By Matthew Sims
Maribyrnong council has received recognition for its Holistic Approach to its Road Safety program at the 11th annual Australian Road Safety Awards.
The Australian Road Safety Foundation presented Maribyrnong council with a recognition award on Monday, August 1.
The award acknowledged the council’s approach outlined in its Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan 2021–2030, which has an overall vision to work towards zero fatalities and a decrease in all crash injuries within Maribyrnong by 2030.
The council has taken a number of steps towards implementing the plan, including:
* Safer speeds – the introduction of the Safer Local Roads Program, which is a speed limit reduction program to encourage lower vehicles speeds in areas of pedestrian and cyclist activity;
* Safer roads – the Local Area Traffic Management [LATM] program to identify existing traffic and road safety issues, develop recommendations to improve safety, access and amenity and encourage walking and cycling; and
* Safer road users – the Active Paths program, which promotes safe active travel for school children and assists in creating a healthy and liveable environment.
Maribyrnong mayor Anthony Tran said council officers were proud of the achievement.
“This award recognises our dedication to keeping our diverse community safe by creating safer roads, safer speeds, safer vehicles and encouraging behaviour that minimises risks to users and others,” he said.
“To have our strategy, which is designed to ensure our roads are safe and accessible for all users – pedestrians, cyclists and drivers – acknowledged in this way is a significant achievement.”
Maribyrnong council’s Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan 2021–2030 also outlined plans for council to listen and engage with residents so that it can implement projects and programs which meet the needs of our growing community, supporting active transport, such as walking and cycling and improving road safety by lowering the speed limits on council-owned roads.
