltd will support a Volunteer-supported driver education project targeting CALD community, using volunteer driving instructors.
The $17,180 to Warrnambool City Council will support educating local community about BAC levels to reduce drink driving through provision of breathalyser units and targeted information at community events.
“Local communities are often best placed to find new opportunities to reduce road accidents in the local area,” Ms Tierney said.
“These grants will give our local community the chance to take action to make our roads safer for all road users.”
Ms Tierney said the successful projects under the TAC community road safety program targeted a wide range of issues, including speed, pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists, drink driving and driver education.
The TAC encourages community groups, including local councils, to prepare applications for projects that target a specific road safety problem.
Further funding is available for community-based projects conducted by not-for-profit groups that identify a problem and provide a solution.
“If any community group has an innovative way of reducing our local road toll I would encourage them to contact the TAC with their idea,” Ms Tierney said.
The next round of applications will be accepted up until Friday 12 September 2008.
Grant application guidelines are available at www.tacsafety.com.au or by contacting the TAC Community Road Safety Grants Officer on (03) 9664 6954.